Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1963-06-02
Revealing the Source
Of Finnegons Wake

giving SUCH protracteu ENJOY
ment. Time has proven Joyce
wrong, the Wake" is not a
FUNERAL" but it has been
fun for enough that nobody
should refrain from trying
the game. He may enjoy 1t.
I believe that most primers
of "Finnegans Wake" take
the wrong tack when they
try to tell the novice what
the book is about-give a
synopsis of the plot, elaborate
on the various themes, ex-
plain the technique and fl
nally orient the book with
the rest Of Joyce's work. All
very important, essential
but premature. I believe no
one can get into "Finnegans
Wake" except through the
word and the phrase. Forget
the book, the section, the
chapter, the paragraph. sus-
pend Judgment, and concen-
trate on the sound, the
rhythm, the appearance. and
the association Of the word
and the phrase. Even mean.
ing, q prime consideration
ultimately, Is secondary at
first. Start anywhere-"For
the sake Of the farbung and
of scent and of the holio-
drops. Amems." You recog-
nize the incense Of church,
but also you see flowers. and
wonder why Joyce didn't
write "Amums." II the dis
cipline is birds. Joyce writes
"Nobirdy avair soar any
wing to eagle it,; II
rivers always be on guard for
rivers), "Garonnel" or Loire,
what q fine bridget" "Yssel
that the limmat?"
Joyce Is aware Of your ini-
tial difficulties. and he SYM
pathises with you: You is
feeling like you is lost in the
bush. boy2 You says: It Is a
pulling sample jungle Of
woods. You most shouts out:
Bethicket me for a stump Of
q beech II ! have the
poultriest notion Of what the
farest he all means. :" But
you will have to admit that
frequently you do know what
he means, and that what he
says makes you laugh. "A
king off duty and a jaw for
ever" Is plain enough.
'Plumply pudding the carp
before doevre hors" Is one
of the relatively few wake"
word-plays that have to be
seen rather than heard.
Notice, by the way, that
Joyce, by leaving the III" out
Of "d'oeuvre" adds Dover sole
to his menu.
You will meet almost
everyone In the wake"
Houdini. Peaches Browning.
Tom and Sid Sawyer. Huck-
leberry Finn. as well as more
renowned prototypes Of civil
lization - Adam, Deucalion.
Noah, Moses. There Is q
touch Of old Leopold Bloom
In Joyce. for he loves adj
vertising slogans and con-
cocts at least q dozen for
Guinness Stout and j. Jame-
son Whiskey. He washes with
Pears Soap because It's slo-
gan fits his theory OF cyclic
evolution - Have yous
viewsed Piers aube2"
yet, an tears, who can her
mater be?" The matter. you
say, and I will agree. Is that
80 much self-conscious tor
turing Of language soon may
be wearying. But 10 become
at least slightly adept In this
grammar, this syntax, Is the
price you pay for the real
marrow Joyce has 10 offer
and that there Is real mar
row have no doubt. You must
play scales before sonatas.
And don't be too sure that
you haven't enjoyed scales
all along-that the Kings
English Is the only tongue OF
which you approve. MARRY
doats, and dozy doats, and
little lambsy dizzy" may have
delighted Joyce as much a.
II did the rest Of US decades
ago. I am still looking for
II In "Finnegans Wake" II
Is probably there--disguised