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Concordances

A concordance indexes every word in a text, showing where each appears. For Finnegans Wake, concordances are essential tools.

Online Concordances​

fweet.org

While primarily an annotation database, FWEET allows searching by word across the entire text. Enter any term to find its occurrences with context.

Rosenlake Concordance​

rosenlake.net/fw/FWconcordance

Eric Rosenbloom's free online concordance. Search any word and see:

  • All occurrences
  • Page and line numbers
  • Surrounding context

A Concordance to Finnegans Wake​

Clive Hart (1963)

The foundational concordance, first published by University of Minnesota Press.

Contains:

  1. Complete Word Index — Every word alphabetically with page.line locations
  2. Syllabification List — Inner parts of compound words
  3. Distortion List — 10,000+ English words suggested by Joyce's neologisms

Example Entry:

riverrun  3.01
rivers    196.01, 196.07, 213.11...

Why It Matters: Before FWEET, this was the only way to track word usage across the Wake. Still valuable for its syllabification analysis.

ISBN: 978-0816657407

Specialized Lexicons​

These function as concordances for specific languages or character types.

A Gaelic Lexicon for Finnegans Wake​

Brendan O Hehir (1967)

Every Irish word, phrase, and construction indexed by page and line. Includes translations, grammatical notes, and cultural context.

Coverage:

  • Irish names and places
  • Gaelic grammatical structures
  • Irish mythology references
  • Hiberno-English constructions

Third Census of Finnegans Wake​

Adaline Glasheen (1977)

Concordance of characters rather than words. Every person—real, fictional, or mythological—indexed with:

  • All appearances (page.line)
  • Alternative names
  • Historical/literary sources
  • Relationships to other characters

Why Essential: Characters in the Wake transform constantly. HCE becomes Wellington becomes Adam becomes Finn. The Census tracks these transformations.

A Lexicon of the German in Finnegans Wake​

Helmut Bonheim (1967)

German vocabulary indexed. Includes compound words, cognates, and German-English puns.

Using Concordances​

Finding Patterns​

Search for a word to see how Joyce uses it across the book:

  • Does "river" cluster in certain chapters?
  • How many variants of "HCE" appear?
  • Where does "thunder" occur?

Tracking Motifs​

Concordances reveal the Wake's web of connections:

  • "Letter" appears throughout—tracking it reveals a hidden narrative
  • "Fall" variants cluster around HCE's crime
  • River names concentrate in Book I, Chapter 8

Building Vocabulary​

Browse the concordance to discover Joyce's neologisms:

  • What words did he invent?
  • How do portmanteau words vary?
  • What are the most frequent unusual terms?

Cross-Reference Research​

Use multiple resources together:

  1. Find a word in the concordance
  2. Check its annotation in FWEET or McHugh
  3. Read the passage in context
  4. Check the Census for character connections

Word Statistics​

Based on Hart's concordance:

StatisticCount
Total words~220,000
Unique words~63,924
Words appearing once~45,000
Languages used60+

The high ratio of unique to total words reflects Joyce's constant invention.

Digital vs. Print​

Digital Advantages​

  • Instant search
  • Free access
  • Regular updates
  • Hyperlinked cross-references
  • Browsable (serendipitous discovery)
  • Works offline
  • Physical navigation can be faster
  • Marginal notes possible

Recommendation​

Use FWEET/Rosenlake for targeted searches. Keep Hart's Concordance for browsing and the syllabification analysis.

See Also​