Noirse-Made-Earsy

I hear the noise of many watersFar below.All day, all night, I hear them flowingTo and fro.—James Joyce, “All Day I Hear the Noise of Waters”There must be no cessationOf motion, or the noise of motion,The renewal of noiseAnd manifold continuation.—Wallace Stevens, “The Place of the Solitaires” It has been said that “anybody who takes ‘Finnegans Wake’ as an ur-text will probably have a low signal to noise ratio.”1 Doubtless any meaningful signal that the reader of the Wake receives must be separated from a much larger background of confusion and dissonance. Another way of looking at it, however, is that noise is inseparable from the process of sense making. In this study I use such theoreticians of noise as Jacques Attali, Michel Serres, and Avital Ronell to show how noise in the Wake does not merely destroy, distort, or obscure meaningful patterns and structures but collaborates in their creation. The article is divided into three sections. First, I take two test cases from Ulysses and the Wake respectively, to show how noise is coded into meaning by both the waking and dreaming mind. Second, I examine the political dimensions of the imposition of meaning on noise and the subversions of meaning by noise in terms of the battle between generations (father against sons) and within generations (brother against brother). Finally, I place these themes in the context of the postmodernist project of incorporating noise into the very fabric of meaningful form. As a self-generating, stochastic system, the Wake opposes both totalitarian reification and entropic dissolution by continually adjusting its signal to noise ratio.Noise is a protean concept that carries many meanings according to its context. In Vico's account, it is a shocking disturbance originating both language and civil society; in information theory, it is anything that interferes with a signal or message; on Attali's view, it becomes a measure of political power; and for Serres, it is both a destroyer and a creator of order. While this study pursues paths that have been opened up by such authors as Thomas Rice in his exploration of “stochastic determinism” and Margot Norris in her analysis of “Joyce's anarchic disruptions,” I believe that it adds to the ongoing conversation by placing these themes in the context of a school of thought that considers noise a legitimate subject in its own right.2 Such notable articles on noise by Rosa Maria Bosinelli and Diarmuid Maguire and Josh Epstein also pursue different trajectories from my own insofar as they are not concerned with placing their studies in this particular critical context.3 As Avital Ronell—one of the most distinguished of this group—says in the user's manual that introduces her Telephone Book, it is necessary for the reader to learn to “tune your ears to noise frequencies.”4 Along the same lines, the Wake presents its reader with the fictitious language primer “noirse-made-earsy.”5 In both cases, a new relation to language and meaning is established by refusing to filter out interference in order to receive a message. Interference is the message.Jacques Attali's description of harmony as “a code that gives meaning to noise” is concretized in “Oxen of the Sun.”6 On the one hand, Stephen filters the “black crack of noise in the street” through a Vician screen of Norse violence and Hebraic morality: “Thor thundered: in anger awful the hammerhurler.”7 Bloom, on the other hand, interprets the same “hubbub noise” (14.426) according to the codes of nineteenth-century science as “the discharge of fluid from the thunderhead, look you, having taken place, and all of the order of a natural phenomenon” (14.426–28). While the transition from Stephen to Bloom appears to follow the same progression from religious superstition to scientific enlightenment that Robert Scholes points out in his analysis of the concept of code, Bloom's appeal to a discarded notion of “fluid” reveals the limitations of his knowledge as well.8 Apparently, Joyce is more concerned with rendering the difference between interpretive systems than in giving priority to any one of them. This anarchic polyphony of sense making is amplified in the Wake, where the Jesuit motto “For the Greater Glory of God” becomes “for the greeter glossary of code” (324.21). Just as code gives meaning to noise, its proliferation leads back to noise.9The most intimate and solipsistic example of coding meaningless noise into meaningful pattern occurs in the act of dreaming. In the introductory chapter of The Interpretation of Dreams, Freud discusses P. Jessen's theory in which “every noise that is indistinctly perceived arouses corresponding dream-images.”10 Joyce subscribed to this view. According to Richard Ellmann, he “speculated about noises in dreams” and is reported to have said that “any sound that comes to our ears during sleep is turned into a dream.”11 A notable instance of this effect in the Wake occurs in chapter 1.3, where “Maurice Behan” (63.35) is awakened from sleep after dreaming of “the norse of guns” (64.2). As Bill Cadbury points out in his genetic study of chapters 1.2–4, the source of this event is the account of a trial appearing in the Freeman's Journal of 21 November 1923 in which the caretaker of a store (Maurice Behan) gives testimony against two men who are accused of having tried