8 The Sigla of
FimregafU
Wah.
McHugh-Roland-1976-The-Sigla-of-Finnegans-Wake
.
.
to ruMin isnorant ohhcir content.
Tbo.
tt arc .
iJIty-.
i.
nole- boob,mol' of"'anf'O".
.
.
.
.
Uigaround IWObundred paa.
.
.
.
Thty have been analOl"w by Pet.
.
.
SpieLbe1; but linle hat aw n<<l in print in thoe way of n-amcription.
' Aport from the difficuhy of in.
ttpretinl Joy(e'.
sen.
wl the IIfea.
bulk of material invo!
v<<l ntH" o;ompLeto publication an unlikely ""onl in this decade.
The iiala in Joy",,'s manuocrip? ? be"an a. simple abbr""illions for me mmes ofcho. raaen. Certain inhabitanlS of FW hive be<:n rcoognlud for. long time: Frink Budgen' explaiIU thaI FW only
cor. . . . "IJ.
Plurabel~, "'ei, twO IIOrIS Sbem Ind Shlun, their daughltr luy, four old men and lWeI"" jurors. In d. . manuscripts thc:sc chane- ",". . . . . ,the. ;pm,. . . . I:. ,A, -\1IIand0 respectively.
The finl f"ameno of FW to be dnf. cd includw the 'Tristan and hoklc' a<<lion, finally u. . ed in 11. 4, and the fin. pan of 1. 1, dc:olit\. with F. . rwick. . . Notebook VI. B. l , which is very early and
prohlobly contempononeous with this wem. , mention. these ]X. - lOll,. Joy"" often abbttviates . hei. names, Tristan to 'Tri' t' or 'T', holde to 'Is' or' r, Earwiclter to ? HeR'. VI. B. I I, which seem, . ligluly I. . . . , contains such e,,,,,ift . . :
HCE bean hi. b illa<! 'Ulli you'<< awf1. ll (Ito T)
~ mirror ofmirror
'500 1'<<. . So. 'p 'a. J-l<! 1<o', _n,. ,. . . . 1LnI"", '" lAo u_"",.
B",. :A c. . r"",,-(Uni. . . . ,. ofB_ . '/6'),91-,. ,;",. . . . . E. C<". . . . " )_ J_',StriIo6I. dt_ ( E _ Nood,. "'. . . . Uni. . . . . . ,. I'r. . . . \16') (non. :riptioco of _ _ VI,A); _ Mdl. . . . . 'CIt,. ,. . ,. . ,. ,. of "" -. . .
f~ people: H . C. Earwic:ker lind lUI wife Anno Uvio
VI. B. ' 1. )0 : VI. B. lt. ,}' : VI. D. ll. lo~:
__
'J-. ). ,,". ,. . jliN M. . . . <<? u~ . . . . . i. ,. PTe. '960~ d'o. XIV.
', AWN IX. ? , '1>-3', tX. l, )6-,: tX. ! , lOll. ('97'. )
. . . . ? {". . . N n , ~
,
Inolio. . Uni?
?
8 The Sigla of FimregafU Wah.
The siglum J. is UI alternative to 'f' but the laner reappears on VI. B. ll. 1l3 and is nO{ oeen elsewhere in the notebool<. It occurs, however, at a slightly later date, amongst a list of 'igla in VI. B. 6. 74:
mATISI:A
which may be comp,ared with Joyc<:'. l""er <of Z4 Much 1924 to Harriet Shaw Weav. . . . :?
In making notes I used ,ign' for ! he chief chan=rs. Irmayamuseyou10,<c,bern$0 I. hallwritethem""the bad:: <of ,hi,.
m
A I: A S P T J.
)( []
(? orwicker, H C E by moving lener round) Anrul Livia
Shem-Cain
Shaun
Snake
S. P:t'rid: Tristan
Isolde
Mamaluio
This stands for the 'ide bu, I do not wish to say it f'" until the bool< has wrinen more of judf.
All the nmebooks "",,ccpt lhe . . rliest (V I. B. 1, Vl. B. 10, VI. B. I I, VI. B. 2S) use the siglurn m in place of ! he lene. . . HCE. )( and 1:1
do not app"lr in VI. B. 6 but the former may be seen in lwo . boTt 'igla lisl$ in the subsequent VI. B. I :
VI. B. I. 7: mAI: A T J. )(
V I . II . T . I 2 6 : m A J : A T J . S P M ) (
M, standing for K ing Mark, was soon diKOntinued hy J<>yc<:, who inoorpQrated ,hi. per~o""li[y into m. It is not to be confused with 401, the Fnur Man . . . . , which is the VI. B. 6 forerunn. r of x.
Let m. nexl quote from Joyc<:'. I. ". . . . of IS July 192. 6 to Miss Weaver:'
What have you l. arned in the hill. about m, A, I:, A, T, . . L -II- 0 <> etc. ?
Th;, includes seve",1 new . igla. The di1tincti<>n Qf . . L from -I i. unUSWlI. Both. igM appear to mean h sy (loolde) and ! he most
'/. . "",1,113?
