As The New York Times points out, it's been a long time since Joyce's sprawling masterpiece Ulysses was considered obscene, but as the saying goes, "There's an app for that."

Now, it seems that a comic book version of Ulysses – intended as an app for the iPad – offended the sensitive souls in Cupertino, who would not approve it in part because of a drawing of unclothed human mammary glands.

Robert Berry, the illustrator of “Ulysses Seen,” said that an image of a woman with exposed breasts was one of the offending panels in the comic version of the book. He offered to pixelate the image or cover it up with a fig leaf, suggestions that were rejected by Apple. “We basically had to lose all of her body and just tighten in on her face,” Mr. Berry said. “It is rather disappointing.”

Which is to say, in Steve Jobs' neo-puritanical remake of James Joyce's Ulysses, Molly says, "No, no, no."

To Jobs' everlasting annoyance, the internet remains beyond his control and you can see the book at .

UPDATE: Slate's Big Money reports that a cartoon version of an Oscar Wilde story got the black-block image-censor treatment over a gay kiss. The iPad really is turning into a Victorian computer.

UPDATE 2: Looks like Apple has yet again decided to undo its policing once enough media piles on. According to a comment from the "Ulysses Unseen" guys, Apple has asked them to re-submit and the Oscar Wilde comic is also getting its censor blocks removed, according to other press reports. Anyone else tired of this routine? Publish the damn rules already, Apple.

Via The New York Times.

See Also: