I am reading a sort of annotated "key" to Finnegans Wake, by the very, very famous Joseph Campbell along with a Henry Morton Robinson, of whom I am unfamiliar.
Joseph Campbell was absolutely brilliant.
Finnegans Wake is impossible to read. The "key" by Joseph Campbell is similarly hard slogging but it's a lot of fun.
So, I'm reading the book by the pool this morning and I come across the following:
A Skeleton Key to Finnegans Wake: Unlocking James Joyce's Masterwork, Joseph Campbell and Henry Morton Robinson , p. 69, footnote:
"This sentence is typical of Joyce's tremendous condensation of meaning. "Entychologist" and "properismenon" do not occur in any dictionary, but contain roots and overtones which yield a rich harvest of significance.
"Entychologist" suggests the Latin ens, entis, meaning "being." The Greek entychia means "conversation," and entychon, "one met by chance." The word may be read to mean "a conversationalist met by chance and skilled in the science of being."
But the word resembles "entomologist," "one skilled in the science of insects."
This resemblance adds an amusing overtone, for is not that earwig, Mr Earwicker, the ens, entis, of all? But what is the entychologist actually saying about Earwicker? "He is of prehistoric origin and his name is a properismenon."
This latter word suggest the Greek properispomenon, i.e., "a word having a circumflex accent on the penult."
Such a word is Iris; such a word, too, is Menis; these may be concealed in the syllables eris-menon."
Iris was the Greek rainbow goddess; Menis means "wrath of the gods."
And it goes on for another full paragraph.
Well, there you have it, the rabbit hole: "a circumflex accent on the penult."
Obviously I had stumbled into a whole new world of which I knew nothing. I googled that line and the "Greek accents" that I put on the blog popped up.
Can you imagine being the proofreader / printer for James Joyce -- it would drive one nuts, and James Joyce would be furious if there were errors.
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