078.01 him, to live all safeathomely the presenile days of his life of
078.02 opulence, ancient ere decrepitude, late lents last lenience, till
078.03 stuffering stage, whaling away the whole of the while (hypnos
078.04 chilia eonion!) lethelulled between explosion and reexplosion
078.05 (Donnaurwatteur! Hunderthunder!) from grosskopp to megapod,
078.06 embalmed, of grand age, rich in death anticipated.
[078.07-078.14]: he burrows his way out — all the way to the surface.
078.07 But abide Zeit's sumonserving, rise afterfall. Blueblitzbolted
078.08 from there, knowing the hingeworms of the hallmirks of habita-
078.09 tionlesness, buried burrowing in Gehinnon, to proliferate through
078.10 all his Unterwealth, seam by seam, sheol om sheol, and revisit
078.11 our Uppercrust Sideria of Utilitarios, the divine one, the hoar-
078.12 der hidden propaguting his plutorpopular progeniem of pots and
078.13 pans and pokers and puns from biddenland to boughtenland, the
078.14 spearway fore the spoorway.
[078.15-079.13]: some time has passed — he is sighted on a dark plain.
078.15 The other spring offensive on the heights of Abraham may
078.16 have come about all quite by accidence, Foughtarundser (for
078.17 Breedabrooda had at length presuaded him to have himself to be
078.18 as septuply buried as the murdered Cian in Finntown), had not
078.19 been three monads in his watery grave (what vigilantes and ridings
078.20 then and spuitwyne pledges with aardappel frittling!) when
078.21 portrifaction, dreyfussed as ever, began to ramp, ramp, ramp, the
078.22 boys are parching. A hoodenwinkle gave the signal and a bless-
078.23 ing paper freed the flood. Why did the patrizien make him scares
078.24 with his gruntens? Because the druiven were muskating at the
078.25 door. From both Celtiberian camps (granting at the onset for the
078.26 sake of argument that men on the two sides in New South Ire-
078.27 land and Vetera Uladh, bluemin and pillfaces, during the ferment
078.28 With the Pope or On the Pope, had, moors or letts, grant ideas,
078.29 grunted) all conditions, poor cons and dives mor, each, of course,
078.30 on the purely doffensive since the eternals were owlwise on their
078.31 side every time, were drawn toowards their Bellona's Black
078.32 Bottom, once Woolwhite's Waltz (Ohiboh, how becrimed,
078.33 becursekissed and bedumbtoit!) some for want of proper feeding
078.34 in youth, others already caught in the honourable act of slicing
078.35 careers for family and carvers in conjunction; and, if emaciated
078.36 nough, the person garrotted may have suggested to whomever he
Summary Page 78
Every imaginable gadget of funerary bric-a-brac had then to follow into the prepared grave, enabling that round-the-worlder to live all safe-at-homely, lethe-lulled between explosion and re-explosion, from giant head to giant foot, embalmed, of grand age, rich in death anticipated. But abide the summons of time! The Rise after the Fall! Buried, but proliferating through all the secret seams of the nether regions, burrowing in Gehenna, propagating there all his popular tinware, the divine one would worm his way back, presently, to the utilitarian surface. Curiously enough, old Foughtarundser [HCE] permitted himself to be entombed. Breedabrooda had at length persuaded him to be septuply buried in Finntown. But he had not been three monads [three months] in his watery grave, when putrefication began to ramp, ramp, ramp the boys are parching. There was a lightning flash and a flood was loosed. And it is furthermore a problem whether the war which broke out at this time, with its spring offensive* on the heights of Abraham, was in any way connected with the demise of our hero; or it may have come about all quite by accident. Then there began circulating the rumor that the old patrician had scared some fellows with his grunt, because of all the musketading at the door. There was a battle in progress between New South Ireland and Ancient Ulster, over the question “With the Pope, or On the Pope.” Men of all conditions were drawn toward their war goddess’s black bottom; from both Celtiberian camps they came, miserables in need of pay, each, of course, on the purely doffensive, since the eternals were owlwise on their side every time.
* The great wars which follow the death of HCE correspond to the noisy brawl at the wake of Finnegan and the brother battles of the sons. With the death of the Master, chaos supervenes. Throughout this paragraph resound overtones from the American Revolution and Civil War: Heights of Abraham, vigilantes, blessing paper freed from the flood (Emancipation Proclamation), bully on the hill (Bull Run). The Irish Americans who carried forward in these wars their ancient struggle against the Anglo-Saxon are for Joyce representatives of the opposition to HCE (cf. England’s sympathy with the Confederacy). They add to the theme of the brother battle, a New World theme—a theme of renewal and rebirth of hope. But Joyce is not sentimental about the actualisation of this hope. The New World letter from Boston, Mass., which we shall encounter on pages 110-111, reveals all the old motifs, alive as ever, beyond the sea. [[The Heights of Abraham featured in the 1759 capture of Quebec from the French.—ELE]]
Line-by-Line Analysis
078.01
him, to live all safeathomely the presenile days of his life of
078.02
opulence, ancient ere decrepitude, late lents last lenience, till
078.03
stuffering stage, whaling away the whole of the while (hypnos
078.04
chilia eonion!) lethelulled between explosion and reexplosion
078.05
(Donnaurwatteur! Hunderthunder!) from grosskopp to megapod,
078.06
embalmed, of grand age, rich in death anticipated.
References to Irish History and Culture
Universal Themes
Humour and Sexual Innuendo
078.07
But abide Zeit's sumonserving, rise afterfall. Blueblitzbolted
078.08
from there, knowing the hingeworms of the hallmirks of habita-
078.09
tionlesness, buried burrowing in Gehinnon, to proliferate through
078.10
all his Unterwealth, seam by seam, sheol om sheol, and revisit
078.11
our Uppercrust Sideria of Utilitarios, the divine one, the hoar-
078.12
der hidden propaguting his plutorpopular progeniem of pots and
078.13
pans and pokers and puns from biddenland to boughtenland, the
078.14
spearway fore the spoorway.
References to Irish History and Culture
Universal Themes
Humour and Sexual Innuendo
Conclusion
Page 78 of Finnegans Wake exemplifies Joyce’s mastery of blending Irish history, culture, and universal themes with linguistic playfulness and humour. The passage invites readers to explore the layers of meaning beneath its surface, offering insights into security, prosperity, and the human condition.
This passage presents a complex and cynical view of conflict, drawing on historical events (the Battle of the Plains of Abraham, the Dreyfus Affair), Irish history and mythology, and multilingual puns. It suggests that wars and conflicts are often the result of chance, manipulation, injustice, and the exploitation of the poor and vulnerable. Joyce highlights the self-deception and rationalization involved, the power of propaganda, and the corrupting influence of violence. The characters are driven by a mixture of idealism, hunger, and a twisted sense of duty, trapped in a cycle of destruction. The passage emphasizes the absurdity and tragic senselessness of war. The incomplete sentences and ambiguous language reflect the chaotic and unresolved nature of the conflict itself.
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