"The Mime of Mick, Nick and the Maggies"

(219.1-221.17)  The first chapter of Book II of Finnegans Wake looks to be a type of play-within-a-play, or I guess more correctly a play-within-a-book.  The chapter opens with, "Every evening at lighting up o'clock sharp and until further notice in Feenichts Playhouse."  This opening serves as an announcement that the play is about to commence, and the scene is, in one sense, a playhouse in the vicinity of Phoenix Park.  And the title of the play, we're told, is "The Mime of Mick, Nick and the Maggies."  This signals that the play is going to feature the children:  Shaun and Shem (Mick and Nick are aliases for the brothers) and Isabel and her friends ("maggies" has been used as a general title for the young women throughout the Wake).

After this introductory paragraph, most of the remainder of today's reading is a list of the characters who will feature in the play.  First we have Glugg, the Shem figure ("Mr Seumas McQuillad") who is "the bold bad bleak boy of the storybooks" who falls into disgrace.  The 28 friends of Isabel -- the titular Maggies -- are The Floras, the "month's bunch of pretty maidens."  Isabel's character in the play is Izod, the "bewitching blonde who dimples delightfully and is approached in loveliness only by her grateful sister reflection in a mirror."  Shaun is Chuff ("Mr Sean O'Mailey"), "the fine fairhaired fellow of the fairytales."  ALP and HCE are, respectively, Ann and Hump.  Rounding out the cast are The Customers (the "dozen of representative locomotive civics" who drink in HCE's pub), Saunderson (a pub employee), and Kate (our familiar housekeeper).  Today's reading ends with, "Time:  the pressant."  With the scene set, we'll get to the action tomorrow.