The Sound of Finnegans Wake

by Peter Myers

An analysis of all aspects of sound in James Joyce's Finnegans Wake. The author considers phonetic symbolism, rhythm, pitch-contours, motifs and songs in a way which shows how Joyce's work has a genuinely musical layer that is particularly apparent when the book is read aloud. The assumption (very common among literary critics but less common among linguists) that there is no relationship, other than an arbitrary one, between sound and meaning is seriously challenged. A long final chapter analyses Joyce's reading from his own work.

Hardcover

First published December 31, 1992

Reviews

[NLK · Rating 5 out of 5]

Incredibly insightful book about prose style, the music of language, the language of music, &c and has much more to say about reading Finnegans Wake than the usual academic suspects, who would rather interpret it.