The reading voice is my dreamy Shem attempt. The recording of Joyce himself reading from the Anna Livia Plurabelle section is linked in the description box. I’ll try to put up a 10 tips for reading the Wake video in the next week.
@Mythologos
Жыл бұрын
Get "Wake Rites" and "Lots of Fun At Finnegans Wake" and read "The Confession of St. Patrick" and Vico's "New Science" first. It also helps to read the collected Leters. Wake is more autobiographical than any of Joyce's other works.
@TH3F4LC0Nx
2 жыл бұрын
This man is an absolute legend. Not only did he read Finnegans Wake, he read it to clear his mind after work. 😅 Seriously tho, this was a really great video that helped to put some sense to an infamously nonsensical work. You are indeed a braver man than I, cuz I highly doubt I'll ever tackle this monstrosity. 😂
@ramblingraconteur1616
2 жыл бұрын
Thanks for the kind words! There was enough stress at work that the silliness in Finnegans Wake was a welcome diversion, haha. Have you read Ulysses? This was more chaotic but less intense. Hope you all have a Merry Christmas, Falcon! Cheers, Jack
@TH3F4LC0Nx
2 жыл бұрын
@@ramblingraconteur1616 I finally broke down and bought a copy of Ulysses about a month ago after a long time of holding out. That's one of my new year's resolutions: to at last read that book! Here's hoping I get something out of it! 😄 And Merry Christmas!
@Mythologos
Жыл бұрын
You don't read the Wake, you translate and interpret it. The first time you just make it through. Then you learn how to "read" it.
@StephanieJCohen
2 жыл бұрын
I don’t know many people (or any other than you) who would read Finnegans Wake to clear their mind after a hard day’s work. 😜
@ramblingraconteur1616
2 жыл бұрын
A dash of chaos was the right mindset after the various meetings and business on top of my classes, haha. Hope you’re having a wonderful weekend, Stephanie. Cheers, Jack
@37equals37
5 ай бұрын
The Wake can swallow up your attention and carry you away. I’ve used it as an escape.
@Remedy462
5 ай бұрын
I bet Anthony Ketis of The Red Hot Chili Peppers would do that. I mean, that's basically how he writes his lyrics.
@brendancuffe4671
6 ай бұрын
That first line of the book, despite being perhaps the most widely quoted, is also usually mispronounced! Howth is a real neighbourhood in Dublin, but it actually rhymes with 'Both'.
@gearaddictclimber2524
5 ай бұрын
Wonderful lecture sir! I was wondering: is the edition you use here (one which seems to be the most common nowadays) better or worse than the Oxford edition? Is this the corrected version that includes Joyce’s alterations, similar to the Gabler edition for Ulysses, or is it the pre-corrected version? Been trying to find answers and am struggling. Thanks again!
@nblumer
2 жыл бұрын
You do a great job and unlike many, you model the work ethic with FW, even as you admit cheerful frustration. You put in effort without giving up and seemed to have had fun with it. I think what you Implicitly remind readers is that to enjoy Finnegans Wake, drop your vanities as a highbrow deconstructor and just dig in from many angles. It's not a joke or a meaningless mess as some have resigned themselves to conclude. Joyce wouldn't write over 600 words and spend 17 years just for a joke. He expected the reader to work hard and read it again and again throughout their lives. We do need a bit of work to develop affinity with the circular, dream-like mindset. We definitely should dig into the allusions, puns, and portmanteaus and observe the sound tools. Even still, we'll only get slithers of gold and understanding on our first read but why would we expect otherwise?
@skjoldursvarturskikkjan7860
2 жыл бұрын
"we don't have words for them", well, the Germans probably do, and each word is 42 characters long. My favorite is "wastendundaisfungateinguteinwufinkanei" it means "the feeling when you are walking the streets and see someone on the other side but you can only see their back, you think it's someone you know back from high school but can't confirm because you can't see their face, and then you start questioning the nature of memory and a need for suicide surges inside you because you are tortured but a past you don't know if it's past or nor".
