Now I'll probably get every hard-core Joyce scholar upset but this is a great work by a great author. The more I learn about Burgess, the more I find him a real genius. This book is no exception. He's written two books on Joyce, this and ReJoyce. Skip the other. This was written later, a play on Joyce Speak, sprechen (german) past tense sprach I think -- it's been a while. Or pun it as you will, a fun little title conjuring up playful associations that is at the heart of much of Joyce. Burgess sees Joyce, even in Finnegan's Wake, as completely readable and this book shows us how. Burgess also expounds upon what he considers the two types of literature, the bad-plot-driven-ugly-writing stuff and the literature where the author pays attention not only to plot etc, but to language. Burgess once said Nabokov (I paraphrase) didn't have anywhere near the talent of Joyce. Whoa! How to make such a bold statement. Well the book teaches us many things. It's a true gem, this book. If you love Joyce you'll love this. I am still, three weeks after reading it, framing the world and other literature by his insights.