Finnegan's Wake-Up

[[deleted user]]

I got the Penguin Classics edition with an intro by John Bishop (a UC Berkeley Professor and author of Joyce's Book of the Dark: Finnegans Wake). Bishop writes, “one corollary to these observations is that any reader can go into Finnegans Wake and discover everywhere within it whatever he or she wants to or already knows. It’s a notorious truism that the book serves as something of a Rorschach test, revealing a reader’s monomanias, deferentialities, and peculiar little areas of expertise.” He also mentions the best way to read Finnegans Wake is in a group so all members can contribute their area of knowledge or expertise to the collective understanding of the passages. So whatever we’re doing with this, it sounds like we are doing it right.

[[deleted user]]

Did anybody else notice that it seems to be Finnegans Wake not Finnegan's Wake? Hmmmm...
I haven't even read the first five pages and already I'm analyzing! What does that say about my monomanias?

[Nicole]

Yes, just noticed that missing apostrophe in the title today. Still pondering what it might mean.

[Dana]

My town's name is Toms River, 'cause at some point the apostrophe was just taken out. You get used to it and actually start to forget it was supposed to be there in the first place haha 50 more mins til I can start reading this bad boy! :P

[Donna]

Often, or always, in the case of medical/scientific terminology, eponyms are not apostrophed. (New word alert!) So... Perhaps it could be considered an eponym? Like say, saying something is a Finnigans Wake, using a widely recognised example and whatever it entails, to encompass a much wider or more generic thought/experience/group? Just a thought, since I haven't read past page 2 yet! ;)

[Kevin]

Here's my theory: Joyce plays with language, creating portmanteaus out of words from different languages, for example. And I think this could be an example of this. In many Germanic languages, like Dutch, High German and the Scandinavian languages, the possessive is not indicated by an apostrophe. While we would say "Kevin's dog", a German speaker would say "Kevins Hund". Maybe that's what Joyce is doing here.

[Dan (aka Utterbiblio)]

Would be great to agree on a hashtag for social media.

[Jennifer]

Going to pick up my copy in my lunch hour - lets get a hashtag sorted for twitter! I like Stephanie's suggestion of #finneganswakeup

[Kevin]

I second that. It's short enough not to be intrusive, transparent enough that we recognise it, and uncommon enough people probably aren't going to use it who aren't part of this... endeavour, project, adventure, thing.

[Dan (aka Utterbiblio)]

Rider has agreed on Twitter that #finneganswakeup is the one to use. Looking forward to starting the book tonight.

[Lindsey]

I started today and I have to say I'm excited and nervous at the same time. I might need this to be a finnegan's wake and bake after reading the first 5 pages. Oh boy, James Joyce . You are getting a laugh right now. I'm either going to be in love with this novel or not. Rushing my annotated books to me! When is the blog going up?

[Rider]

Ride her Strong past the posts (insisting still on ghosts) for a goodlyread. Afterall, nickelodeon, lighter than Walterweight and vintner of our Disneycontent, is but a sweetpeek until it breathe or (don't!) go sourgrape.

[Rider]

Rider Strong is posting on Goodreads. Keep reading, five pages (nickel) isn't much.

Also, Disney shows are better than Nickelodeon shows.

And Shakespeare is also tough to read.

And like a good wine, I'm hoping this will take time.


What the hell have we gotten into?

[Tyson]

Perfect example, Rider. This is going to be insane.

[Rider]

OK, so.


Top of Page 3 to Bottom of Page 8.


Favorite word: celescalating (5)

Favorite phrases: christian minstrelsy (3), sexcaliber hrosspower (8)

Favorite complete sentence: For a nod to the nabir is better than wink to the wabsanti. (5)


First impressions.

I love the way this sounds in my head. I really do. There are lines that mean absolutely nothing to me ("Rot a peck of pa's malt had Jhem or Shen brewed by arclight…") but are really fun to sound out.

And I think this goes along with Eric's point about the book being a string of puns. It really is. I mean, this is like puns on steroids. Joyce's puns have puns.

Which, I suppose, he would render: Joys is pounce o' puns.

