james joyce - Finnegans Wake... Book 1, Chapter 1 ..

Chromatose

Squid pro quo
Apr 5, 2002
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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.
Sir Tristram, violer d'amores, fr'over the short sea, had passen-
core 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.
The fall (bababadalgharaghtakamminarronnkonnbronntonner-
ronntuonnthunntrovarrhounawnskawntoohoohoordenenthur-
nuk!) of a once wallstrait oldparr is retaled early in bed and later
on life down through all christian minstrelsy. The great fall of the
offwall entailed at such short notice the pftjschute of Finnegan,
erse solid man, that the humptyhillhead of humself prumptly sends
an unquiring one well to the west in quest of his tumptytumtoes:
and their upturnpikepointandplace is at the knock out in the park
where oranges have been laid to rust upon the green since dev-
linsfirst loved livvy.
 
I read Portrait.. umm about 5 years ago maybe it was, but i can't remember a damn thing about it now, haha. School related thing so of course I made a point to forget it all at the time... heh from now on im just gonna say I havent read it until i get around to it again (other books in the queue first though!)

I've gotten through the first 50 or so pages of the Wake numerous times, until i get too lost in the whole thing, then start over to see if I can decipher any more... it makes more sense each time! The best progress I made in that book was a time I was wasted and just read it outloud.. it just all became so clear!

But my favorite thing about FW, is in all the research i do trying to unlock what joyce is referencing to, I've learned so much about a multitude of things ... for example, R.A. Wilson talks about the Wake in part of his lectures on tape series, so I got into him from that, and from there learned of a number of Philosophers who I hadn't heard of before that he talks about as influences to himself... etc etc.

and i guess i've gotten through half of Ulysses, but its on hold for a while until Im in the mood to get back into it, but I like how it and FW make great companion books, Ulysses being based in reality and tackles the events in a day, and FW is the opposite, very intangible and in the dream world.


and joyce has a great witty sense of humor.