How does Ulysses portray the city of Dublin over one day?

James Joyce’s Ulysses portrays Dublin as a densely realized, vibrant urban landscape during a single day: June 16, 1904. Rather than presenting an idealized version of the city, Joyce depicts a world defined by a mix of lively talk, song, and social interaction, alongside themes of isolation, loneliness, and betrayal.123

The novel captures the city through the perambulations of its central characters—Leopold Bloom, Stephen Dedalus, and Molly Bloom—as they move through various public and private spaces, including baths, libraries, hospitals, and pubs. By utilizing the stream-of-consciousness technique, Joyce anchors the narrative in the characters' immediate, hour-by-hour experiences, revealing their innermost thoughts, anxieties, and mundane concerns.134

Ultimately, Ulysses elevates these ordinary lives to the level of epic significance, suggesting that the daily existence of modern Dubliners is as profound as the monumental lives of ancient literary heroes. The city serves as a backdrop for exploring the human condition, where moral rules are often tested by chance encounters and the unpredictable nature of the mind.14