Tuesday 17 October 2017

Monday, 16 October 2017, Pages 418 - 420

Read as far as "An infant sailing eggshells on the floor of a wet day would have more sabby." (420.16)

Before that we read the poem of Ondt and the Gracehoper. It is available in regular English in Joseph Campbell's 'A Skeleton Key To Finnegans Wake'. (See pages 264-265 in the 2005 edition of the book.) You can also listen to the entire Joycean version of the fable here and read a critical analysis of the fable here. The original version of the fable of the Ant and the Grasshopper by Aesop is of course available here!

Regarding Ondt and the Gracehoper, Joseph Campbell writes the following on page 264:
"Underneath the sly insect play of this fable, the Gracehoper restates Shem's philosophy: there are advantages to Shaun's possessions and the thrift that begot them - all of which the Gracehoper appreciates - but he would not relinquish his own life style to enjoy them. He can see the Ondt's point of view, but why cannot the Ondt see his? - The fact that Shaun recites this fable would seem to indicate that he knows very well of the charm of Gracehoper existence, but realises that he is incapable of enjoying it, and therefore insists the more on imposing his own store-keeping pattern on the world."

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