As a result of this, I've noticed when I try and "hear" it in my head, sometimes things jump out at me that I would otherwise miss. It's kind of like Joyce is forcing you to do this. Which is pretty amazing -- I feel like there are lots writers who try and capture an aural quality on the page, but rarely does it feel like this.

I noticed (as I mentioned when I read a bit of this on Lit Disco) a lot of Genesis through Deuteronomy references. Adam Eve, burning bush, moses, exodus, etc.

There's clearly a lot of falling (and subsequent rising -- "phoenish"?) humpty-dumpty, etc.

I don't think I would have gathered this without looking it up, but I guess Finnegan has fallen to his death? (I'm not even sure who Finnegan is, though, since I was under the impression that the pub owner's name is always some variation on the initials H.C.E.). And his wife Annie puts out his corpse to be eaten by the mourners? I'm adding the Wikipedia page to my internet bookmarks, because I'm sure I will need basic "what's happening in the plot" help:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Finnegan...

Here's something I'm noticing: I'm annoyed by my own references that Joyce probably didn't / couldn't possibly have intended.

For instance. When I saw "Kekkek Kekkek Kekkek! Koax Koax Koax!" (4), I immediately thought "KKK?" and then couldn't help but read "Hoody Head" a few sentences later as another reference. But that seems SO unlikely for an Irish writer in 1939. Right?

Also, did anybody else read "Heed! Heed." (5) and think of So I Married an Axe Murderer?

I imagine there will be lots of pop cultural crap my brian will drag into this to fill the voids of understanding.

Which, I guess, is kind of cool. That Rorschach test quality Stephanie brought up.

I DID find myself reading the first few pages of William York Tindall Reader's guide along with this. I'm still not convinced that I've gotten much out of it, because it doesn't elucidate what's going on so much as point out different streams of thought to get lost going down. Like when Tindall 'clarifies' that "The matter of the first paragraph on p. 4 is heroic conflict, whether of siege, "camibalistics," or boomerangs, followed by peace, as rise follows fall," (Tindall, 32).

Huh? Maybe that makes sense...

In his intro, Tindall describes how Joyce modeled (in part) the structure of Finnegan's Wake after the philosophy of Giambattista Vico. I'm not really sure if it's worth going into to detail right now, because I don't fully understand how much the Vico connection is helpful. But I guess Vico believed that history went through three different "ages" in a cycle, and Joyce apparently applies this cycle to the book, to the lives of the characters, and to the references he makes in any given section. If anybody wants to dig deeper and/or elaborate, feel free.

And yeah, apparently there is no apostrophe in the title. My teacher Michael Seidel (who hopefully will be coming on the disco soon) pointed that out to me in his first email -- he said the title is "without possessive because plurality is as important as ownership."

So…chime in! Let's make this a plurality!

-Rider

[Dan (aka Utterbiblio)]

This is my first reading of Joyce and while a part of me has absolutely no clue what I'm reading, I can't help but go back and revel in the sentences. for example, I love this sentence for how it sounds -

"Sobs they sighdid at Fillagain's chrissormiss wake, all the hoolivans of the nation, prostrated in their consternation, and their duodisimally profusive plethora of ululation".

[Amanda]

That sentence was my favorite as well, Dan. Probably because it is the only sentence I actually understood- apparently Finnegan is dead and there are people crying at his wake. And do not judge me, people, but this made me realize what kind of "wake" the title was referring to. I assumed wake meant "woke up" or "saw the light", "was enlightened." This had better be a judgement free zone.

[Sarah]

I'm reading this out loud "to" my one year old son (though my previous experience with Joyce suggests this is probably a bad idea) and actually tried to pronounce "bababadalgharaghtakamminarronnkonnbronntonner-ronntuonnthunntrovarrhounawnskawntoohoohoordenenthur — nuk!"

I have no idea what the hell is going on but it really does feel like reading prose poetry written in middle english.

[Princess]

My book still has a few more days until it gets here so I guess I'll be playing catch-up.

