I’ve been re-reading Ulysses in preparation for Bloomsday (my first re-read in almost twenty years), and all sorts of new ideas are occurring to me as I read it again after my study of Finnegans Wake.
Continue readingBloomsday, 2023
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Category Archives: Close Reading
The Baffling Yarn Sails in Circles
Finnegans Wake II.3 is the longest chapter in the book: it’s nearly 1/6 of the length of the whole work. It’s also the densest chapter. The study chapter (II.2) may be the hardest to read, but I think this chapter is as dense as it gets. Words seem more packed with meaning than usual. The narrative, such as it is, continually confuses the present with the past. More so than any other chapter, it is a microcosm of the whole book.
Continue readingGrace Before Glutton
Finnegans Wake II.2 — the study chapter — ends with the children being called to dinner after their homework. They had been outside to play (II.1), they studied (II.2), and now it’s time to eat. The scene is about to shift to the tavern downstairs, where their father is working and a feast is underway, including the feast of storytelling (II.3).
This post looks closely at the final page of II.2.
Continue readingMental Math
The math problem comes in Finnegans Wake II.2 occurs right after Shem/Dolph shows his brother how to draw the two interlocking circles that I discussed in my last post. This post explores the math problem itself.
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The Suspended Sentence 