Boston's Finnegans Wake Reading Group

Facing a work this rich, this enigmatic, a work that has both given careers to academics and baffled readers for generations, it's a rough pitch for a casual and fun reading group.

Why tackle a work as famously complex as Finnegans Wake? Because it is in wrestling with the most challenging texts that we find the greatest rewards. Joyce’s masterpiece is not just a book to be read; it is a riddle to be unraveled, a dream to be deciphered, and a feast of language to be savored.

How? In order to tackle the chaos, we'll go chapter by chapter. At the meetup we'll collaborate our best attempt at a summary & weave something together. Then we'll go through and unweave and de-pun and take closer looks, etc.

And don't feel like you have to read all or any of the annotations or have a totally firm grip on any of it.

For this meeting we'll be discussing the thirteenth episode of Finnegans Wake which has no official name. The chapter is around 26 pages long in most editions. Since it's not always clear where the chapters begin and end, here is a breakdown:

Part III Episode 1 begins on page 403 with "Hark!" and ends with "may the tussocks grow quickly under your trampthickets and the daisies trip lightly over your battercops" on page 428.

• • • • • • •

Here are some extra links if you are interested in going deeper:

Facing a work this rich, this enigmatic, a work that has both given careers to academics and baffled readers for generations, it's a rough pitch for a casual and fun reading group.

Why tackle a work as famously complex as Finnegans Wake? Because it is in wrestling with the most challenging texts that we find the greatest rewards. Joyce’s masterpiece is not just a book to be read; it is a riddle to be unraveled, a dream to be deciphered, and a feast of language to be savored.

How? In order to tackle the chaos, we'll go chapter by chapter. At the meetup we'll collaborate our best attempt at a summary & weave something together. Then we'll go through and unweave and de-pun and take closer looks, etc.

And don't feel like you have to read all or any of the annotations or have a totally firm grip on any of it.

For this meeting we'll be discussing the fourteenth episode of Finnegans Wake which has no official name. The chapter is around 45 pages long in most editions. Since it's not always clear where the chapters begin and end, here is a breakdown:

Part III Episode 2 begins on page 429 with "Jaunty Jaun, as I was shortly before that made aware" and ends with "Walk while ye have the night for morn, lightbreakfastbringer, morroweth whereon every past shall full fost sleep. Amain." on page 473.

• • • • • • •

Here are some extra links if you are interested in going deeper:

Facing a work this rich, this enigmatic, a work that has both given careers to academics and baffled readers for generations, it's a rough pitch for a casual and fun reading group.

Why tackle a work as famously complex as Finnegans Wake? Because it is in wrestling with the most challenging texts that we find the greatest rewards. Joyce’s masterpiece is not just a book to be read; it is a riddle to be unraveled, a dream to be deciphered, and a feast of language to be savored.

How? In order to tackle the chaos, we'll go chapter by chapter. At the meetup we'll collaborate our best attempt at a summary & weave something together. Then we'll go through and unweave and de-pun and take closer looks, etc.

And don't feel like you have to read all or any of the annotations or have a totally firm grip on any of it.

For this meeting we'll be discussing the fifteenth episode of Finnegans Wake which has no official name. The chapter is around 80 pages long in most editions. Since it's not always clear where the chapters begin and end, here is a breakdown:

Part III Episode 3 begins on page 474 with "Lowly, longly, a wail went forth." and ends with "Joahanahanahana!" on page 554.

• • • • • • •

Here are some extra links if you are interested in going deeper:

Facing a work this rich, this enigmatic, a work that has both given careers to academics and baffled readers for generations, it's a rough pitch for a casual and fun reading group.

Why tackle a work as famously complex as Finnegans Wake? Because it is in wrestling with the most challenging texts that we find the greatest rewards. Joyce’s masterpiece is not just a book to be read; it is a riddle to be unraveled, a dream to be deciphered, and a feast of language to be savored.

How? In order to tackle the chaos, we'll go chapter by chapter. At the meetup we'll collaborate our best attempt at a summary & weave something together. Then we'll go through and unweave and de-pun and take closer looks, etc.

And don't feel like you have to read all or any of the annotations or have a totally firm grip on any of it.

For this meeting we'll be discussing the final episode of Finnegans Wake which has no official name. The chapter is around 35 pages long in most editions. Since it's not always clear where the chapters begin and end, here is a breakdown:

Part III Episode 4 begins on page 593 with "Sandhyas! Sandhyas! Sandhyas!" and

• • • • • • •

Here are some extra links if you are interested in going deeper: