30 pages • 1 hour read
Finnegans Wake
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Book Brief
628
Novel • Fiction
1939
Adult
18+ years
Super Short Summary
Finnegans Wake by James Joyce follows a pub landlord in Dublin, Humphrey Chimpden Earwicker (HCE), who dreams of many identities, including mythological and historical figures. HCE experiences a fall from grace related to an incident involving indecent exposure. His wife, Anna Livia Plurabelle, tries to defend him, but her letter is never delivered. Their children, Shem, Shaun, and Issy, contribute to the narrative's complexities, exploring themes of identity and redemption. The book contains references to incidents of sexual misconduct.
Mysterious
Challenging
Fantastical
Contemplative
Humorous
Reviews & Readership
14,026 ratings
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Review Roundup
Finnegans Wake by James Joyce is a polarizing literary masterpiece. Admirers praise its innovative language and complex structure as a high point of modernist experimentation. Critics, however, argue that its dense and impenetrable prose makes it nearly unreadable. While some see it as Joycean genius, others find it disjointed and frustrating.
Who Should Read Finnegans Wake?
A reader who would enjoy Finnegans Wake by James Joyce is likely someone who appreciates complex, avant-garde literature, values linguistic innovation, and enjoys deciphering layered, intertextual narratives. Comparable to readers of Thomas Pynchon's Gravity's Rainbow and Virginia Woolf's The Waves, they relish challenging, non-linear storytelling.
14,026 ratings
Loved it
Mixed feelings
Not a fan
628
Novel • Fiction
1939
Adult
18+ years
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