SOURCE: Cage, John, and Richard Kostelanetz. “Talking about Writings through Finnegans Wake.” TriQuarterly 54 (spring 1982): 208-16.
In the following interview, Cage explains his use of mesostics (aligning letters within a text to spell out words vertically), clarifies the formulas for picking the words and letters in his mesostics, and discusses his decision to rework James Joyce's Finnegans Wake in this style.
This is a free excerpt of 61 words. There are 3,743 words (approx.
12 pages at 300 words per page) in the full critical essay.
Read the rest of this Criticism with our John Cage: Interview by John Cage and Richard Kostelanetz Access Pass.