[Tyson]

My favorite sentence is:

"For a nod to the nabir is better than wink to the wabsanti." as well.
I love that sentence so much

Favorite word: muzzlenimiissilehims (5)

So far I have kind of imagined that a drunk Irish guy is telling me a really interesting story that he is very excited about. Maybe he is so excited that he is using a lot of puns to get his point across. I'm probably completely wrong about that, but it helps me to hear it in my head.

First Impressions:

This book is incredibly fun to read. I feel like the language is so beautiful. I was afraid the complexity of the book was going to make me like it less, but I find that I actually love trying to decode the puns and piece things together.

I actually thought of the KKK when I read "Kekkek Kekkek Kekkek! Koax Koax Koax!" (4) too.

I keep noticing the Bible and Christianity references. There are also a couple of mentions of sin to go along with the early Old Testament references.

Also, I found something interesting in this passage on page 5:

Hohohoho, Mister Finn, you're going to be Mister Finnagain! Comeday morm and, O, you're vine! Sendday's eve and, ah, you're vinegar! Hahahaha, Mister Funn, you're going to be fined again!"

There is some name play and wordplay with the name of Finnegan, none of which are spelled like the name in the title of the book. This might not be anything, but I thought it was intriguing.

This is going to be a really fun experience. I can't wait for more!

-Tyson

@twmeek on Twiter

[Dana]

Favorite words: He addle liddle phifie Annie (4) haha I loved saying it out loud and heard myself saying "He had a little" in an awesome accent :P

"habitacularly fondseed" (4) This had me sounding uber British saying the word "fancied"

Favorite line: With a bockalips of finisky fore his feet." I hear "apocalypse" but I have no clue how it would pertain to the rest of this sentence.

Overall, I found myself smiling while trying to read it, but I don't have a single clue what's happening. I'm just going to sit back and enjoy the ride. And at the rate I read last night (1/2 hour per 5 pages) it'll take 62 hours and until mid-November to finish this. That's more commitment than I make for a lot of things haha Let's do this!

[Kevin]

Joyce plays around a lot with words either from Germanic/Italic languages or clearly inspired by Germanic/Italic languages, and I'm curious as to how transparent this is to the average reading. A part of me does a little leap of joy every time I encounter a phrase that I suspect I wouldn't have noticed if I hadn't studied French, German and Swedish in school, and if I weren't doing linguistic research for a living. And I can only imagine there must be a ton of literary references I'm completely missing because I haven't read widely enough.

[Asilef]

I'm also reading it aloud to a toddler, Sarah.

I feel like I'm spending more time trying to figure out pronunciations than actually comprehending what's going on, but that's ok. I'm having fun with it.

I checked out 3 companion books from the library, but I'm still not sure if I'm going to use them, or just kind of see how I process it by myself.
The first thing I read in A Reader's Guide to Finnegans Wake was readers need to reread chapter 1 after they've completed the book, so I guess I'm leaning towards the latter.

[Nicole]

Does reading it aloud to a disinterested cat count for anything? My household is fresh out of toddlers.

I read this first 5-page bit twice--once aloud just to hear the crazy wonderful musicality of it, and once silently to parse what little of it I could.

Am I imagining this, or is there actual plot emerging already? Finnegan (Finnagain, fined again) gets on a ladder (is this a roof thing or a wall-building thing?) either hungover or still a bit tips-a-daisykins from his still life the night before, tips right off that ladder, and loses his place in the land of the living. The afterparty sure sounds like fun, though. Did they place him facedown in his coffin? "They laid him brawdawn alanglast bed." Gotta love the drunkards.

But seriously...are these real plot points, or is this my brain desperately grasping for a lifeline? Anyone?

In other news, I love the wordplay. Alliteration abounds alarmingly. My favorite example: "Tilling a teel of a tum, telling a toll of a teary turty Taubling."

Also, I'm fascinated by the amalgamations of multiple words to create some new Frankensteinian thing with broader meanings that play off each other in intriguing ways: immarginable, penisolate, celescalating, catapelting... and a special nod to hierarchitectitiptitoploftical, which is also just fun to get lost in the tiptitop middle of.

