I love WLD's comments. I too dived heartily into Ulysses, Portrait, and Finnegan in my college years. I did it, I confess now, partly for show; but in doing it I was swept away. I can't speak intelligently about the book today, but I revere the memory of having swum in those waters.


There's a wonderful shaggy dog story about a professor who dedicated a semester course to Finnegan's Wake and ran the course for thirty years despite having a speech impediment. His last lecture ends, "N-n-now I have stu-stu-studies Finnegan's Wake f-f-for thir---thir---thirty years, and I think I can saff-saf- safely say I understand the who- who- whole bu-bu-bu-boook.

"And it is a puh... puh...puh... PISS puh- ...puh...puh...POOR buh... buh...book!!"


(I'll get me dustjacket....).




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