Thursday, 25 February 2021 (9.36)

The last reading stopped at: “Dalaveras fimmieras!” (9.36)

One favourite passage was:

With thanks to A.

“Voutre.” (9.14)

Thursday, 18 February 2021 (9.9)

The last reading stopped at: “git the band up.” (9.9)

One favourite passage was:

With thanks to A.

Assaye, assaye! (8.26)

Thursday, 11 February 2021 (7.25)

The last reading stopped at: “pinnyweight” (7.25)

One favourite passage was:

the brontoichthyan form outlined aslumbered (7.20)

Thursday, 4 February 2021 (6.28)

The last reading stopped at: “fuddled, O!” (6.28)

You'll be doing this at your own risk but, if you're not afraid of being stuck with yet another earworm for a good while, click here, or on the musical notes below, to listen to a rendering of the song “Phil the Fluter's Ball” by Ronnie Dew:

With thanks to A. for the update.

Thursday, 28 January 2021 (5.24)

The last reading stopped at: “flyday” (5.24)

One favourite passage was:

Comeday morm ... (5.19)

Thursday, 21 January 2021 (4.17)

The group has just started a new round of Finnegans Wake. It stopped the reading at: “phoenish.” (4.17)

A couple of favourite passages were:

1

2

With thanks to A. for the update.

the regginbrow (3.14)

the pftjschute of Finnegan (3.19)

Thursday, 14 January 2021 (“a long the”)

The reading group at the Zurich James Joyce Foundation has just completed its third round of Finnegans Wake. It is starting a new round of the book right away on Thursday, 21 January 2021.

The Thursday Wake readings with Fritz Senn began in 1986 and are open to anybody curious enough to want to give the book a try.

To give ALP the last word for the time being, click here to see a PDF of the list below.

Thursday, 7 January 2021 (627.21)

The last reading stopped at: “letting on to meself always.” (627.21)

One favourite passage was:

This blog never tries to explain Joyce's text, but merely to illustrate some of its passages. It is breaking with tradition, then, to add the following, but the Edwardian ad may be worth doing so:

John Gordon notes that, in Joyce's time, “belladonna juice was a cosmetic for dilating the pupils and enhancing the eyes. Both women and men used it when they wanted to make an effect” (John Gordon's Finnegans Wake Blog).

Found on: https://my-ear-trumpet.tumblr.com/page/10

Thursday, 17 December 2020 (626.13)

The last reading stopped at: “Scieoula!” (626.13)

We are taking a break over holidays. The next reading will take place on Thursday, 7 January 2021.

One favourite passage was:

With thanks to A.

Why, them's the muchrooms, come up during the night. (625.19)

Thursday, 10 December 2020 (625.13)

The last reading stopped at: “Finglas since the Flood.” (625.13) 

One favourite passage was:

With thanks to A., as always.

Thursday, 3 December 2020 (624.10)

The last reading stopped at: “where the sterres be.” (624.10)

With thanks to A. for the update. 

Thursday, 26 November 2020 (623.20)

The last reading stopped at: “He's reading his ruffs.” (623.20) 

Among the favourite passages was the line below. 

We're leaving it to the reader to decide which of the visual renderings is to be favoured. Feel free to leave an anonymous comment.

With thanks to A. for the update.

Thursday, 19 November 2020 (622.24)

The last reading stopped at: “to ball you out.” (622.24)

One favourite was:

With thanks to A. for all the updates

Thursday, 12 November 2020 (621.26)

The last reading stopped at: “burnt in ice” (621.26)

Thursday, 5 November 2020 (620.32)

The last reading stopped at: “all goes.” (620.32)

Thursday, 29 October 2020 (619.31)

The last reading stopped at: “I was so sharm.” (619.31)

Thursday, 22 October 2020 (618.24)

The last reading stopped at: “opennine knighters” (618.24)

One favourite was:

The cad with the pope's wife (618.4)

Thursday, 15 October 2020 (617.19)

The last reading stopped at: “uttering foon!” (617.19)

One favourite was:

 

Thursday, 8 October 2020 (616.22)

The last reading stopped at: “sausages!” (616.22) 

Thursday, 1 October 2020 (615.24)

 

The last reading stopped at: “a pulltomine” (615.24).

One favourite was:

Thursday, 24 September 2020 (614.22)

 

The last reading stopped at: “Forget, remember!” (614.22)

This comparatively dense passage contains a great number of potential favourites. Here's one that is at least easy to visualize:

Thursday, 17 September 2020 (613.26)

 

The last reading stopped at: “chlorid cup” (613.26)

Thursday, 10 September 2020 (612.21)

 

The last reading stopped mid-sentance at: “ruinboon pot before” (612.21)

Thursday, 3 September 2020 (611.24)

 

The last reading stopped at: “(obs of epiwo)” (611.24)

Thursday, 27 August 2020 (610.6)

 

The last reading stopped at: “Rhedonum teneat!” (610.6)

Thursday, 20 August 2020 (608.32)

The last reading stopped at: “the Phoenican wakes.” (608.32) 

One modest favourite was:

As well as a more ambitious passage:

Signs are on of a mere by token that wills still to be becoming upon this there once a here was world. (608.26)

Thursday, 13 August 2020 (607.16)

 

The last reading stopped at: “lovesoftfun at Finnegan's Wake.” (607.16)

Some famourites were:

1

2

Nuotabene. (606.13)

O ferax cupla! (606.23)

Thursday, 6 August 2020 (606.12)

 

The last reading stopped at: “Yee.” (606.12)

Favourite passages were Kevin's

 

   his ...