At this point, I'm willing to stick with this adventure for the fun wordiness alone, even if I never do figure out what the hell is actually happening.

Also: This makes me want to re-read "Jabberwocky."

Looking forward to the next five pages...

[Nicole]

Can't stop the brain-spin surrounding this now. Just read your post, Rider, and ... they eat his corpse? Maybe not my kind of party after all. But it's validating to know I'm not completely making up the plot, or am at least not alone in the illusion.

Also (always another also), I can't help wondering if we get right to the subversion (because, after all, isn't this whole endeavor a bit of a subversive eff you to traditional narrative?) with the "Eve and Adam's" attribution rather than "Adam and Eve's." Is this just misguided feminist theory b.s.?

And the Scheherazade reference (that is what this is, right?) on page 5 caught my attention for similar reasons: "(There extand by now one thousand and one stories, all told, of the same)." I'm not sure I can articulate the connection in my brain, other than S. subverting her intended fate through the same type of traditional narrative that Joyce is now refusing to adhere to...

Nevermind. Following this rabbit trail might make my brain explode.

[Lindsey]

Wow! Looking back on my notes my two favorites phrases are: "duodisimally profusive plethora of ululation" and "For a nod to the nabir is better than a wink to the wabsanti."

There are a ton of great words. I'm taking Eric's advice and trying to read out loud. I'm having trouble making sense, but that can be a prize in itself if I stick to it.

I had a class in college where we read a two line poem. ( Ronald Johnson's Beam 10 from ARK) my teacher Eric Selinger called it Gumshoe poetics and we basically investigated the seemingly nonsensical poem all quarter. We were amazed but you could connect it to so much. Basically you could research it from so many levels. Someone else mentioned something like this with Finnegans Wake. I imagine this book and this group to be like that. We shall see. I look forward to listening to a great discussion!

[Jennifer]

Before I read the first five pages today, I thought that Finnegans Wake would be a lot like the few LANGUAGE poems that I've read. In those poems, the poet tries to disconnect our connotations for words from the words themselves. Ultimately revealing that they contain no meaning in and of themselves.

Yet, I feel that Joyce might being doing the exact opposite in a very similar manner. He is showing a multitude of connotations for each word and phrase, even if we;re the ones bringing those associations to the table.

Or maybe I'm just blowing a lot of hot air, because I got nothing other than Finnegan's dead from today's reading.

My favorite phrase "as you would quaffoff his fraudstuff and sing teeth through that pyth of a flowerwite bodey behold of him as behemoth for he is noewhemoe." Gotta love the cannibalism!

[Holly]

I'm also reading this aloud to my son. In a few months we're going to have a group of the most confused, well-read toddlers in existence.

I loved the part of the introduction where he compared the book to a Rorschach test. But I'm already sure that what it's going to reveal about me is that I know absolutely nothing about anything.

[[deleted user]]

Thought of the day: I don't think Anthony Burgess's could have existed without James Joyce, especially FW.

[Stephanie "Jedigal"]

On page 8, I loved the brief Mother Goose "House that Jack built" style....
"This is the ffrinch
that fire on the Bull
that bang the flag of the Prooshious."

[[deleted user]]

Each paragraph seems to have a different sources language.

[[deleted user]]

After ten pages I'm wondering whether this is all worth doing. Although I can recognize some wordplay and some allusions, I can't really comprehend any point or narrative. It seems like Joyce is just jerking off to his own cleverness and expecting us to do likewise. I don't really care for "language poetry" either. Maybe this just isn't for me.

Don't get me wrong. I love his other books. I just can't go with him on this journey. I don't care enough.

[Jim]

The two "best" "guides" for FW (IMO) are Joseph Campbell's Skeleton Key to FW and John Bishop's Book of the Dark. Both work out of paradigms (monomyth/it's all a dream) that make it easy to cherry pick.

[Callie]

Eric wrote: "Thought of the day: I don't think Anthony Burgess's could have existed without James Joyce, especially FW."

I was also being reminded of Clockwork Orange while reading this yesterday, though that made much more sense than this does.

