I Read Finnegans Wake So You Don’t Have To!
But, let me tell you now, this is no insightful academic assessment of what is perhaps the most perplexing, ambiguous and downright impenetrable work of literature known to man. One summer a couple of years ago, in-between writing my own novels of dubious quality, I fancied a bit of a literary challenge. I had participated in Bloomsday – an annual celebration of James Joyce’s other famed work, Ulysses – a few times and it struck me that maybe it was time to tackle the mighty Finnegans Wake. The idea of attempting an idiots guide (or, more appropriately, a guide by an idiot) came about after discussing my attempts at comprehension with friends.
And so this, Finnegans What?, a plaintive effort to decipher the indecipherable, was born. My method was a to read a chapter and then make notes about what I thought might be happening. These were originally posted weekly on my blog for the benefit of curious readers. So what we have here is a chapter-by-chapter explanation, as I read each in turn. This is my interpretation and musings on Joyce’s eponymous work, rather than any kind of instructional companion or serious analysis. Goodness knows, I’m not capable of that kind of high-minded literary endeavour. I’m just an ordinary person, reading Finnegans Wake.
And this is what I came up with.
Lucy Brazier 
ha – i look forward to it, so i idon’thave to read it )
I probably won’t bring much enlightenment to proceedings but I will give it a shot!
I have tried this novel but the language is far too complicated for a French person of average intelligence. I do admire Joyce but he is somewhere near Virginia Woolf, Dorothy Richardson and Marcel Proust, plus a dash of “Waiting for Godot”. And the language!!!! So I am waitinng with some trepidation for your first post, taking my hat off to you! 🙂
If it makes you feel any better, it makes almost no sense to an English person of average intelligence. Or even one of exceptional intelligence, from what I can gather!
I am sure you will make something very good out of it. You are not of average intelligence: you are clever with a keen sense of humour and,sometimes, nonsense – which is a compliment even if Lewis Carroll was an Oxford man (tongue in cheek).
I have shared on my personal page and on my blogger page. I do hope lots of pople will follow you. I am waiting eagerly for the first installment… 🙂
You are very kind indeed, I like to think of myself as ‘differently intelligent’ 🙂
Oooh the mention of The Other Place! But a huge compliment, nonetheless.
How super of you, I am very grateful. I am working on posts now and they make only marginally more sense than the book. ..