James Joyce’s "Finnegans Wake" Examined

The Stratford Library will continue "Sunday Afternoon Talks", its series of informative and entertaining talks featuring prominent local guest speakers. Guest speaker John O’Connor will discuss "Exploring Finnegans Wake". The talk is free and open to the public.

Finnegans Wake by James Joyce is a complex novel that blends dream and reality. It's known for its difficult plot, made-up words, and puns. John O’Connor went to Bucknell University where he majored in English literature. He spent a junior semester abroad in London, England where he first read A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man by James Joyce and was hooked. While there he first looked at Finnegans Wake and was puzzled but interested. Later he went to Berkeley, California on a vision quest to study "the Wake" and to visit "Wake" expert professor John Bishop at Cal Berkeley. When he returned he started disseminating the actual words of Finnegans Wake, which is the basis of his talk at the Stratford Library talk.

The "Sunday Afternoon Talks" series, hosted by Charles Lautier of Stratford, is held from 2-3:30 pm in the Stratford Library Lovell Room, 2203 Main Street in Stratford.

Location: Lovell Room

For further information call the Library at: 203.385-4162.