Monday 30 April 2018

Monday, 23 April 2018, Pages 463 - 464

Our reading stopped at "... with his paudeen!" (464.14)

Though unexpected happenings have kept me busy this past week, I could not resist finding out what 'paudeen' is and found out that it is an Irish nickname for Patrick. W. B. Yeats wrote a poem titled, Paudeen.

My apologies that till the last half of May the posts on this blog will be quite sporadic and will not contain much secondary explanation.

If any of you find something on Finnegan's Wake you want to share it with others, you are most welcome to post it in the comments section by clicking on the pencil sign below.

Sunday 22 April 2018

Monday, 16 April 2018, Pages 460 - 463

We stopped at the first line of page 463: "... blushing like Pat's pig, begob!"

Well, some of the things we read today were quite 'surprising'. For one thing, the Russian General seems to be back, most probably in another incarnation, as Pinchapoppapoff. Secondly Issy, who has been professing her (sisterly?) love for her Shaun (The Dargle shall run dry the sooner I you deny), who had in fact mentioned her latest lad's loveliletter and had explained why she likes him (her latest lad), says on these pages: 'I'll strip straight after devotions before his fondstare - ... and poke stiff under my isonbound ... for the night's foreign males...' What should we make of this stripping business? In particular, how should we understand this according to the interpretation of Joseph Campbell who likens Shaun to Christ?

Campbell comes to the rescue once again and explains the above as follows: 'The ecclesiastical allegory continues in Iseult's promises that though she may take up with other lovers she will remain basically faithful to her Shaun..... Iseult, as the Faith Christ left behind him, is going to be generous with her ecclesiastical favours to wooers of all denominations. High Church, Low Church, Latin, Greek, and Russian - she will embrace them all in His name.'

ah ah ah ah ...... MEN!

Apart from a number of references to Jonathan Swift and his friends Vanessa and Estella, these pages also hint at two operas by Verdi: (a) Il Travatore, (b) Falstaff. The opera, Il Travatore appears as 'The troubadour! I fremble!', which in fact is a take on the aria, 'Il Travatore, Io fremo' (Listen here to Maria Callas singing this aria. Read here the lyrics.) In my opinion, 'Eccolo me!' mentioned in the very next sentence, hints at the aria, 'Eccomi qua, son pronto' from Falstaff. (Recording of the aria here!)

Friday 13 April 2018

Monday, April 9, 2018, Pages 458 - 460

We stopped at "O, I understand." (460.31)

Oh yes, we did understand something from this week's reading. We understood that Shaun's lecturing is over - at least for the time being -, that Issy is answering him. Last week she had mentioned her lovely hair - though kinkless, it had loops of loveliness. She had given him writing papers and had asked him to write to her (forward it back by return pigeon's pneu*) and that when he sees these writing papers, he should think of her and not of Veronique.**

In this session she professes that she will read rosary for him; she mentions her nurse, Madge, who breaks in her (Issy's) shoes when she (Issy) has trouble with the arch of her feet; and she talks of the boy (her latest lad), who fell for her lips, for her lisp, .. whereas she fell for his strength, his manhood, his do you mind? Even though she has fallen for somebody, Issy assures Shaun that she will always care for him. (The Dargle shall run dry the sooner I you deny.) Issy gives Shaun.

* and **
Jospeh Campbell interprets this request in the following way:
"Under the sentimental clownery of this scene appears very dimly the figure of Christ on his Via Crucis. Shaun has spoken of and actually eaten his Last Supper; his way is lined with women whom he exhorts not to weep, among them Veronica."

Campbell also interprets 'return pigeon's pneu' as Issy asking Shaun (i.e., Christ) to send the message back by pigeon's breath (spirit of the Holy Ghost).
(A Skeleton key to Finnegans Wake, p. 279)

Monday 9 April 2018

Monday, March 26, 2018, Pages 456 - 458

We stopped at "... loops of loveliness." (458.31)

As I have been away last week, this post just gives reference to where we had stopped reading at the last session.