(591-592) As is traditional when I finish a Book in the Wake, today's post is a quick recap of where we've traveled throughout Book III. It's one last break (and a moment to pat myself on the back for having finally gotten into a consistent Wake groove over the past month or so) before I dive into the final Book (and chapter) of the Wake and (hopefully) finish Joyce's ultimate masterpiece before the end of the month. I've already given some thought about the question of what I'm going to do once I've finished the Wake. The answer is probably read more Joyce.
Like Book II, Book III contains four chapters. Campbell and Robinson call Book III "the book of the desired future," a future that is "not the future really germinating in the nursery upstairs . . . but the mirage-future of the idealizing daydreams of the half-broken father." The figure of Shaun dominates the Book's first two chapters (and half-dominates the third). It's midnight in the pub, and the great (as the first chapter in the Book, this one represents Vico's prehistoric age of giants) figure of Shaun appears before the narrator. He gives us the fable of the Ondt and the Gracehoper (once again illustrating the warring, yet perhaps complimentary, natures of the brothers), spends times talking about ALP's letter, and attacks his brother, Shem, before leaving to the acclaim of the assembled crowd.
The second chapter finds Shaun (now Jaun) pausing in his travels to lecture the 29 girls from St. Brigid's school. Parts of the chapter take the form of the Roman Catholic mass, and Shaun delivers the bulk of his message in a sermon to the girls. The message is a bit didactic and rambling, urging the girls to virtue and threatening them to behave (or else). Eventually, he proclaims his affection for his sister, Isabel, and expresses a fair amount of jealousy over her. Shaun sets himself up as an example for the girls to follow. As the clock nears two in the morning, Shaun says it's time for him to leave, but, given his long-winded manner, it still takes him a while to go. He offers more advice and imagines a life with Isabel, who soon expresses her affection for him without necessarily reciprocating the desire. He once again attacks his brother but does offer a few compliments after he's established Shem (Dave)'s baseness. After a couple more false starts, Shaun finally leaves.
The third chapter is the centerpiece of Book III, and it begins with Shaun (now Yawn) at rest on the top of a hill. The four old men come upon him and conduct an extended inquiry, trying to determine something (or everything) about HCE and his family. The story is traced and retraced, and the facts and players shift and change throughout the retellings. Soon, the voices of these players appear, through the vessel of Shaun, and offer their own testimony to the four old men, who eventually become four young chaps. The voice of HCE finally appears, and it gives yet another defense of his life. The chapter ends with HCE shouting out (perhaps playfully, perhaps mockingly) the names of his four inquisitors.
The final chapter of Book III takes place primarily in the bedroom of HCE and ALP. Kate discovers HCE drunk in the pub (where we left him in Book II), and he soon makes his way to bed. As husband and wife are about to enjoy each other's company, a noise is heard in the house, which turns out be Shem (here Jerry) crying. ALP soothes her child, and someone (either HCE and ALP, or the three children) watches until everything is quiet again. When things have quieted, the couple finally do enjoy marital relations as the four old men (and perhaps a police officer outside) watch. Witnesses yet again recount the rises and falls of HCE, and we conclude with a final, approving image of HCE, the father of us all.
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