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[ Aetat. 44-47 ] J O Y C E 589he said, with a kind of self-protective humility. Jolas found in FinnegansWoke the principal text for his revolution of the word. The mixture ofchildish nonsense and ancient wisdom had been prepared for by the Dadaistsand surrealists, while the overriding sense of form in Joyce's bookdistinguished it from their productions. It was decided that the Jolaseswould publish the book serially in transition, beginning with the beginningof the book, and including in revised form the fragments publishedat random during the last several years. They continued steadily fromApril 1927 through November 1927; then publication was a little moresporadic, and after November 1929, for reasons that will appear, therewas a long interval. Joyce was highly content to have this outlet for hiswork, and transition also published essays about him so that it was acontinuing advocacy.But now Miss Weaver's uneasiness about Finnegans Wake had grownto the point where she could no longer keep it to herself. During January1927, she steeled herself to articulate her objections, and on January 29began them a little timidly. Joyce had followed her advice to work a bitless hard, and she wished to take advantage of his amenability:As the ceasework order was followed so promptly I feel encouraged to'try my hand at it again' and give another and different order—but also foreyes and health's sake. As its subject matter is, however, not such as topresent any very strong appeal to you (unless perhaps on the minus side ofthe line) and is indeed, as we read, an 'ungrateful' one, I shall await yourexpress permission to mention it. . . . And perhaps when the present bookis finished you will see fit to lend ear to several of your older friends (E. P.to be included in the number): but the time to talk of that matter is notyet.Joyce was much disturbed. He answered by return mail on February 1:Your letter gave me a nice little attack of brainache. I conclude you donot like the piece I did? I have been thinking over it. It is all right, Ithink—the best I could do. I will gladly do another but it must be for thesecond part or fourth and not till after the first week in March or so. . . .Do you not like anything I am writing. Either the end of Part I A [AnnaLivia Plurabelle] is something or I am an imbecile in my judgment oflanguage. I am rather discouraged about this as in such a vast and difficultenterprise I need encouragement.It is possible Pound is right but I cannot go back. I never listened to hisobjections to Ulysses as it was being sent him once I had made up mymind but dodged them as tactfully as I could. He understood certain aspectsof that book very quickly and that was more than enough then. Hemakes brilliant discoveries and howling blunders. He misled me hopelesslyas to the source of the first benefaction in Zurich [Miss Weaver, not—asPound had guessed—Lady Cunard] and since then I have not relied onhis perspicacity. A minute after I had made his acquaintance in Desenzano,as we drove across the country by night he asked me, 'Was it John