? re:UOl1Jlb~ uplarultion is that . . . . and ~ stand fOT the \WQ com? ponen,. of her mind and J. for her unified self. BUI J. rarely occurs after t9~6: almost all , ub1tqumt hsy merence. are headed . . . . . Betwe<:n '924 and ' 9z6 oolh . igla are found but wilbont evidenl distinction of impOl"l. Quite early in thil period VI. B. z6. tQI carries . . . . alone:
o"and. for tho IWenly-ninefold <:rrUl! U. tion of . . . . . It appea. . . aoo in VI. B. 8. 244 (early 1926) in another Ii,,:
m,. oL, C A~~
TIOI)( 0 C
The innovation here i? . c, lhe brother ofCand A. In . ome ca. . . Joyce also u,es thi, . iglum to mean 'c and A', and consequently there are mtri. . to which eilller interpretation could apply. Joyce . e<:m. to have eventually incorponled the pernonalily of T riuan into . c, 10 T fades oul aflCC this Siage, being omitted frrun the mid_ 1926 list of VI. B. IS. 2? :
m
?
I~ ? ~ r
A final condition i. seen in the ' 932- 3 list of VI. B. ;\4. 191: m?
l~'Ab A' A< ~
-o
C
T he lettered indica refet to the four chapttrs of book II I.
The Buffalo Notebooks 9
? 10 The Sig! a of Fi=qans W"k. Personalily Condensation
Pel'Sonag'" such as m, . , 1:, A and -4 are fluid composil<"1, involv_ inK an unconfined blur of hislOric:aJ, mythical and fictitious eharac- l~f$, . , wdl a,nonhuman clemens. Joyce'. technique of per- sonality <:<mde",ation is uhimately inseparable from his lingu;Slic eMden,;. . :"i"n, C<>incidences oforthOgr;tphy and pronuncil"ion are enforced with indifference to the ostensible logic of their PUt. That which i. not coincidence i. pared away, and the greater the . imilari. y oftwopenons' name. , the mote u",fully thei r pel'S<Klali- ties <:<mjugate.
Before the onset of the effect I called psychic . . turat;on, the reader'. mind dic(,,,. . . its own limits of credulity lowards ili< range of different meanings (hal Joyce inI<",ded any won! <)< unit to encompa"'. Clearly, no lWO people will draw (he line at precisely the same point, and even the . . me I'<"on on different occasions will pl~. it differ=tly. ' To be . trict, it i. les, ? lint lhan. ron. ofapathy dividing $timulu. from vacuwn. Wi,h reiteraled ""Iual experience, 'he limi" fi. . . t contract, then widen. I, is how~veT possible to ign= the a. . . the! ic commitment and th<<:>reticllly to unile any unit with any glo? ? , as Clive Han has shown:
Toke any p. . . .
The iiala in Joy",,'s manuocrip? ? be"an a. simple abbr""illions for me mmes ofcho. raaen. Certain inhabitanlS of FW hive be<:n rcoognlud for. long time: Frink Budgen' explaiIU thaI FW only
cor. . . . "IJ.
Plurabel~, "'ei, twO IIOrIS Sbem Ind Shlun, their daughltr luy, four old men and lWeI"" jurors. In d. . manuscripts thc:sc chane- ",". . . . . ,the. ;pm,. . . . I:. ,A, -\1IIand0 respectively.
The finl f"ameno of FW to be dnf. cd includw the 'Tristan and hoklc' a<<lion, finally u. . ed in 11. 4, and the fin. pan of 1. 1, dc:olit\. with F. . rwick. . . Notebook VI. B. l , which is very early and
prohlobly contempononeous with this wem. , mention. these ]X. - lOll,. Joy"" often abbttviates . hei. names, Tristan to 'Tri' t' or 'T', holde to 'Is' or' r, Earwiclter to ? HeR'. VI. B. I I, which seem, . ligluly I. . . . , contains such e,,,,,ift . . :
HCE bean hi. b illa<! 'Ulli you'<< awf1. ll (Ito T)
~ mirror ofmirror
'500 1'<<. . So. 'p 'a. J-l<! 1<o', _n,. ,. . . . 1LnI"", '" lAo u_"",.
B",. :A c. . r"",,-(Uni. . . . ,. ofB_ . '/6'),91-,. ,;",. . . . . E. C<". . . . " )_ J_',StriIo6I. dt_ ( E _ Nood,. "'. . . . Uni. . . . . . ,. I'r. . . . \16') (non. :riptioco of _ _ VI,A); _ Mdl. . . . . 'CIt,. ,. . ,. . ,. ,. of "" -. . .
f~ people: H . C. Earwic:ker lind lUI wife Anno Uvio
VI. B. ' 1. )0 : VI. B. lt. ,}' : VI. D. ll. lo~:
__
'J-. ). ,,". ,. . jliN M. . . . <<? u~ . . . . . i. ,. PTe. '960~ d'o. XIV.
