Five Things We’ve Learned From Chapter One

April 5 – April 12; Week 2: pages 15 - 29

We cheated a bit this week. Instead of sticking to the strict 12-page diet, we swallowed down two extra pages to get us to the end of chapter one.  Don’t worry, I’m sure we’ll lose those extra pages somewhere along the way. It may be smart to keep them in the bank.

Now that we’ve finished the first chapter of Finnegans Wake, let’s take stock of what has happened so far.  Stealing a page from the sports round-up article (“5 Things We Learned from the Phillies’ Season Opener!”), how about we review five key lessons from the first two weeks in the Wake?

12 pages is the right amount of pages for me

The “Reading Finnegans Wake” podcast recently began a close read of the book, going word by word and exploring the many possible meanings.  At least one book club spent 18 years on the novel. On the flip side, I’m sure there are grad students out there who’ve read the book straight through, unconcerned with plumping the depths of every word.

For me, 12 pages a week is a happy place.  I can read 12 pages, and depending on how much time I have to commit, can re-read quite a bit. This isn’t the way to understand every meaning of every word, but it keeps me engaged and maintains a healthy momentum.

Recirculation

For as hard as this book really is, Joyce does throws us a bone with the use of repetition. Stories and themes repeat many times and in many guises.  Once you pick up on a story, you being to recognize its reflection over and over. Like a fugue, the first chapter runs through numerous variations on the fall of Tom Finnegan story.  

One thousand stories

“There extand by now one thousand and one stories, all told, of the same,” (FW, page 5).

The book is based on the idea that history is cyclical.  All of the stories we know have occurred before and are recurring again.  That’s why the fall of Tom Finnegan is reflected in the story of Finn MacCool and the story of Jesus Christ and, eventually, the story of H.C.E. The main character is known as “Here Come Everybody,” insisting on the universality of his situation.  Not only do these stories recirculate, they are mirrors of each other.  The overlapping and intersecting can be confusing, but the underlying patterns provide structure to the chaos.

Characters and plot? What characters and plot?

There’s been a lot of mental energy spent on deciphering the plot of Finnegans Wake.  Heck, there’s a lot of ink spilled on who the main characters really are. At this point, I’m unconcerned with both plot and character. Worrying about who is actually dreaming the dream of FW seems less important than many of the other puzzles that keep being throw into the mix.  I’ll deal with Shaun and Shem and Izzy and whoever else might amble into the book when the time comes.  Plot and character seem like minor concerns to Joyce; that’s how I’ll treat them, too.

This can be fun

The question of, “Is this readable?” has given way to, “Can I enjoy this?” The answer, so far, is a resounding, Joycean “Yes.” It’s absurdly difficult, and there will be lots of sections that will threaten to defeat us.  But it’s also the most unique piece of fiction I’ve ever encountered, and I’ll continue to take what I can from its pages.