[Jenna]

Here in the UK, it’s the evening of the 2nd August and I had no access to my computer yesterday so this is my first post, covering the first ten pages.

I do not really have a grasp on the plot, beyond an Irish family mourning at a wake, wrapped in a great deal of flowery, rambling, feverish text.

The language feels like a joke that I don’t get.

Eric, thank you for the advice to read it out loud. This made a huge difference, although I think the people on the train thought I was pretty crazy. There is a very distinctive poetic pulse and hearing the sentences rather than simply seeing them enabled the rhythm and assonance to come through. My favourite line is (p7):

“Arrah, sure, we all love little Anny Ruiny, or, we mean to say, lovelittle Anna Rayiny, when unda her brella, mid middle med puddle she ninnygoes nannygoes nancing by.”

Ireland - particularly Dublin - feels like a strong presence. Numerous references and variations on the word “Dublin” - “doublin” (p3) “Dobbelin ayle” (p7) etc etc. The great Irish stout, Guinness also gets a mention:

“Drink a sip, drankasup, for he’s as sooner buy a guinness than he’d stale store stout.” (p9)

I also found myself sounding rather Irish as I read the text aloud: “tinkyou tankyou” (p9). I wonder if many of the obvious misspellings and quick sentencing have been designed with the tones and cadence of Irish speech in mind.

As some have already pointed out, falling and humpty dumpty seem to be recurring images. “Grampupus is fallen down” (p7). I keep seeing a giant egg with feet sitting on a wall. Oh dear.

Lots of biblical references:

“JOSHUA JUDGES had given us NUMBERS or Helviticus committed DEUTERONOMY”

and sections of prayer? “pass the kish for crawsake. Omen.” It has the comfortable lilt of an Irish-Catholic family where such speak is part of every day chitter chatter.

And Who or What is HCE? “Howth Castle and Environs” (p3)? “Haroun Childeric Eggeberth” (p4)? “Hic cubat edilis” (p7)? “How copenhagen ended” (p10)? “happinest childher everwere” (p11)... Now I am just rambling....

Bottom line.... I don’t get it. Maybe after a few more pages as the erratic language starts to feel a bit more familiar I will get more out of it, but I am not anticipating that I will be able to keep up with the plot (if there even is one). It’s too heavily shrouded in nuances that I just cannot see. That said, I love a challenge and am so far really enjoying this process. :)

[[deleted user]]

High Church of England?

[Dan (aka Utterbiblio)]

So, I've hit page 10. I have to say, I'm really enjoying reading this aloud in my awful attempt at an Irish accent. But, it works. To be honest, I don't really Care about the plot - I'm enjoying decoding sections and letting the text wash over me.

[starbuckthewhite]

I have to say, I almost laughed out loud at the ‘Phew!’ on page 10. I like to think of it as a wink from Joyce at the end of that 2 page long list of what I think was objects in a war museum? Something about the Duke of Wellington? It gave me a chuckle.

I also am seeing a lot of Arthurian references, specifically Tristan and Isolde/Iseult (pgs 3, 4, 7). Curious to see if that will continue or peter out as the book continues.

For how dense and nonsensical this is, I am very much enjoying it. And I am really appreciative of the notes that people have left about reading aloud or sounding it out in your head.

[Lindsey]

I was looking online and it seems that there are groups that get together to discuss sections like once a week or certain pages for month. Are we reading this too fast? I am getting the impression that every word and sentence has multiple meanings and interpretations which is utterly overwhelming and reassuring that we're not getting a grasp on it. I've not deciphered much of a "plot" on my own without help from others. This is what I find amazingly cool about this experiment. It could mean that our own group meaning (or individual meaning) of the novel comes from each piece of knowledge we all would contribute or on what individually we would pick out. I think reading this in a group is ideal. Is Finnegans Wake the ultimate inside joke?

[Kevin]

Day 3 done. Here's what i got out of today's reading:

Something seems to be happening involving a writer of some kind being murdered or otherwise unjustly killed: "worldwright" ("wordwright"?) and "scribicide" on page 14.

