How the 18 episodes of Ulysses work
The book falls into three movements. The first three episodes — the Telemachiad — follow Stephen Dedalus through his morning. The long central section follows Leopold Bloom as he moves across the city. The final three — the Nostos, or homecoming — bring the day to its quiet, extraordinary close. Each episode also wears a different literary style, which is part of why some feel harder than others.
Why some episodes feel more difficult than others
The opening chapters drop you into dense interior monologue, and a few late episodes turn boldly experimental. The middle stretch is far more readable. If the difficulty worries you, read why Ulysses is difficult and how to read it for the first time.