Book Review: Finnegan’s Wake by James Joyce

Book Review: Finnegan’s Wake by James Joyce

Before we begin this in-depth analysis of the entirety of Finnegan’s Wake -- or at least the first sentence -- let’s see what critics have said about it:

“Opaque …”

“Unorthodox …”

?“Largely unread …”

“Difficult to decipher… “

“A never ending cycle …”

“Not a novel I’d recommend …”

“I am not sure I get the meaning …”

“Written in idiosyncratic fashion …”

“Open hostility toward convention …”

“Obsessed with excretory functions …”

“Initial reactions were largely negative …”

“Bafflement at the reworking of the English language …”

“An attempt to recreate the experience of sleep and dreams …”

“One of literature’s most challenging works, or complete bullshit …”

“Did someone die?”

Sounds like a doozy.

Makes me wonder what all the controversy is about.

So, let’s see if we can’t get at the essence of this literary masterpiece with a careful reading.

The text starts with the – some say immortal -- line:

“riverrun, past Eve and Adam’s, from swerve of shore to bend of bay, brings us by a commodius vicus of recirculation back to Howth Castle and Environs.”

Never heard or read this line before?

Neither had I.

So, let’s put on our thinking caps – and stop watching YouTube videos for a few minutes -- to investigate further.

Personally, I’m having trouble with the very first letter.

What’s with the lower case “r”?

A misprint, right?

Nope.

Why is Joyce breaking such a simple rule of English?

Trick question.

This is not English.

What language is it?

Nobody knows.

So, let’s do the obvious.

Translate to Spanish.

Riverrun, más allá de Eve y Adam's, desde el desvío de la costa hasta el recodo de la bahía, nos lleva por un commodius vicus de recirculación de vuelta al castillo de Howth y sus alrededores.

Better?

Didn’t think so.

To be fair, experts explain the lower case r by claiming the first sentence of Finnegan’s Wake is a continuation of the last sentence, which is:

“A way a lone a last a loved a long the … ”

Let’s take the bait and put the first and last lines together:

“A way a lone a last a loved a long the??…..???riverrun, past Eve and Adam’s, from swerve of shore to bend of bay, brings us by a commodius vicus of recirculation back to Howth Castle and Environs.”

Does that help?

Not even a little bit.

I was afraid of that.

Let’s move on.

“swerve of shore to bend of bay”

Description of a local river?

Or, something more poetic?

I found an example of modern usage of these phrases on The Internet Dot Com:

“Although her swerve of shore was remarkable, her bend of bay made me wonder where I put my shillelagh.”

But, is that what Joyce had in mind?

We can only hope.

Clearly, Joyce is off the rails without a paddle.

Moving along.

Now we come to the central theme of the novel, which will, hopefully, tie up the loose ends we’ve encountered so far, and I quote:

“Sir Tristram, violer d’amores, fr’over the short sea, had passencore rearrived from North Armorica on this side the scraggy isthmus of Europe Minor to wielderfight his penisolate war: nor had topsawyer’s rocks by the stream Oconee exaggerated themselse to Laurens County’s gorgios while they went doublin their mumper all the time: nor avoice from afire bellowsed mishe mishe to tauftauf thuartpeatrick not yet, though venissoon after, had a kidscad buttended a bland old isaac: not yet, though all’s fair in vanessy, were sosie sesthers wroth with twone nathandjoe. Rot a peck of pa’s malt had Jhem or Shen brewed by arclight and rory end to the regginbrow was to be seen ringsome on the aquaface.”

I know what you’re thinking.

What’s a mumper?

A mumper is, well, just the number of mumps in a bowl of commodious vicus divided by the weight, or the height, of the .. er … I’m sorry, what was the question?

Should we translate to French?

Give it a rest.

So, as we put this thought-provoking analysis to bed, we can all agree Finnegan’s Wake is likely the product of a 100 monkeys typing on a 100 typewriters for a 100 years.

Or, the greatest work of literature -- ever.

Your choice.

For me, I’m sticking with the monkey theory.

How Joyce trained the monkeys and how much beer was consumed in the process I can only guess.

In conclusion, we’ve at least established that Joyce is no friend of the English language.

The End.

Epilogue

If you enjoyed this review, check out these other fine titles from the same author:

?Adventures of Huckleberry Finnegan

The Mumper in the Rye

Frankenmumper

The Mumps of Wrath

Charlotte’s Mumper

The Lord of the Mumps

Mumperhouse Five

Tess of the Mumpervilles

Les Mumperables.

The Little Mumperette

The Diary of a Mumpy Kid

Mumpy Dick

War and Pizza