Something is happening involving the Germanic tribes of Scandinavia: on page 16, "donsk" ("dansk" = "Dane" in Swedish and i suspect other Scandinavian languages), "scowegian" ("Norwegian"), "phonio saxo" (something "Saxon"?), and "Jute" (Of "Jutland" in modern Denmark).

Example of when knowing German and/or Swedish might help to make things just a little bit more transparent: "beuraly forsstand a weird from sturk to finnic"" on page 17. German "verstehen" and Swedish "förstå" both = "to understand". Thus "barely understand a word from start to finish".

[Kate]

Well, I just picked up my copy from the library (also the 'Reading Guide' book Rider recommended on the podcast). The people at the library checkout desk (are they all librarians? I never know these things) were mighty impressed with the whole concept of the Literary Disco Finnegan's Wake-Up 'challenge' (and for my part, I was challenged by trying to explain what a podcast is to the librarians).

I showed page 1 to my husband, and he stared at it, and looked at me, and stared at it again, and looked at me again, then shook his head and said sadly to our dog, "Buzz, she's gone round the bend for real this time."

So, I guess I'll be doing my reading aloud to the dog. At least I can rely on him to refrain from making snarky comments (can't do too much about his befuddled expression, though). :)

I think we should do The Sound and the Fury next! Assuming we can all make it through Finnegan's Wake, that is. I so want to love The Sound and the Fury, and I think I could, because I love the language and the artistry of the writing, but I get so mixed up by the non-linear structure and the different narrators. I think it would be extraordinarily helpful to be reading it at the same time as others and discussing it.

Onwards!!

[Kevin]

A tangential note that might be interesting:

Citation 38 in the Wikipedia article refers to "Gricean principles" and the philosopher H.P. Grice. Paul Grice was a philosopher of language who did a lot of work on the nature of meaning. He's perhaps most famous for his Cooperative Principle, which is a set of maxims (rules) that parties in communication assume each other to follow. His work is part of a larger philosophical movement to understand meaning as arising/emerging from the anticipation of meaning and intention.

We've so far discussed Finnegans Wake as a kind of Rorschach Test, but i think the point here is that all communication is like this. All communication is interpretive. All communication depends on the listener making assumptions of the speaker's intention to communicate, and basing his/her understanding of what is said on those assumptions.

The question that i've found myself asking is, Is Joyce still following Grice's Cooperative Principle? Can we still assume him to be following Grice's Maxims? To what extent and how should our interpretation of his text differ from our interpretation of any text?

[[deleted user]]

Amanda wrote: "That sentence was my favorite as well, Dan. Probably because it is the only sentence I actually understood- apparently Finnegan is dead and there are people crying at his wake. And do not judge me,..."

No judgement Amanda, and you may be right on. In the intro to my version, Bishop writes that one interpretation is it's a man asleep and the whole book is his dream state. I can see how it could be viewed as this nonsensical dream land where everything from pop culture to classic literature gets mixed together. Kind of like the idea that we are a culmination of everything we've seen/heard/read/experienced; good and bad, highbrow and low. Like I am equal parts Faulkner and The Real World.

Also, I was totally thinking about reading this aloud to my toddler!!! Okay, sub-challenge to the Finnegans Wake-up challenge: read Finnegans Wake to your toddler (or disinterested cat). #finneganswakeupcattoddler

[Ruthiella]

Eric wrote: "Thought of the day: I don't think Anthony Burgess's could have existed without James Joyce, especially FW."

Do you mean the way Burgess made up the slang for Alex and his droogs?

[[deleted user]]

Yep.

[Nicole]

Day 2 thoughts:

1. I'm so very glad to be doing this group-style. Fun, twisty language and all, I would be hitting a wall about now without all of your thoughts and interpretations and unique takes on this madness.

