I just purchased my copy and as I drove home Kari (my girlfriend) read the opening line of the introduction to me:
"There is no agreement as to what Finnegans Wake is about, whether or not it is 'about' anything, or even whether it is, in any ordinary sense of the word, 'readable.'"
She laughed and threw the book in the back seat. I have no patience for Joyce despite my library containing most of his work; I hate Ulysses and I think Dubliners is good but far from perfect. Sal put me up to this and I hope all of you can help make this an enjoyable experience. I'll try my best in return.
To reading three reference books just to understand one!
Good luck.
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I've never made anything enjoyable to you and you know it. But you'll end up being the biggest champion of this book at the end. Just dive in. Forget the reference books if they're not around (I haven't looked at them yet). I think if you take it slow enough you'll be able to see images and concepts emerge.
ReplyDeleteOh and note the song (and watch the performance) below. It'll help with the first few pages.