Why read Ulysses or Finnegan’s Wake? As a fan of both books, as someone who still finds some amusement and insights in Joyce’s works, perhaps I will seem to contradict myself by issuing a condemnation of Finnegan’s Wake. But seriously, James condemned himself by stating the following about FW:
“I’ve put in so many enigmas and puzzles that it will keep the professors busy for centuries arguing over what I meant, and that’s the only way of insuring one’s immortality.”
At worst, these are the words of an egomaniac and a sadist bent on tormenting a class of professionals he largely dismissed; at best, these are the words of a most subtly sarcastic comedian. He wants them to “argue” – you understand, to argue and not to achieve epiphanies and moments of cerebral-aesthetical bliss! Think of the cunning and malevolence… and yet, think of the gall or absurdity of openly stating his evil design…
Ha-ha-ha.
Oh, wait, this isn’t funny at all, is it?
“The demand that I make of my reader is that he should devote his whole Life to reading my works.”
What? You egomaniacal monster! My whole life? Well, actually I don’t mind devoting my whole life, or at least my waking hours, or at least those hours—or minutes—when I’m not otherwise employed, but I would only do so if your books gave me happiness and good precepts by which to live, and I fear you never intended to provide either, so there!
Ultimately, reading James’ works is an exorbitant exercise suited only for book workers, i.e. polyglot and lexically overdeveloped academics—and yet, not even for them!
What the world needs is sustainable literature—literature the whole world can learn to enjoy with relative ease and without a crippling investment in post-secondary education. Or what, shall happiness and wisdom belong exclusively to the wealthy? Ah, no, what they call education is an industry and largely a colossal waste of time.