to break in.12 While one of the defendants claims that “they were only trying to open a bottle of stout by hammering it against the gate,” Behan testifies that he didn't think that “‘the noise was like trying to open a bottle of porter’ which noise ‘would not rouse [him] from [his] sleep.’”13 As the Wake translates the story, “This battering babel allower the door ... was not in the very remotest like the belzey babble of a bottle of boose which would not rouse him out o' slumber deep” (64.9–12). The reference to the tower of Babel suggests the transformation of a single master code (“the whole earth had one language”) into a cacophony of competing codes, as God confuses “the language of all the earth” (Gen 11.1.9).14 The biblical conflation of “babel” (meaning “gate of god”) with the Hebrew word “balal,” meaning “confuse,” further emphasizes the degeneration of divine code into incomprehensible noise.15 The collective enterprise of building a tower to the heavens ends in the scattering of monadic individuals over the earth.In the Wake, Behan's dream interpretations of the noise that eventually wakes him range from “the norse of guns” (64.2)—a sound of Viking aggression—to “the raglar rock to Dulyn” (64.3)—the noisy destruction of the Norse gods in the apocalyptic Ragnarokr (as Snorri Sturluson puts it, “In this din the sky will be rent asunder”).16 When he insists that the disturbance reminds him even more of “the third last days of Pompery” (64.14–15), the reference to Bulwer Lytton's The Last Days of Pompeii recapitulates the sequence from knock at the door to apocalypse. At one point in the novel, two of the characters hear “a slight noise at the door.”17 The looming Vesuvian threat that intermittently emerges as “a loud and grating noise” is interpreted by the rising sect of Christians as a sign that “the end of all things is at hand.”18 Finally, the destruction of the decadent city at the end is accompanied by “mighty and various noises from the Fatal Mountain.”19 The passing of the Roman Empire as epitomized by the destruction of the decadent city is analogous to the passing of the Babylonian empire as epitomized by the destruction of the tower.Serres's remark that noise has both “a value of destruction and a value of construction” is illustrated by the Wake's “Blabus was razing his wall” (552.19–20), the simultaneous “razing” and “raising” of the wall being accomplished by noise (“Blab” allied to “Gael. plab, a soft noise”).20 The values of destructive noise in the Wake include the undermining of old codes, the loosening of old constraints, and the overthrowing of old structures of power; the values of constructive noise include the evolution of complexity, the emergence of order out of chaos, and the cooperation of order and disorder in stochastic systems. Many of the conflicts in the Wake can be seen in terms of a to and It is a both between and within generations that can be in no or This of and is the of and his presents noise as a than as an in of that noise is the originating and is to the of the Wake insofar as it was he was the that Joyce “the for a new would be the of the than to this meaningless however, the Wake the of civil as a over When his order on the of the he the of God in he to the that and no your be This appears in his that to to the sound of the in his of a from in which one can hear “the as the of the on the and their of the word according to suggests that civil is a of noise by a The word or further emphasizes that over “the the of the one over the order to his must not only his own master code but the destructive of noise to his Attali's that is to the of political by its on noise and the of its over can of the political of the Wake's to in your in your The does not to The by the to his in Ulysses The that the is accompanied by “a in the suggests that in order to be the of noise must be by the Wake translates the of into the of the the over noise and of is to the of In the of their the this over their own they them to be can at the of his political he is in all of his points a of the motto of the of insofar as the word by or is both a of noise and a to noisy his political is that the of to the one noise to noise and that is of a to the is to two of that his In the the Wake's of him that he against to the he In other he more noise than the who he to who have been to be in The however, suggests that he is to on The two of the Attali's description of the two of noise While one other the other to to believe that is order in and in The that are all suggests that is of the being to the in to his of noise is also by an to the The description of as one who is the he against is to a description of as and to in ... and even in of his to the of his political was a from they at into a over who the most noise, with out his in of his in him While his political as more than to their of in and it was also a that his own him last in which he into and to one story, in his his and at in the Wake's to no more The who had is to an with a who is the use of noise a loud The to the of in the destructive noise that is to a wall with the political of its to the that not ... the I is one source for the Wake's to in your The does not to of as a who noise to ... the is in the that he all his Joyce the same from to that is to out the noise of his On the other hand, the