No. 1. There is so much great literature to read, I don't see the point in keeping at a painful project. ... unless you belong to a fun book club that has vowed to read 20 pages at a time. The Wikipedia summary will provide the main themes. 2. Do read the short story "The Dead" in The Dubliners so that at least you have a little Joyce under your belt. Memorize the last line of that story. It will come in handy during snowfalls or moments when someone is being snotty and you want to remind them of your equality. 3. Agree that Joyce was important in his time for experimentation. If you like experimental prose, there are plenty of modern-day experimenters that you might find more readable. 4. Just in case someone says to you, "yes, yes, I will yes" listen to these excerpts from Molly Bloom's soliloquy that ends the book. If you must read Joyce, start with A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man. I haven't read it yet, but would like to someday.Should I keep it up?