Daily Summary Reading
Finnegans Wake
Chapter / Pages : 16 - 22
What happens? The dialog of Mutt and Jute (Mutt and
Jeff comic strip), representing 562 AD (the comet) and 1132 (the death of Finn
McCool and other things) is joined.
These two are talking across time, an ancient of early medieval to a
later medieval man talking in Dublins of very different eras. Some
of the cataclysms of history begin to converge in the text.
562 A.D. The Great Comet that destroyed Britain –
nothing grew for 7 years after. Jutes, of course were a tribe of people in ancient Britain and Ireland) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fZQKpsy2OgM
1132 A.D.
Much ado in Finnegans Wake (from
Wikipedia)
- 1132
A.D. O'Hanlon, Life of St Laurence O'Toole II: "Laurence ... O'Toole was born in
the year 1132". St Laurence O'Toole was the patron saint of Dublin →
Henry II of England, who is often coupled with Laurence O'Toole in FW, was
born in 1132 (actually 5 March 1133, but 25 March was observed then as New
Year's Day)
§ 1132: 1132 = 283 x 4. In the Annals
of the Four Masters, the death of Finn MacCool is
dated to 283 A.D. In Joyce's manuscripts File:MMLJ.png is
the siglum for the Four Old Men
§ 1132 feet
per second: the speed of
sound in air
§ 32 feet per
second per second: acceleration
due to gravity at the surface of the Earth, and therefore an integral part of
the law of falling bodies → symbolic of the Fall of Man, it recurs throughout Ulysses as well as FW
§ Romans
11:32: "For
God has consigned all men to disobedience that he may show his mercy to
all"
§ 11: in the denary system of numbers, 11 represents the beginning of a
new cycle
Experience of the
text: In reading aloud this section,
I am starting to get more at the Irish “lilt” of the language. I find that I need to read it in a slow, “stately”
rhythm, following the natural phrasing.
I found this in Chaucer as well.
I need to fall into the metrical nature of the text, pronouncing
carefully (iambic pentameter – sort of mode) and then the inner Irish voice
naturally asserts. The reading aloud of
the text creates a unique psychological state, another voice in the room
(Joyce, I guess). It’s a unique
experience to read FW. The text emerges
sonically as familiar and yet very unfamiliar.
I find myself thinking “Oh, yeah, this is familiar to me” and then,
immediately: “What? Wait. What is he talking about here?” These two feelings toggle in and out rapidly –
familiar / unfamiliar. Very unusual, and
again, akin to reading Chaucer.
The assimilation of the material into a coherent, continuous
narrative in my mind is TENTATIVE.
Probably intentionally (on Joyce’s part) I am experience the Wake as
akin to a river – I’m watching objects pass by in the stream, recognizing some,
not recognizing others and my mind is trying to associate them all
together. This is like attempting to eat
a meal from a trough with a rapid current with a fork without getting sloppy
and wet.
Procedure: 1. First reading –
aloud 2. Second reading – read with
annotations / gloss and the Skeleton Key
text by Campbell 3. Third reading – silent read through following first two
readings. I’m
sticking with this. I think its getting
me about 25% of the way to full cognition of the Wake. I’m seeing this is a book you have to read
forever to really “get”.
Discussion:
I started reading FW a week early to get my bearings before “seriously”
getting into it. I think this was a good
decision. By the time of my Planned Start (May 15), I will be fully engaged
with the text and perhaps feeling less hopeless, less the drowning man.
I am also reading up a bit on Joyce on the side. His
approach to Finnegan is interesting.
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