Paul's Reviews > Finnegans Wake

Finnegans Wake by James Joyce

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's review
Nov 14, 11

bookshelves: assorted-rants-about-stuff

Stealing an idea from Manny's review, here's part of the (British) Highway Code if it was written by James Joyce any time during the last 17 years of his life. This is the section called

ROAD SIGNALS

Swarn and inform other roadusers aminxt that nombre of evelings, including pedestrigirls and jumbleboys (see 'and twinglings of twitchbells in rondel’ section twoozle para fleeph), of your inbended actions. You should have a kelchy chose and clayblade and at all times make prayses to the three of clubs always, having checked it is not misleading to tuss like a whoopy anisine, whipping your eyesoult and gnatsching your teats over the brividdy road users before changing course or direction, stopping or moving off (djowl there, longfoot here, and bejesus back again) and the doctor's bill for Joe McJohn and all his catholic lemony heathens.

Cancel them after use, the rancid old patootsies. Make sure your signals will not unblade your corsets forswooth and let the loobully moons aloose to confuse the caboose and grake the speens of the urgier others. This is not allowed. If, for instance, you want to stop adilly and look adolly, as we do, as we done and as we will, do not blooger the whooger untill you pass the galoshes of Mrs Minchum Birny Kirny and the little jeepy twins. Yes! Kadiddly! Your brake lights will warn kachooth and your broken lights will foghorn willikins my billikins, or you can use an arm to signal to emphasise or pomphesise or undersize the loof of the lamplight lillyjoggings in all their creamy birny underthings which you can quite see if you stand on a chair. And o lord groggins, remember that signalling does not give you priority.

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Comments (showing 1-22 of 22) (22 new)

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Manny It makes too much sense. But I like it!


message 2: by Paul (last edited Apr 24, 2010 11:28pm) (new) - added it

Paul Hi Megha

Every book by Joyce is completely different. And he didn't write many. Dubliners is a collection of plainly written short stories. A Portrait of the Artist as a Young man is a fictionalised autobiography, readable but very morose. Ulysses is a total masterpiece - see my review - and FW is completely unreadable. And that's it!


message 3: by D. (last edited Apr 26, 2010 01:47pm) (new)

D. Pow Strangely both your guys reviews makes me want to take a stab at Finnegan's Wake again...


message 4: by Paul (new) - added it

Paul with a kitchen knife, you mean?


message 5: by D. (new)

D. Pow Heh. Well played, Paul.


message 6: by Milo (new)

Milo I remember Joyce having quite the reputation when it comes to difficult reads.


message 7: by Paul (new) - added it

Paul Two of the all time hardest!


message 8: by Milo (new)

Milo And the second would be Pynchon?


message 9: by Paul (new) - added it

Paul Hardest reads? well, there are a few contenders.... Beckett, Gertrude Stein, Proust, etc... I never read Pynchon because crazy conspiracy theories-of-everything are not my cup of tea. And also because his stuff appears to be not-very-serious. Having said that I'm going to give Mason & Dixon a go.


message 10: by Paul (new) - added it

Paul FW is unreadable, but Ulysses is readable. I think so anyway.


message 11: by MJ (new) - rated it 5 stars

MJ Nicholls Interesting you say "not-very-serious" about Pynchon, he who lauds Nicholson Baker, the obsessive compulsive Jerry Seinfeld. You should try reading some Finnegans Wake aloud, it really loves the tongue.


message 12: by Marc (new)

Marc Kozak That's some modern day Joyce right there.


message 13: by Ian (new) - added it

Ian Graye That was fun.


message 14: by Nilesh (new)

Nilesh Kashyap Instead of goodreads, I found this review here:
blogs.publishersweekly.com/blogs/PWxy...


message 15: by Ian (new) - added it

Ian Graye That review by MJ is a ripper.


message 16: by [deleted user] (new)

"rancid old patootsies"

love that bit


message 17: by MJ (new) - rated it 5 stars

MJ Nicholls Ian wrote: "That review by MJ is a ripper."

I hope that was an insult.


message 18: by Paul (new) - added it

Paul well, so this review made it onto another site. Escape from Goodreads! Who would have thought it was possible...


message 19: by Tuck (new)

Tuck yes paul, and mj too, got on publishers weekly http://blogs.publishersweekly.com/blo...


William This is more about you than an actual review of the book.


William This is more about you than an actual review of the book.


message 22: by Paul (new) - added it

Paul All of my reviews are.


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