Finnegans Wake is a challenging and unconventional piece of literature, often described as a dreamlike stream of consciousness journey through the minds of various characters. The book is filled with complex wordplay, multi-layered meanings, and references to a wide range of cultural, historical, and mythological sources. It defies traditional narrative structures and presents a unique reading experience that requires careful attention and multiple readings to fully grasp its depth and richness.

Writing/Prose:

Joyce's writing style is highly experimental, employing dense prose filled with neologisms, stream-of-consciousness techniques, and intricate wordplay.

Plot/Storyline:

The book features a nonlinear and dreamlike narrative that intertwines multiple cycles of history and consciousness, with characters that often blur into one another.

Setting:

The setting combines a mythological version of Dublin with broader dreamlike landscapes, rich in historical and cultural references.

Pacing:

The pacing of the narrative is unpredictable and dreamlike, leading to a sense of disorientation for readers.

Every evening at lighting up o’clock sharp and until further notice in Feenichts Playhouse. (Bar and conveniences always open, Diddlem Club douncestears.) Entrancings: gads, a scrab; the quality, one ...

Notes:

Finnegans Wake took James Joyce 17 years to write.

The book is known for its complex language and experimental style.

It contains over 1,000 made-up words and numerous languages.

Joyce wrote the entire book in a stream-of-consciousness style.

The opening line mirrors the last line, creating a circular reading experience.

Despite its difficulty, many readers find moments of beauty and humor.

It's often described as being like a dream or a puzzle to decipher.

The book's themes include the cycles of life, history, and mythology.

Sensitive Topics/Content Warnings

The book may contain heavy themes of madness, existential dread, and linguistic complexity that may be triggering to some readers.

From The Publisher:

'Here words are not the polite contortions of twentieth-century printer's ink. They are alive. They elbow their way on to the page, and glow and blaze and fade and disappear.' Samuel Beckett

Ratings (7)

Incredible (1)
Loved It (2)
Did Not Like (1)
Hated It (3)

Reader Stats (33):

Read It (5)
Currently Reading (3)
Want To Read (20)
Did Not Finish (3)
Not Interested (2)

2 comment(s)

ColorfulLeo92

Hated It

3 months

This was more an experience than anything else. I never felt like I quite understood what was going on or what was said but I couldn't stop reading it. Somewhere Omstarter simply looking at all the words I didn't know what they meant and there where so damn many. I could have written them done and researched it but that would take far to long. Fascinating piece of nonsense for me. Maybe one day I'll can pick it back up and understand it better or have someone in my life that I can buddy read with and have them explain. I feel that this book need it's own dictionary

classickheir

Incredible

4 months

Read in conjunction with [b:A Guide through Finnegans Wake|6273550|A Guide through Finnegans Wake|Edmund L. Epstein|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1328812212l/6273550._SY75_.jpg|6456904] and the Naxos audiobook read by Barry McGovern and Marcella Riordan. Best reading of Finnegans Wake so far.

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About the Author:

James Joyce was born in Rathgar, Dublin, in 1882. In 1904 he and Nora Barnacle (whom he married in 1931) left Ireland for Trieste. Abroad, free from the restrictions he felt in Ireland, Joyce felt compelled to write of his native land, producing Dubliners (1914) and A Portrait of the Artist as Young Man (1916). During World War I, he lived in Zurich from 1915 to 1919, and in 1920 moved to Paris, where he spent most of the rest of his life. Towards the end of December 1939 James Joyce and Nora Barnacle left Paris for a small village near Vichy and ultimately settled in Zurich, where he died in January 1941. His major works, pioneering the 'stream of consciousness' style, are the novels Ulysses (1922) and Finnegans Wake (1939).

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Finnegans Wake

James Joyce