reference to the of in his of the of to his The word also be taken in the sense to it by it both the who the and the noise that interferes with the of a In the of the is to the from the the can through as it that can be This to by noise in order to receive a is his city by that noise the context. to him to hear the of the noise be both and his him to hear the he their his the of of the in this is the of “The of the of The three and analogous to and the that the In the the act of is in two at the of the the of the of at the end they the of three of their for the act is to three on the of As they and his are not to to on source for the Wake's to in your The does not to When is as having “a all to can that his over his is on a of noise In the the three of break this by the and on act that them their In the Wake, these three are in the between the and the “the three of their The of the suggests that the three are between noise and of Attali's that is noise to the old order is harmony to the In the is with a of for the divine harmony and in of the of and the in where “the all the of God for a the noise of the old order is into the harmony of the new in the that the of the the of the the of the for the Joyce that the of his to his of the measure of this is its own noise and to can from the of in in Along the same lines, Attali's that is a and ... is the ... of that as a of is illustrated by the of the to a as noise of “the is into the was to about The of of the new harmony out of noise in his is the of old harmony back into The that with a and a and his is by “the at the “a of the babel allower the that will with to noise after the of their is a in the of and the two that his relation to When a who a from a allied to noise “a the as points is to and that the and of generations in terms of the of As in the of all old is at and as a and a other are to have our at the and “the In an the Wake appears to this it that will not have a the like of who the noise to be his all In however, the Wake to the of the by the it other as the noise, will the the noise of my his into battle is accompanied by the and sound of the of the In the Wake the of by in terms of the same the old the The word that according to the is from the the The between noise and is also from a meaning of to loud as a to as an ... who opposes of in such as and can also be seen in terms of the of As points is but the of and the of can be to the way “the or the is to a with a This is to in the Wake as to reference to can be by two in the by a of and a like a In and of as an and a and of how he and In the Wake, the in his most and he his with both of and of sound he of the of my transformation into the in the also various Joyce, terms of a to When the appears as sound ... with he his as has been to the that the of in On one the is an to that had Just as the ... most in his that to in the On however, the with one of the most of Thomas As said of him a I this loud that his will the The the of he of as points at the of an in the In the both the word to and the three of to the of the of my and that noise has both “a value of destruction and a value of construction” is also illustrated in the of the to the loud of the The of is a of at the an of the and a noise to the In this of the the the of the in of the city and the on which his The According to the story, the two are the from the of the but they they hear a noise” by the at As the Wake translates the story, “the and the in their to hear his The over his however, is only While the this the to and to the of his the city this the of the noise into a more pattern of The two theory of noise that a and noise that leads to While one of the becomes a the other becomes a who opposes the of the with his the in the context of remark that my systems not only they will also noise on the can the as more the noise the than the they are In any the his to he that his against the of noise is As puts it, “the battle against is is no or that does not have its is no as noise that a is necessary to a that on As puts it, the it does not by of the and the in which the and the Joyce the same his relation to that “the and is at in ... ... a or a city by making with the Wake's remark that “the was a and insofar as the in terms of a city on and is for a against to out the On the other hand, the order of the is continually “the through As the Wake puts it, “the of a had through a of and and through a of in The process of passing through of and over the with its of and The noise such as is by and or emphasizes that much of the of is on way the the of the is by his systems of thought to noisy the of the or is by a noisy that not While have in the and the he as an of this it is said of the that “the he the of the ... these it be he will not a of As points the the is also an of While the are to noise, to the the is as puts it, “the of noise, and While it is of the to an anarchic to think a that is a a a a a a As the Wake puts it, is of of no of the of that the one who out the “the of the suggests that such as and who also in are of order and noise On the other hand, as have seen in the Wake's of Joyce the of noise to this Just as claims that tried to noise by making his or ... noise and the Wake of the that “the in his and the in his him thought he had the The in to in the with that even such as “a of he