2. Every page of this seems so deeply referential that I imagine a college class could literally pace this at a page a week in order to really explore it. In some ways, this appeals to me and in others it's just too much and I fear all that effort would end up either missing the point entirely or walk right into being the butt of Joyce's joke (whatever that might be)

3. Favorite things about today's reading (top of page 9 to bottom of 13):

-- popynose. Actually, the whole two-sentence spread around this word is one of my favorite games so far: "This is Canon Futter with the popynose. After his hundred days' indulgence" (9).
I love how this whole shebang does double-duty talking about a drunk (with a poppy-colored nose, yeah? and having indulged in drink for a hundred days), but the key words also reference Catholicism (popy--Pope, and indulgence is also a Catholic term... something about delaying punishment for sins due to taking the sacrament? Sorry, but Catholic school was a long time ago). Also, Canon. Not sure what this has to do with the drunkish side of things, but it's got Catholic all over it--referencing Church law and a particular segment of mass.

Someone above mentioned the biblical references, and man are they densely packed in here so far! Still no clue what it means, but there's something pretty thrilling about recognizing these bits at least.

--"bonny bawn blooches" (9). It's just dang fun to say.

-- also, what's up with the deer references? On page 11 we get "...the last sigh that come fro the hart," and on page 12 we get "when you think you ketch sight of a hind." Later on 12 we also get "behove," which connected to the deer for me possibly only because I was already thinking about them.

-- "Hush! Caution! Echoland!" This whole book is a bit of an echoland, isn't it? It's also interesting that this follows not long after "The silence speaks the scene. Fake!" This is one of those bits that triggered something for me enough to spin on it but not articulate the connection well. Something about silence aligning with falsehood, and echo being the opposite of silence, so a means to a greater truth? Oy.

-- Finally, someone mentioned being annoyed by their own modern pop culture inner monologue while reading this (Rider?)... Please tell me I'm not the only one who inserted Kris Kross into the "Kiss. Kiss Criss. Cross Criss. Kiss Cross" bit on page 11.

I really like the question about Grice's Maxims. Should we really be reading this any differently than we read any other text? If all communication is an act of interpretation, is there communication (and is this book an example of it) that defies all interpretation (or invites every interpretation)?

Sorry for all the rambling. This book, and all of your posts, get me thinking and typing more than expected.

Day 2 verdict: still 98% lost, but in love with the language and enjoying the adventure.

[Vanessa]

You are all batshit crazy. Joyce is such a trainwreck. You couldnt pay me to read him. hahahah. I hope you are all high on something.

[Kevin]

I feel like I should skip a day tomorrow and continue on Monday. Where I am geographically I suspect I'll be perpetually a day ahead everyone else. =/

[Nicole]

This whole endeavor seems to be exposing my deep-seated geekiness.

I just re-read (aloud) one of my favorite bits from yesterday's reading ("This is Canon Futter with the popynose. After his hundred days' indulgence"). Yesterday, I couldn't figure out the other meaning (or AN other meaning) for the "Canon" bit outside of Catholicism. But...here's where reading aloud helps. For me, anyway. "Canon Futter" sure sounds a lot like "cannon fodder," which brings us back to the lower classes and the undercurrent of war that keeps popping (Poping?) up.

Random, batshit crazy trainwreck. Yes.

[Jayne]

Hello! Joining in for this group read, bit late to the party but love the thought of everyone tackling this book at the same time.

My first thought was that it's basically some old man with a heavy Irish accent muttering into his pint for possibly 688 pages.

It's such a relief to get to a few words that make sense. I cling to them, those sensible words, and hate pushing off again into a confusing sea. (I read 'O my shining stars and body!' so many times, as I didn't want to read/puzzle out 'how hath fanespanned'.) But then I really like 'the oaks of ald now they lie in peat yet elms leap where askes lay' and some sentences are beautiful spoken aloud.

There's so much cleverness here - like the sentence someone (Eric?) mentioned was one that also stood out for me: 'Comeday morm and oh, you're vine! Sennday's eve and, ah, you're vinegar!' (My take: On a day's morning you are fresh, on a day's eve you are pickled!)

I think as a reader I come to books expecting a certain exchange - my time for their story - and yet here I need to 'unlearn' that process and just...go with it, regardless of getting back a narrative I understand.

Whereas I thought 5 pages a day was short, now I'm wondering whether some passages should be wallowed in a bit more. I also think audio would be fun.