Course Description: Finnegans Wake (1939), James Joyce’s final work, is regarded as one of the most difficult and yet significant pieces of “fiction,” in the Western canon. More a reading group than a seminar, the class is meant as an opportunity to experience Joyce’s mad masterpiece in the company of fellow Telepaideians: mustering strength from each others’ associations, talents, and different kinds of erudition as we poke at this (always-delightful!) tangle of text. As we meander, we'll stop to talk about quintessential Wake themes, topics, and theories. We also plan to spend time reflecting together on ways the Wake can help illustrate concepts within the study of Classics/Antiquity and related disciplines (e.g. philology).
This is an ongoing course that commenced reading Finnegans Wake from the beginning last term. This semester we will start at page 47, just after the Ballad of Persse O’Reilley. We expect to cover a modest number of pages per week (5-10), which will be supplemented with optional secondary readings.
DETAILS
Level: We’ll be coming at Finnegans Wake from a variety different subjects and angles; you don’t need to be a Joyce expert to participate! While some prior knowledge of Joyce’s oeuvre will be helpful, participants should mainly be on board to play with the text and follow its connections to different writers from Dante to Borges.
Textbook: Textbook: Any edition of Finnegans Wake. Participants may wish to use the Finwake site: http://finwake.com/ . Instructor will provide other readings.
Sections capped at: 5 students. If the course is sold-out, please fill out this waiting-list form.
When
Thursdays, 7pm U.S. Eastern Time
Cost
$250
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