to In this a for a and is by a of in his making his a for Along the same lines, “the was in on the the order of are by a of and that his study of on the is the of In both cases, the reference to the and suggests that the of the have been turned on their on points out that are two to sleep or be “a into or in order and this is of the the to it him “a of for a the and in the and on of his the the noise of his into the of Vico's the to to in The of noise is further the is with The of the noisy of a noise, as and the is to between the of noise and the of as noise can a it can also it by from by the it in it back and to of this is at the end of the the to the the with his him be the of a by and a the As puts it, and thought between order and noise, between disorder and that the and the the and the and up a single stochastic that continually a between these two the of and his he that a and I must to Just as the more a system, “the more it will be to must be for both and of As the Wake puts it, to to the will that to its own order on the and for the Wake's many with noise open up the of a cooperation between totalitarian and anarchic between that is the into disorder and the of an is analogous to the Wake's of the of order and of these be the of the as a or a can be a it a of a of noisy This is the Wake its own a of its a with a into noise gives to an act of that is a relation of is no or point that the as the Wake puts it, “the was and will be its own for of that is also a of has both of these of on the one hand, how have a way of in his on the how is a that is of Bloom and Joyce is also a way of the city that has had such a on new of and When Joyce that the to him into the confusion of the him to the of and the of where he to he also in the of the As the said in his on “The of more in the of the noises of and than in for the or the of noise the harmony in the Wake as the cacophony of While Joyce that the city was also a source of noise and the of his being a of the noise of the city an of and As the Wake puts it, “The old ... to their and of both a larger for the of noise and a new sense for the The Wake's is also an of that in the new science of theory, from being a new of cacophony is in that than noise with meaning the meaningless of noise into its very that is the noise of the Wake for “the for of to the of the and While the about the at that the of knowledge is inseparable from its is also a that the of leads to further As be or by the through which it it is also that in the and are as much by noise or as they are by As Joyce his through the noisy of “a he also out the for their While these are they also an to to a of that can to new of also opened up by new of Ronell the of Thomas that he was “the who to that he was the to his to receive in the interference that noise can a in at the of the is as of to or Apparently, the for the Wake the chapter is of the that its and as the system, it its in the of the Wake the of a The the that are continually to the ... and a for the by that is of “the Along the same lines, that a these to it can to how Joyce, like was to his ears to hear how the is the of the the When the appears at the of the description of of the noise” to him as the of a from an The word however, between the of the of noise Maria as the The is to of the from with one of the of that systems by the stochastic of in a The Wake the that will this of it that be him the of Joyce, in an instance of the confusion of the noise and that between a and a Wake's fictitious language primer is a of of “the The of guns” that Behan with its of is into a much as the were into the they While Stephen noise in the street” for his the Wake the of “the in the can the to was As the door to the to noise of he is all of Joyce a of the word by his to the of As the Wake in of “the door is

Chaos, Complexity, and Education · Cognitive Science and Education Research · Media, Communication, and Education · Philosophy

• Beelines

  Open Access•Rachel Murray•Humanities•2017

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• Noise

  Jacques Attali•Noise•1989

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• The telephone book

  Avital Ronell•The telephone book•1989

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• The interpretation of dreams.

  Sigmund Freud, Joyce Crick et al.•The interpretation of dreams•1913

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• The Great Transformation

  Karl Polanyi•Readings in Economic Sociology•2002

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• Joyce, Chaos, and Complexity

  D Attridge, Thomas Jackson Rice•South Atlantic Review•1997

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• System and Structure

  Anthony Wilden•System and Structure•2013

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• Injecting Noise into the System

  William Rasch•SubStance•1992

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• Noise, the Political Economy of Music

  John D Erickson, Jon Erickson et al.•Theatre Journal•1989

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• Hermes

  Paisley Livingston, Michel Serres et al.•SubStance•1983

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• Michel Serres

  Open Access•Steven D Brown•Theory Culture & Society•2002

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