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oXus you're right - it is an arbitrary age. I think he was just saying don't spoil it with a rudimentary understanding of the finer points of his technique, which I would have inevitably done had I attempted to read it as a freshman in college. Perhaps when I was seasoned and in practice for literary reading around 22 it would have been fine, too. in any case, I have an idea of what it's about and how it's executed, but I'm still eager to read it. I tried Finnegan's Wake twice - the first in high school almost as a challenge, and I couldn't get through the first 50 pages. I tried it again during a winter break in college, thinking I'd somehow detect more to it, but even with greater resolve, I couldn't manage to finish it. Maybe one day it'll make sense, but I'm either too smart or way too stupid to orient myself in it. Now I tend to give a book 50-100 pages before I decide to drop it. how old are you, by the way?
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dead man Ulysses is widely considered to be not only Joyce's best work, but also the best novel ever written. Which of course is incredibly subjective and debatable, but it's worth noting the prestige and accolades that it has received. That being said, Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man is def worth reading, also considered a top 10-15 novel of all time, and one of my personal favorites. Revisit that, and then Dubliners, and you'll prob like the latter better this time around.