James Joyces Poetics of Grammar and Languages at the Wake - Laurent Milesi

Mutlilingualism is the most notable feature of Finnegans Wake and arguably the most important dimension of James Joyce s ultimate masterpiece. Many articles and book-length studies have been written about different aspects of this question but none of these managed to provide a coherent understanding of the phenomenon as a whole. Laurent Milesi s extraordinary linguistic abilities his thorough knowledge of Joyce s manuscripts and his profound understanding of literary theory have given him a unique vision of the thematic and theoretical unity of subject. His book is now the indispensable reference on the matter. Daniel Ferrer Item-CNRS ENS-PSL This is a truly magisterial and important work about Joyce s Finnegans Wake which will be indispensable for Joycean scholarship. In this study of the evolution of Joyce s multi-linguistic poetics Laurent Milesi clearly shows how Finnegans Wake came to be at both the micro- and macro-levels of signification. On this Milesi nimbly weaves together a wide-ranging knowledge of multiple languages with an in-depth knowledge of the tens of thousands of pages of Joyce s manuscripts and notes for Finnegans Wake. Considering the range and depth of the material that is covered and the philosophical sophistication of Milesi s linguistic insights this book is a model of clear reasoned exposition. Sam Slote Trinity College Dublin