Discussion - Week One - At Swim-Two-Birds - p. 1 - 120

[Jim]

This discussion covers Page 1 – 120

[Zadignose]

I want to read this book, but when will I? I've been hearing for years that I must read something by O'brien/na gCopaleen, and this book has been particularly recommended. I toyed with a few pages a while back, then tried it again recently. In the first 42 pages I found it occasionally funny, but not outstandingly so, somewhat clever and playful, but I'm not compelled to read it at the moment, and it doesn't help that I've been trying to read an OpenLibrary version that can only be read in my web browser... without a paper copy in my hand, and without an easily portable Kindle edition, I find I read a couple of pages and then my chronic exhaustion exhibits itself.

I think I need another hiatus from this book for now.

Some of the descriptions of Finn and his men were entertaining, and reminiscent not only of the absurd hyperbole of Irish classics, but also of Rabelais. The banter between uncle, protagonist, friend, was lightly engaging. The occasional interposition of phrase-colon-noun-list (Nature of my reply: Civil, perfunctory, uninformative) was cute. That's all I've gathered so far.

Whether it's fair or not to compare Mr. O'brien to those other Irish modernists he's typically compared to, I don't know, but anyway, I initially failed to connect with Joyce some years back before discovering that I loved his Portrait... As for Beckett, he grabbed me almost immediately. O'brien's giving me a lukewarm feeling.

[mkfs]

I'm enjoying this book quite a lot, though I haven't been putting as much time into it as I should.

The two things I find off-putting: the narrative of Finn Mac Cool (tell us a story! which one? this one? no not that one. how about this one? no not that one), and the now-standard first-novel solipsism of having a writer for a protagonist. Writers who only write about writers irk me.

O'Brien lays out the idea behind the book early on:

The modern novel should be largely a work of reference. Most authors spend their time saying what has been said before - usually said much better. A wealth of references to existing works would acquaint the reader instantaneously with the nature of each character, would obviate tiresome explanations and would effectively preclude mountebanks, upstarts, thimble-riggers and persons of inferior education from an understanding of contemporary education.

The modern novel is a hypertext, and elitist by design.

So far, I think O'Brien is succeeding with this. I'd love to see a Norton Critical of this novel, though of course that would allow mountebanks such as myself to get more out of the novel than we can using our native wits.

Is the actual story worth telling in such a fashion? I cannot yet say -- although if the story of a student cannot be told in this manner, what story can?

[Zadignose]

Mkfs wrote: "...the now-standard first-novel solipsism of having a writer for a protagonist. Writers who only write about writers irk me..."

I can relate to that. I allow that there must be exceptions, and I think it likely that the best exceptions should be from those who write about writers and writing late in their own careers, rather than as a first (or early) novel.

Of course, the next two novels on our itinerary are somewhat related. If On A Winter's... is very much a book about a book/books, and Mulligan Stew is some kind of Meta-fictional thingy about writing. Calvino's book is brilliant, and having cracked the spine on Mulligan Stew, I'd say it looks quite attractive.

So, although I think "I'm going to write a book about a writer writing" sounds like a terrible idea (and rather a trite one nowadays--a conventional idea posturing as something radical and innovative), still, if you pull it off in startling fashion and produce something undeniably awesome... well, why not?

"...if the story of a student cannot be told in this manner, what story can?"

Good point.

[Alex]

I've begun and I'm happily swimming in a sea of sounds. It is about writing or telling, the strategies of such. When Finn is asked to continue, he responds, "It is true, said Finn, that I will not," and then he continues (Little Richard and Bruce Springsteen), funny and joyous. Legend blown up and then blown apart: a backside "wide enough to halt the march of warriors through a mountain pass." I've come across the legend of Finn or Fionn mac Cumhaill before and it does help to know some of the background.