The historical and the geographical - the setting of Finnegans Wake

In the very first lines of Finnegans wake (or are they the last?) James Joyce sets the scene for his last and most opaque, enigmatic novel.

You will have noticed that there is no capital letter at the beginning - for that you must go back to his last page - this novel is circular, and it has been argued that you can start anywhere in it and finish where you began.

Right away, Joyce sprinkles his words with allusion and mention - rather like a giant cryptic crossword without too many clues - none at all for the reader not ready for it - that includes most of us - certainly me. Perhaps the only two men who really understood it are dead - James Joyce himself, and Anthony Burgess, who wrote an explanation entitled 'Here Comes Everybody' - still difficult reading but much more transparent than the Wake.

"riverrun[rlf1] , past Eve and Adam's[rlf2] , from swerve of shore to bend
of bay, brings us by a commodius vicus[rlf3] of recirculation[rlf4] back to
Howth Castle and Environs[rlf5] .
Sir Tristram, violer d'amores, fr'over the short sea, had passen-
core [rlf6] rearrived from North Armorica on this side the scraggy
isthmus of Europe Minor to wielderfight his peni*olate war: nor
had topsawyer's rocks by the stream Oconee exaggerated themselse
to Laurens County's gorgios while they went doublin[rlf7] their mumper [rlf8]
all the time: nor avoice from afire bellowsed[rlf9] mishe mishe to
tauftauf thuartpeatrick not yet, though venissoon after, had a
kidscad buttended a bland old isaac[rlf10] : not yet, though all's fair in
vanessy, were sosie sesthers wroth with twone nathandjoe. Rot a
peck of pa's malt had Jhem or Shen brewed by arclight and rory
end to the regginbrow was to be seen ringsome on the aquaface.
The fall (bababadalgharaghtakamminarronnkonnbronntonner-
ronntuonnthunntrovarrhounawnskawntoohoohoordenenthur-
nuk!) [rlf11] of a once wallstrait[rlf12] oldparr is retaled [rlf13] early in bed and later
on life down through all christian minstrelsy. The great fall of the
offwall entailed at such short notice the pftjschute of Finnegan,
erse solid man, that the humptyhillhead of humself prumptly sends
an unquiring one well to the west in quest of his tumptytumtoes:
and their upturnpikepointandplace is at the knock out in the park [rlf14]
where oranges[rlf15] have been laid to rust upon the green [rlf16] since dev-
linsfirst loved livvy."
Taken from: Finnegans Wake by James Joyce


[rlf1]Continues from the last sentence of the book and carries the meaning of continuous motion.

[rlf2]Dublin scenery and the dawn of history

[rlf3]Vico’s Recourso/cf vicious circle

[rlf4]Vico’s recourso

[rlf5]HCE Here Comes Everybody

[rlf6]pas encore = not yet

[rlf7]Refers to the city of Dublin

[rlf8]‘Doublin their mumper’ means Increasing their money.

[rlf9]A portmanteau word meaning what?

[rlf10]Isaac Butt

[rlf11]The longest ‘word’ in English Literature

[rlf12]Wall Street

[rlf13]What two words could Joyce be referring to here?

[rlf14]The topography of Phoenix Park in Dublin

[rlf15]Orangemen

[rlf16]Catholics

=
Finally, although it all looks strange, Burgess follows Joyce himself by stating that there is not one word of nonsence in the whole book.