@ramblingraconteur1616
2 жыл бұрын
Hadn’t thought of that, amazing! There are also so many words in Asian language that don’t have a “match” in English or other European languages. Hope you’re having a wonderful weekend! Cheers, Jack
@skjoldursvarturskikkjan7860
2 жыл бұрын
@@ramblingraconteur1616 just want to clarify that it was a joke 😁 That is not a real German word.
@ramblingraconteur1616
2 жыл бұрын
@@skjoldursvarturskikkjan7860 I picked that up, but with the nonsense Joyce was tossing out, if it “sounds” right, then it could be there on the very next page.
@TheCodeXCantina
2 жыл бұрын
Well played, sir
@ramblingraconteur1616
2 жыл бұрын
Now for Ulysses in one day, right?!? How long could a Before You Read Finnegans Wake video be? Merry Christmas to all of you, Una! Cheers, Jack
@ALittleLifeWithDriedTubers
10 ай бұрын
Fantastic video! It seems you can't read from Joyce without intimating the Irish lilt. It's built into the language. Your love for literature is palpable! I am a fellow math guy and I love to see some appreciation for the arts.
@havefunbesafe
10 ай бұрын
I'm terrified to even buy the book...as it will be calling my name every time I walk past it. Let's see how I do with Ulysses first.
@ramblingraconteur1616
9 ай бұрын
This one goes in a very different direction from Ulysses. So many writers have been inspired from Ulysses over the past century that it’s likely more accessible now than when it was first published. I can’t say the same for the Wake. I hope you enjoy whatever Joyce you dive into next. Cheers, Jack
@Remedy462
5 ай бұрын
Umm.. after you finished reading Ulysses, I bet you are a more extraordinary reader than me, but, if you quit, I highly recommend recommend watching Chris Reich's analysis videos on Ulysses. I know he might seem like a crusty old lawyer, but he has a wellspring of life in him and a love for James Joyce, which will actually inspire you to dive deep in the novel like I have. They are long videos but if you are really interested to see what all the academic hubbub and dust cleaning is all about, he will help you at least appreciate Joyce or absolutely love him.
@Sams911
5 ай бұрын
my new favorite way to read it is with the audio book, along side ... as hearing it out loud wile reading the words somehow creates another dimension to the book.
@andrewfoster883
4 ай бұрын
Also can be great to do with Ulysses and the RTE audio readings (here on KZitem) :)
@annaclarafenyo8185
Жыл бұрын
HCE's "dream crime" is exposing himself in front of a young girl or young girls. This is not an actual crime,but a male anxiety. The 'facts' of this exposure keep shifting, but in book II chaper 3 or 4 we get the resolution, in which he is just peeing on the side of the road, and is accidentally observed by a girl, the pee made more difficult by his choice of overalls to wear. This is surely the 'real life' anxiety that induced the dream crime and trial.
@richardweissman4922
Жыл бұрын
Also... there's the dream wish of incest (which he turns into "insect") with Issy.
@annaclarafenyo8185
Жыл бұрын
@@richardweissman4922 That's not exactly what is going on, it is very subtle. The incestuous part is in book III in an early chapter, where he becomes incredibly violent in an out-of-character way toward Issy, and then there are incestuous overtones. The problem with all this 'incest' talk is that, while it is present to a certain small extent, when something is difficult to read, people will read all sorts of sexual nonsense into it, and the commentators that focus on this aspect are not getting the heart of the story.
@SpringboardThought
2 жыл бұрын
Ah sounds about as I expected lol I don’t know how much I’d get out of that. Appreciate your analysis!
@ramblingraconteur1616
2 жыл бұрын
Thanks, Fraser, it can definitely be a mess to read, but it ended up being fairly enjoyable as a sort of puzzle this month. Hope you’re having a wonderful weekend! Cheers, Jack
@bighardbooks770
2 жыл бұрын
Right arm, Jack! But ... in December? I'll _Finn_ anytime. I have your same John Bishop edition. I'm saving this to my _FW_ playlist.
