I have to say - this section got to me a lot more than anything previously in the wake. It is highly comprehensible to me, I "get" the time jumps now and the actions of the characters in their separate timeframes. I have great confidence in the Wake going forward.
A couple of really nice words from this section:
chaosmos
bestteller
really, really cool. James, may I borrow these, please?
This section holds forth Very Entertainingly on lexicography, "letter-making", legibility, penmanship, writing materials, the history of printing and so on - throughout time. We have the introduction of the topic of "SIGNAS" M (and the pyramid character), the association of M to Earwhicker (the trilithon, or stonehenge sort of construct, but in typeface). We hear talk of the "truth letter", variant texts and the inherent inaccuracy of representation. I just really love this section - need to reread and reread.
Medieval book making and the Book of Kells are both discussed. Tristan and Iseult are mentioned, along with Romulus and Remus.
One particularly great image is of whispering words through a hole in your hat, such that when whispered in, the words may come back out in any order. This idea, for me, encapsulates the poet, the priest, the barroom tale teller and the magician. It also incorporates the "telephone" idea and the inaccuracy of all retold tales.
At the end of the chapter, we are introduced to "Shem the Penman".
A long section that blew my mind, from page 121 begins thus
"which paleographers call a leak in the thatch or the Aranman ingperwhis through the hole of his hat, indicating that the words which follow may be taken in any order desired,"
ALL HAIL THE WAKE!
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