Vladimir Nabokov

NABOKV-L post 0003948, Tue, 20 Apr 1999 19:43:18 -0700

Subject
Re: VN and Finnegan's Wake (fwd)
Date
Body
From: John Foyster <foyster@senet.com.au>

>
> From: Walter Miale <wmiale@acbm.qc.ca>
>
> I wonder if anyone would care to make a case for or against the following:
>
> "Finnegan's Wake is nothing but a
> >formless and dull mass of phony folklore, a cold pudding of a book, a
> >persistent snore in the next room, most aggravating to the insomniac I am.
> >Moreover, I always detested regional literature full of quaint old-timers
> >and imitated pronunciation. Finnegan's Wake's facade disguises a very
> >conventional and drab tenement house, and only the infrequent snatches of
> >heavenly intonations redeem it from utter insipidity. I know I am going to
> >be excommunicated for this pronouncement."
>
> So much of the book is chess-problemish, I'm surprised VN didn't warm to
> the puzzle aspect of it.
>
> Walter Miale

Against. It's Finnegans.

John Foyster
Adelaide, South Australia