@ramblingraconteur1616
2 жыл бұрын
This was a wild ride, Allen. In some ways it was probably a more pleasurable reading experience than Ulysses and certainly more interesting that Portrait of the Artist. Hope you’re having a wonderful weekend! Cheers, Jack
@bighardbooks770
2 жыл бұрын
@@ramblingraconteur1616 My BDay tomorrow. Taki g work off and going to Blaizer's game. Wish us luck lol 🥳🤣😎
@growskull
Жыл бұрын
its so obtuse and i know alot went over my head but it is still an incredibly enjoyable book
@ramblingraconteur1616
Жыл бұрын
That’s the best way to approach this one! The language can be a real delight. Cheers, Jack
@calloftheryan3263
3 ай бұрын
Load of pish.
@jojodogface898
2 жыл бұрын
I am an intelligent person, but I don't find those jokes to be approachable at all. Thats very frustrating; even more so that you were able to discern a plot
@ramblingraconteur1616
2 жыл бұрын
No problem, I agree that the book is close to incomprehensible on many lines. I found a joke or two on each page, but I know there were dozens I missed. The “plot” comes through in glimpses. I believe there are books that try to draw those threads through across all of the pages, but I found it sort of bobbing up in the current here and there. Are there any modernist books that you really enjoy and recommend? Hope you’re having a wonderful weekend! Cheers, Jack
@jojodogface898
2 жыл бұрын
I've read and really enjoyed Ulysses, and actually had no trouble at all with it, finding it much less difficult than I had expected, and while some allusions were undoubtedly lost on me, many I got, and the plot was very accessible; but "Wake" leaves me with only periodic and scattered passages of brief clarity which I have trouble connecting in any meaningful way. So every time I hear from someone that they have read it and not only found a plot, but were able to follow it through, I'm left feeling frustrated. It's the first time any book has left me at a total loss. As for other modernist novels, I've really enjoyed several of Faulkner;s books, and Nightwood, by Djuna Barnes; and, though it's not technically a modernist novel, Moby Dick, as it seems to have invented many aspects of modernism that followed; probably things you've already read. Anyway, thanks for the reply. I've just discovered your channel but am enjoying it. Hope yo're having a wonderful weekend as well.
@ramblingraconteur1616
2 жыл бұрын
@@jojodogface898 glad you enjoyed Ulysses! That’s a sense book, but I think you’re right that it’s reputation for being difficult is not commensurate with most of the chapters. The final chapter with Molly feels like the only precursor from it to Finnegans Wake. I did find that the final ~200 pages of Wake made much more sense than the first 400. The middle was the most muddled for me. It makes the time jumps from the first section of The Sound and the Fury feel so simple. My wife and I bonded over that one from Faulkner in college. We still have a little Compson family tree I sketched to help her with it. Your mention of Moby Dick has me imagining the horror that would transpire if someone tried to fit all the whaling lore into the nonsense language of Joyce and Lewis Carroll. Yikes!
@alannolan3514
Жыл бұрын
Come nebo me and suso sing the day we sallybright - thank you
@rohiara8644
2 жыл бұрын
I will memorize and revise memorize in only three years please reply my msg
@EveryoneWhoReadsitMustConverse
2 жыл бұрын
This video is gold, pure gold 😍 you got me laughing. A book that can be endlessly explored (Joyce's aim?😉) I have ideas...keep an eye out
@ramblingraconteur1616
2 жыл бұрын
Thanks, Noah! It’s the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow, and with the seven girls whose names are the seven colors . . . Oh no, Joyce even had THAT reference ready. Shoot!
@robertevans714
6 ай бұрын
That Penguin classics collection is stellar!
@freddiespencin8203
5 ай бұрын
Thank you! this really helps
@michaelbroyles2601
2 жыл бұрын
Maybe Beckett wanted to shrink the universe to a single “quark” ;)
@ramblingraconteur1616
2 жыл бұрын
Hahaha! That would certainly have been an Endgame.
