Man the Fuck Up and Let's Finnegans Wake

The Something Awful Forums > The Finer Arts > The Book Barn > Man the Fuck Up and Let's Finnegans Wake

Smoking Crow: Feb 14, 2012; *laughs at u*

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qstUxos2cBs

It's time to read the hardest book in the English canon, Finnegans Wake. This is it, the big motherfucker of literature. And we're going to read all of it, even if it kills us. Let's start around 10/30 so I can get my book from the library. Godspeed and good luck, we're gonna need it.

Amazon link: http://www.amazon.com/Finnegans-Wak...nnegan%27s+wake

(This is the only major work by Joyce not on Project Gutenburg, so be sure to check it out from your public library, since they will definitely have a copy)

Smoking Crow fucked around with this message at 14:21 on Oct 21, 2014

# ¿ Oct 20, 2014 22:08

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# ¿ May 12, 2024 05:54

Smoking Crow: Feb 14, 2012; *laughs at u*

Earwicker posted:

Actually the whole book has been online forever complete with links to each line. http://www.trentu.ca/faculty/jjoyce/fw-3.htm

Admittedly it's a very 90's web experience but it works.

Thank you! I didn't know this existed. I prefer physical books, though, so I won't be using it.

Smoking Crow fucked around with this message at 22:43 on Oct 20, 2014

# ¿ Oct 20, 2014 22:29

Smoking Crow: Feb 14, 2012; *laughs at u*

everythingWasBees posted:

Is there an illustrated version?

Oh God I hope so

# ¿ Oct 20, 2014 22:48

Smoking Crow: Feb 14, 2012; *laughs at u*

Note: There are three editions of Finnegans Wake, two of which are available, the original and third editions. The third edition was meticulously revised by Joyce himself. If you have a choice, please try to get the revised edition, but if you can't, I understand.

Smoking Crow fucked around with this message at 14:21 on Oct 21, 2014

# ¿ Oct 20, 2014 23:16

Smoking Crow: Feb 14, 2012; *laughs at u*

Cloks posted:

Is this like, a scheduled read-along or what? If so, what's the schedule?

Sounds interesting though, I'll read it.

This book is not so much a work of fiction as alphabet soup or brain vomit. Read at your own pace and we'll try and finish within six months.

# ¿ Oct 20, 2014 23:22

Smoking Crow: Feb 14, 2012; *laughs at u*

Earwicker posted:

I'm not really sure if this is a sincere thread or not and I'm not going to waste any time trying to defend it to those people who think it's just random nonsense or "brain vomit", but for anyone actually interested in reading the book I strongly suggest reading it with a guide. In particular I recommend A Skeleton Key to Finnegans Wake by the mythologist Joseph Campbell, which is in fact a pretty great read just in itself.

Of course this thread is sincere. I love Joyce brain vomit and all. You can't tell me that the stream-of-consciousness style of writing doesn't attempt to be exactly what I said it was.

# ¿ Oct 20, 2014 23:29

Smoking Crow: Feb 14, 2012; *laughs at u*

The story with Joyce is that he wrote 10 words a day and agonized over how to arrange them.

# ¿ Oct 20, 2014 23:33

Smoking Crow: Feb 14, 2012; *laughs at u*

blue squares posted:

Not sure why I should bother reading the deranged ramblings of a dying man that people keep insisting is a book when in fact it is not.

I saw it on paper once. I believe in the librocity of Finnegans Wake.

Smoking Crow fucked around with this message at 14:22 on Oct 21, 2014

# ¿ Oct 21, 2014 00:13

Smoking Crow: Feb 14, 2012; *laughs at u*

amuayse posted:

I've always wanted to read In Search of Lost Time, OP.

Then make an In Search of Lost Time thread then, Mr. Polneroff

# ¿ Oct 21, 2014 01:41

Smoking Crow: Feb 14, 2012; *laughs at u*

House Louse posted:

Yes: http://www.theguardian.com/books/gallery/2014/mar/26/finnegans-wake-james-joyce-in-pictures

Also I'd feel this thread was a lot more sincere if more than one poster could spell the book's title properly.

I have never noticed the lack of apostrophe. I'm so used to seeing the song title that it's stuck in my brain.

# ¿ Oct 21, 2014 05:24

Smoking Crow: Feb 14, 2012; *laughs at u*

I learned that there is a better online version than the one Earwicker linked. It even has annotations!

http://finwake.com

# ¿ Oct 21, 2014 14:25

Smoking Crow: Feb 14, 2012; *laughs at u*

mdemone posted:

Not even close to correct. As others have said, check out Joseph Campbell's Skeleton Key (if you can find it). Joyce wasn't kidding or using much hyperbole when he said he intended critics to spend centuries analyzing it.

I've been reading it aloud to my one-year-old son for a couple of months now. He loves it, of course. You definitely get a better sense of the word-to-word impact when it's spoken.

What does the kid think it's about?

# ¿ Oct 22, 2014 14:29

Smoking Crow: Feb 14, 2012; *laughs at u*

The Doctor posted:

A fun research project would be to examine how Finnegan's Wake makes people react, especially the people who've never read it. It's interesting that so many people seem to have such strong feelings about it.

I guess you're going to see it in realtime.

# ¿ Oct 23, 2014 02:25

Smoking Crow: Feb 14, 2012; *laughs at u*

Guess what came in the mail? :getin:

# ¿ Oct 25, 2014 05:46

Smoking Crow: Feb 14, 2012; *laughs at u*

Also, here's a handy chart to figure out what's going on

# ¿ Oct 25, 2014 05:51

Smoking Crow: Feb 14, 2012; *laughs at u*

Fellwenner posted:

Would this be the sort of book better read on paper or does it not matter? I usually roll on the kindle.

I prefer book, but you can use kindle. The words are the same, after all.

# ¿ Oct 25, 2014 23:51

Smoking Crow: Feb 14, 2012; *laughs at u*

Fellwenner posted:

No, meaning annotations and references. Flipping back and forth depending on the layout of the book.

I have never used ebook versions for annotated books, so I'm no help sorry.

# ¿ Oct 26, 2014 00:26

Smoking Crow: Feb 14, 2012; *laughs at u*

7 HOURS

# ¿ Oct 29, 2014 22:51

Smoking Crow: Feb 14, 2012; *laughs at u*

And we're off! Have fun everyone.

# ¿ Oct 30, 2014 12:42

Smoking Crow: Feb 14, 2012; *laughs at u*

I've finally started the book and I have to ask, on page 5 of my edition it says "Hohohoho, Mister Finn, you're going to be Mister Finnagain!" Does this mean that Joyce is saying that the Irish hero Fionn Mac Cumhaill is Finnegan and that he becomes Finnegan over and over again?

edit: I got to page 6 and yes, this is true

Smoking Crow fucked around with this message at 22:22 on Oct 31, 2014

# ¿ Oct 31, 2014 22:18

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# ¿ May 12, 2024 05:54

Smoking Crow: Feb 14, 2012; *laughs at u*

DisDisDis posted:

I've never read anything by Joyce before. Should I man the gently caress up and Finnegans Wake?

See thread title.

# ¿ Nov 4, 2014 05:12

The Something Awful Forums > The Finer Arts > The Book Barn > Man the Fuck Up and Let's Finnegans Wake