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I took a Joyce class in college. We spent most of the time going through Ulysses chapter by chapter, but then the last week was devoted entirely to just the fir

I took a Joyce class in college. We spent most of the time going through Ulysses chapter by chapter, but then the last week was devoted entirely to just the first page of Finnegan's Wake. I can't claim to have read more than maybe 50 pages total, most of them toward the beginning. One thing that helps a lot is to read it aloud, at least softly. And do so with an over-the-top Irish accent. It does make a bit more sense then.

ineedasername 4y ago
>an over-the-top Irish accent Hah! I just went through the first page like that and the cadence of an Irish lilt and pronunciation and it did in fact help. I've been through the first page enough times, though none too recently, that doing this really made things click together in my head a bit more. As I said, it's a fascinating book. As a linguistic accomplishment I cannot quickly think of a rival.