@GomezAddams422
2 жыл бұрын
I've read Ulysses 3 times and understood it twice. I've read Finnegans Wake twice and understood it zero times. I'm not sure I have the patience to try it again but who knows. It sure does sound musical when its read out loud.
@cathalbui2
2 жыл бұрын
You should listen to Horgan and read along
@mikelheron20
2 жыл бұрын
You've read Finnegans Wake twice? That's tragic. There are so many useful things you could have been doing. ☹️
@GomezAddams422
2 жыл бұрын
@@mikelheron20 That's certainly true. I could have been playing parcheesi or listening to old Steve Martin comedy records or something. It's just that I didn't understand Ulysses the first time but the second time through it all clicked with me and made a lot of sense. I was expecting the same thing with FW but it didn't work out that way. The whole novel seems like more trouble than it is worth.
@oldmanbeta
Жыл бұрын
@@cathalbui2 Horgan's version is genius! I only wish there was a decent recording of it. The sound quality ranges from OK to dismal. There's a KZitem accessible version here: kzitem.info/door/PLsQSifkwxjugEoZa8kCPRV4suIMEm7rIZ
@Mythologos
Жыл бұрын
@@cathalbui2 The recent Naxos is better.
@rabarberellum1017
Жыл бұрын
Is it fun to read for a more average mind that isn't from Ireland, not very religious, nor has English as his native language?
@ramblingraconteur1616
Жыл бұрын
Many of the jokes are puns in the English language, but plenty do not require an understanding of Irish history/culture or religion. It’s sort of an encyclopedia of references, so different readers will find their avenues to explore.
@zamiadams4343
6 ай бұрын
My favourite book of all time, a masterwork.
@OLBK
6 ай бұрын
The murderer just is nogg a credible character. But I like it anyway for the ease of read and respect for tradition.
@TheJojoaruba52
2 жыл бұрын
Thanks for the explanation from a relative illiterate…
@ramblingraconteur1616
2 жыл бұрын
Happy to share, Joe! Cheers, Jack
@MiloTupy
2 жыл бұрын
Best explanation of this book I’ve ever heard. Nice tie 👔 too 👍
@ramblingraconteur1616
2 жыл бұрын
Hah! Thanks for the kind words. What did you think of Wake? Cheers, Jack
@ethanwatts1082
2 жыл бұрын
Can anybody direct me to the Orwell essay referenced in the beginning of the video?
@ramblingraconteur1616
2 жыл бұрын
It’s “Inside the Whale”, which is mostly a review of Henry Miller’s Tropic of Cancer, but Orwell drew comparisons with Joyce. The essay is also collected in a book of essays with that same title. Cheers, Jack
@ethanwatts1082
2 жыл бұрын
@@ramblingraconteur1616 Bravo, thanks. Additionally, it was a pleasure to see your Lynch-Joyce mental connection. It's one I've continually made, but haven't seen it corroborated by anyone else until presently. 'Lost Highway' is another which overtly rings of dream and its mixture with temporal elements.
@ramblingraconteur1616
2 жыл бұрын
@@ethanwatts1082 oh, absolutely! Hadn’t thought of Lost Highway, but that’s spot on too.
@joncapps2753
2 жыл бұрын
briliant analysis
@ramblingraconteur1616
2 жыл бұрын
Thanks! Hope you’re having a Happy New Year, Jon! Cheers, Jack
@MargaretPinard
2 жыл бұрын
2-pie! LOL I can't be bothered to find the pi symbol, but I appreciate the metaphors for literature ;D
@ramblingraconteur1616
2 жыл бұрын
There are so many in Finnegans Wake, that I suspect so didn’t scratch the surface of them, Margaret. Now I know that you’re going to do a group readalong of it for March of the Moderns, right?!? Hope you’re having a wonderful weekend! Cheers, Jack
@MargaretPinard
2 жыл бұрын
@@ramblingraconteur1616 har har, Jack! 😆
@seanjackson4571
6 ай бұрын
I havent watched the video yet, but I bet you give a couple pretty basic opinions and then read from the first page.
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