Finnegans Wake, anyone?

[Fist of Doom]

So, has anyone here actually read this thing? I can't find anyone in the offline world that has.

If so, did you enjoy it or just survive it for a school course? Do you need a guide to even get through it? Work of genius or gibberish (or both)?

[Nick Danger]

Years ago, at a roommate's suggestion, I would dip in and read a page or three. It's really dense. I remember reading some paragraphs and being baffled, and then understanding one single pun and being delighted by it. I assumed that the rest of what I read was as clever as the bit I understood, but it was beyond me.

[Supermallet]

I've read Portrait of the Artist and Ulysses multiple times, and while I own Finnegans Wake I've never gone more than a few pages into it. It is remarkably dense, as Nick said. But, since we're talking about it, I'll try to get it all read by the end of the year (ha).

As with any Joyce novel, I recommend reading it once straight through, then going back and reading it again with notes. Then read it again straight through.