Joyce's Book of the Dark: Finnegans Wake (Mark H Ingraham Prize) [Paperback]

John Bishop (Author)

Book Description

Series: Mark H Ingraham Prize | Publication Date: June 15, 1993

“Joyce’s Book of the Dark gives us such a blend of exciting intelligence and impressive erudition that it will surely become established as one of the most fascinating and readable Finnegans Wake studies now available.”—Margot Norris, James Joyce Literary Supplement

Editorial Reviews

Review

“Mr. Bishop has ventured on the process more boldly, more thoroughly, more imaginatively and more informedly than any of his predecessors.  He makes the text comment on itself, as it was constructed to do; but, knowing the whole thing by heart (as I surmise), he is able to multiply a thousandfold the concords and discords of which a reader is aware, and to amplify them through an impressive array of theoretical circuitry.”—Robert M. Adams, New York Times Book Review   

“Bishop shows a masterful command of the text and its nuances; but of even greater importance is his sense of the comic flair and wit that so distinguishes this ‘funferall’; it is the mark of a true Joycean.  Because of its freshness of approach and positive contribution, it belongs in all libraries housing even a preliminary Wake collection.”—Choice

“Though it is well known that Joyce claimed that his intention in Finnegans Wake was to ‘reconstruct the nocturnal life,’ Bishop is the first scholar to see in this notion the key to Joyce’s wildly obscure masterpiece.  His reading of Finnegans Wake as a night-book produces a new sense of the book’s form, shape, and structure.  In his reading, Freud, Vico, and the Egyptian Book of the Dead take on new meaning, and his accounts of the geography and sexuality of the Wake are fascinating.  Bishop brings a rare command of the text to his difficult enterprise, and the organization and prose are models of clarity.  ‘You is feeling like you was lost in the bush, boy?’ Joyce’s Book of the Dark will help all serious readers of the Wake get their bearings.”—Keith Cushman, Library Journal

About the Author

John Bishop is associate professor of English at the University of California, Berkeley.   

Product Details

• Paperback: 496 pages
• Publisher: University of Wisconsin Press (June 15, 1993)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0299108244
• ISBN-13: 978-0299108243
• Product Dimensions: 10 x 7.9 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #515,847 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

41 of 41 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars For Joyce fanatics -- so deep it's mindboggling, December 13, 1996

By A Customer

This review is from: Joyce's Book of the Dark: Finnegans Wake (Hardcover)

The ultimate treatment of Joyce's confusing classic, Bishop's comprehensive analysis goes beyond typical literary interpretations. Focusing of such diverse influences as Vico's "New Science" and The Egyptian Book of the Dead, Bishop shows the compexity of Joyce, as well as his almost total command of the English language, and language in general. If you've ever wondered about Vico's historical thesis, and want to understand how Vico permeates Joyce, this is the book to read. In the end, you'll come away with a better appreciation of Joyce's text, and a feeling of amazement at Vico's poorly understood, but far-sighted view of mankind.

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An essential book for understanding Finnegans Wake, September 17, 2008

By 

William Branch "Will Branch" (Milwaukee, WI United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Joyce's Book of the Dark: Finnegans Wake (Mark H Ingraham Prize) (Paperback)

This is the best book I've found to serve as a companion on a descent into the depths of "Finnegans Wake." It will deepen a reader's understanding of Joyce's methods. The author's insights are original and exciting - unlike some other books, this one actually made me eager to jump back into Joyce's book, sure I would see things in a new light.

I'm coming close to completing my first reading of the Wake. I understand now that it's a book you need to read many times. For this first pass, though, Joseph Campbell's "Skeleton Key" and this "Book of the Dark" were great guides.

18 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars One of the top 5 books on "Finnegans Wake", January 25, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Joyce's Book of the Dark: Finnegans Wake (Mark H Ingraham Prize) (Paperback)

This guy's read "Finnegans Wake" a thousand times, so it seems, and his knowledge of Joyce and environs is wide. I'd recommend "Joyce's Book of the Dark" for you Wakeans out there who need to dig deeper into the book of the delpth.