Book 1, Finnegan's Wake Summary

The book begins. Very quickly it becomes apparent that the language used is not the standard. The work was actually written while Joyce was living on the European Continent rather than in Britain. It is not apparent to those ignorant of Irish whether he is using nonsense words or Irish in many places. The author's writing style is well suited to storytelling. The rhythm of the spoken word is magically built into it. The sentences are lengthy, a fact which may initially take the reader by suprise. The story opens with a blend of reality and the mythic. The author takes readers to a castle. A man returns from serving in a war on a peninsula. The language is highly unusual. The author uses garbled versions of words along with a rare form of expression. He describes Howth Castle...