', AWN IX. ? , '1>-3', tX. l, )6-,: tX. ! , lOll. ('97'. )
. . . . ? {". . . N n , ~
,
Inolio. . Uni?
?
8 The Sigla of FimregafU Wah.
The siglum J. is UI alternative to 'f' but the laner reappears on VI. B. ll. 1l3 and is nO{ oeen elsewhere in the notebool<. It occurs, however, at a slightly later date, amongst a list of 'igla in VI. B. 6. 74:
mATISI:A
which may be comp,ared with Joyc<:'. l""er <of Z4 Much 1924 to Harriet Shaw Weav. . . . :?
In making notes I used ,ign' for ! he chief chan=rs. Irmayamuseyou10,<c,bern$0 I. hallwritethem""the bad:: <of ,hi,.
m
A I: A S P T J.
)( []
(? orwicker, H C E by moving lener round) Anrul Livia
Shem-Cain
Shaun
Snake
S. P:t'rid: Tristan
Isolde
Mamaluio
This stands for the 'ide bu, I do not wish to say it f'" until the bool< has wrinen more of judf.
All the nmebooks "",,ccpt lhe . . rliest (V I. B. 1, Vl. B. 10, VI. B. I I, VI. B. 2S) use the siglurn m in place of ! he lene. . . HCE. )( and 1:1
do not app"lr in VI. B. 6 but the former may be seen in lwo . boTt 'igla lisl$ in the subsequent VI. B. I :
VI. B. I. 7: mAI: A T J. )(
V I . II . T . I 2 6 : m A J : A T J . S P M ) (
M, standing for K ing Mark, was soon diKOntinued hy J<>yc<:, who inoorpQrated ,hi. per~o""li[y into m. It is not to be confused with 401, the Fnur Man . . . . , which is the VI. B. 6 forerunn. r of x.
Let m. nexl quote from Joyc<:'. I. ". . . . of IS July 192. 6 to Miss Weaver:'
What have you l. arned in the hill. about m, A, I:, A, T, . . L -II- 0 <> etc. ?
Th;, includes seve",1 new . igla. The di1tincti<>n Qf . . L from -I i. unUSWlI. Both. igM appear to mean h sy (loolde) and ! he most
'/. . "",1,113?
? re:UOl1Jlb~ uplarultion is that . . . . and ~ stand fOT the \WQ com? ponen,. of her mind and J. for her unified self. BUI J. rarely occurs after t9~6: almost all , ub1tqumt hsy merence. are headed . . . . . Betwe<:n '924 and ' 9z6 oolh . igla are found but wilbont evidenl distinction of impOl"l. Quite early in thil period VI. B. z6. tQI carries . . . . alone:
o"and. for tho IWenly-ninefold <:rrUl! U. tion of . . . . . It appea. . . aoo in VI. B. 8. 244 (early 1926) in another Ii,,:
m,. oL, C A~~
TIOI)( 0 C
The innovation here i? . c, lhe brother ofCand A. In . ome ca. . . Joyce also u,es thi, . iglum to mean 'c and A', and consequently there are mtri. . to which eilller interpretation could apply. Joyce . e<:m. to have eventually incorponled the pernonalily of T riuan into . c, 10 T fades oul aflCC this Siage, being omitted frrun the mid_ 1926 list of VI. B. IS. 2? :
m
?
I~ ? ~ r
A final condition i. seen in the ' 932- 3 list of VI. B. ;\4. 191: m?
l~'Ab A' A< ~
-o
C
T he lettered indica refet to the four chapttrs of book II I.
The Buffalo Notebooks 9
? 10 The Sig! a of Fi=qans W"k. Personalily Condensation
Pel'Sonag'" such as m, . , 1:, A and -4 are fluid composil<"1, involv_ inK an unconfined blur of hislOric:aJ, mythical and fictitious eharac- l~f$, . , wdl a,nonhuman clemens. Joyce'. technique of per- sonality <:<mde",ation is uhimately inseparable from his lingu;Slic eMden,;. . :"i"n, C<>incidences oforthOgr;tphy and pronuncil"ion are enforced with indifference to the ostensible logic of their PUt. That which i. not coincidence i. pared away, and the greater the . imilari. y oftwopenons' name. , the mote u",fully thei r pel'S<Klali- ties <:<mjugate.
Before the onset of the effect I called psychic . . turat;on, the reader'. mind dic(,,,. . . its own limits of credulity lowards ili< range of different meanings (hal Joyce inI<",ded any won! <)< unit to encompa"'. Clearly, no lWO people will draw (he line at precisely the same point, and even the . . me I'<"on on different occasions will pl~. it differ=tly. ' To be . trict, it i. les, ? lint lhan. ron. ofapathy dividing $timulu. from vacuwn. Wi,h reiteraled ""Iual experience, 'he limi" fi. . . t contract, then widen. I, is how~veT possible to ign= the a. . . the! ic commitment and th<<:>reticllly to unile any unit with any glo? ? , as Clive Han has shown:
Toke any p. . . .