Top 7 Minor Characters in James Joyce's "Ulysses"

Having finally finished school for the semester, I would like to also finish out my "lists on a theme of one of my classes" by highlighting some of the smaller characters in James Joyce's intricate masterpiece of Dublin life, Ulysses.  Joyce's world is so fully-imagined that he often had full conceptions of characters of characters who are quite tangential to the main plot of the work.  Here is a look at some of my favorites.

7. Richie Goulding

Richie Goulding is the man who eats lunch at the Ormund Hotel with the protagonist Leopold Bloom.

6. Reggie Wylie

Reggie Wylie is the former boyfriend of Gertie MacDowell, who exposes herself on the beach to the protagonist Leopold Bloom.

5. Mrs. Mastiansky

Mrs. Mastiansky is the spouse of Mr. Mastiansky, whose sexual practices are discussed in a monologue of Molly Bloom, who is the wife of the protagonist Leopold Bloom.

4. Corey MacGee

Corey MacGee is estranged uncle of Andrew MacGee, who once courted Lily Gerber, who is the former owner of the chickadee named Davey Blondo, which has an imagined dialogue with the protagonist Leopold Bloom

3. Jim Cordoba

Jim Cordoba is the personal sous chef for Chef Barney Blago, who utters a curse upon God under the roof of Joanna Corleone, who once invalidated the checks of Jennifer Barf, who, before her sexual reassignment surgery, once had a gay relationship with Stephen Dedalus, who is the spiritual son of the protagonist Leopold Bloom.

2. Kevin Bacon

Kevin Bacon starred in Flatliners with Oliver Platt, who is the grandson of Kevin Platt, who came under scrutiny by the board of Dublin correctional facility director Jason Chilam, who threw his Bat Mitzvah at the house of Benny Goodman, who caught a bad cold due to a window left open by Gary Gygax, who created the favorite game of the protagonist Leopold Bloom.

1. Peter Mende-Siedlecki

Peter Mende-Siedlecki writes a list blog with Rob Trump, who, unknown to him, is the bastard nephew of Donald Trump, who once delivered the baby of Goody Proctor, who ate the entire apple inside a worm named Lowly Worm, who reversed the spin of the world with a super-cape made for him by Garth Brooks, who once dueted with Al Jolson, who is, in fact, a pseudonym of the protagonist Leopold Bloom.