                  ... altar super bath (605.14) ...

 

                                ... bath propter altar (605.21) ...

 

                     ... altar unacumque bath (605.32) ...

 

    ... his tubbathaltar (606.2) ...

 

                                        ... that handbathtub (606.7)

2

3

Thursday, 30 July 2020 (604.26)

The last reading stopped at: “Osthern Approaches.” (604.26)

Thursday, 23 July 2020 (603.23)

The last reading stopped at: “a citting.” (603.23)

One favourite was, perhaps not surprisingly these days:

you in a guessmasque, latterman! (603.3)

Thursday, 16 July 2020 (602.24)

The last reading stopped at: “perhumps.” (602.24)

Thursday, 9 July 2020 (601.13)

The last reading stopped at: “a clanagirls.” (601.13)

One favourite was:

Homos Circas Elochlannensis! (600.29)

Thursday, 2 July 2020 (600.14)

The last reading stopped at: “Goodspeed the blow!” (600.14)

One favourite place was:

Father Times and Mother Spacies (600.2)

Thursday, 25 June 2020 (599.9)

The last reading stopped at: “we are!” (599.9)

Thursday, 18 June 2020 (598.9)

The last reading stopped at: “Diu!” (598.9)

The passage that was covered reads well and contains a number of amusing places. To pick just one favourite:

You hald him by the tap of the tang. (598.3)

Thursday, 11 June 2020 (597.16)

The last reading stopped at: “pura-puthry” (597.16)

Thursday, 4 June 2020 (596.15)

The last reading stopped at: “fert in fort;” (596.15)

A favourite was:

Thus faraclacks the friarbird. (595.33)

Thursday, 28 May 2020 (595.9)

The last reading stopped at: “With her tup.” (595.9)

Thursday, 21 May 2020 (594.5)

The group has now started Book IV, opening with calls to wake up. The reading stopped at: “theeadjure” (594).

Quake up, dim dusky (593.14)

Thursday, 14 May 2020 (590.12)

The last reading stopped at: “Praypaid my promishles!” (590.12)

Some favourite passages were:

1

2

3

For those interested in Joyce’s theatre company The English Players, “fancy, they were free!” (588.36) may carry overtones of a play they performed in Zurich in 1919.

 

 

Advertisement in the Tagblatt der Stadt Zürich (1919), 8 December

Fancy Free is a one-act comedy by Stanley Houghton, amusingly wicked, mildly provocative but light-hearted (publ. c. 1912):

Fancy, a married woman, has run away with her lover, Alfred. The opening of the play finds her writing to her husband, Ethelbert, from a hotel to tell him she has left him forever. To the couple’s great surprise, they run into the husband, who has himself run away with his lover Delia and is staying in the same hotel. None of the four seem too perturbed, however, and start to discuss their situation and one another’s shortcomings. Finally, Fancy pairs off with her husband again and Delia starts to attract Alfred's interest. The play closes with Delia’s words to Ethelbert “Do you know, you've got the most delightfully wicked eyes”.

 

To see more about The English Players’ performances in Zurich, find an essay here.

 

 

misflooded his fortunes (589.27)

the grand tryomphal arch (590.9)

fancy, they were free! (588.36)

 

 

 

Thursday, 7 May 2020 (588.28)

The last reading stopped at: “Esch so eschess, douls a doulse!” (588.28)

Here's a visual rendering for one of the passages just read:

Thursday, 30 April 2020 (587.31)

The last reading stopped at “Briss!” (587.31)

The pages that the group has gone through included the lines “mean fawthery eastend appullcelery, old laddy he high hole” (586.27–28). Fritz Senn has published elucidating notes about this passage. Find excerpts from his essays by clicking on the icons below.

Click on the feathery chap to see Fritz's notes in English:

Click on the Appenzell painting to see his notes in German:

Thursday, 23 April 2020 (585.33)

The last online reading stopped at “after that!” (585.33), after learning plenty about: 

Thursday, 16 April 2020 (584.25)

In keeping with the restrictions necessary during the current Corona pandemic, and thanks to Pablo’s initiative in setting up a conference call, the reading group was able to convene online on Thursday, April 16. 

The reading stopped at: “the morgans.” (584.25)

Thursday, 12 March 2020 (583.18)

The last reading stopped mid-paragraph at: “up the east.” (583.18)

Thursday, 5 March 2020 (582.12)

The last reading stopped at: “enver a man.” (582.12)

Thursday, 27 March 2020 (580.36)

The last reading stopped at: “Hosty made.” (580.36)

Thursday, 20 February 2020 (579.22)

The last reading stopped at: “in your stomach.” (579.22)

Thursday, 13 February 2020 (578.32)

The last reading stopped at: “womanahoussy” (578.32)

Among the group's favourites was this distortion of an Austrian phrase:

Happy tea area, naughtygay frew! (578.22)
(Habe die Ehre, gnädige Frau.)

Thursday, 6 February 2020 (578.6)

The last reading stopped at: “pharrer and livite” (578.6)

Among the group's favourites were:

1

2

monk and sempstress, in sackcloth silkily (577.31)

king of the yeast (578.4)