Joyce-Joan Shang

Similar to the Lewis Carroll and Edward Lear, James Joyce makes extensive use of polysemy throughout the text of “Finnegans Wake.” In some ways, this rhetorical method resounds certain motives that are in the works of authors we previously read. However, there are also points of divergences that show how Joyce takes polysemy into another level of detail that ultimately characterizes the work itself.

The following phrase shows how Joyce employs polsemy:

“With a bockalips.... and abarrowload of guenesis hoer his head” (Joyce, 6).

 The word ‘bockalips’ appears to be a combination of the word “Apocalypse” and “bocal” (a type of jar). Apocalypse references the Bible, which describes the end of the world. ‘Abarrowload’ references a barrel and the fullness of it. Guenesis refers to alcohol and also genesis, which is the first off a series of books comprising the Bible. This particular book details the world’s creation. Looking at the words, it appears as if Joyce treats them as material things. That is, he cuts up words and put them together. For example, he cuts up the words “bocal” and apocalypse” to form one word, bocklips. And in “guenesis,” the “genesis” and “Guinness” are chopped up to create this one word. Interestingly, we are able to look at the words and still get a sense of what the word is supposed to mean. This is because the made-up word resembles other words. “Guenesis” looks like “genesis” therefore making this association imposes the meaning of the former into Joyce’s make-up word. Another example is “bockalips” which also sort of looks like “apocalypse.” Yet, Joyce is putting together different words with different meanings into one, stacking definitions on top of each other. In this way, he doesn’t let anything constrain the words and allows them to mean multiple things at the same time. This method is extensively employed by the author throughout the book to create a textual web.

This method parallels Carroll’s use of polysemy in “Alice in Wonderland.” That is, examples such as “lessons” lessening by each day. This wordplay takes on the two meanings lesson/lessen and employs them literally through the text. That is the educational “lessons” and the literal decreasing of “lessen.” Joyce and Carroll are similar in that they stack meanings within one word and let’s those meaning work in the textual web they weave. Both do not let the word be constrained by one meaning and plays on the distinctions in meaning. Furthermore, the two authors also demonstrate how nonsense isn’t necessary the absence of meaning but created by too much meaning.

A point of divergence is Joyce’s interesting use of biblical references that interacts with other parts of the text. For example, ‘blockalips’ and ‘guenesis’ creates a contrast in the sentence. One refers to the end of the world while the latter refers to the creation of the world. Throughout the text, there are also references to social and cultural aspects as well. In the way that he uses the words and their various meaning, he creates a crazy textual web with stuffs the work with nonsense content.