 | Riddles, crossword puzzles, enigmas, and word games have always held significant cultural sway-the strength of "word magic." My dissertation traces the place of "riddling traditions" in 19th Century British Literature and beyond. | Dissertation Proposal (outline of "Waking Nations") 23 February 1996. |
 | Blake, Dickens, and Joyce, I contend, hold forth the ancient tradition of riddle-telling at wakes in their own unique attempts to revivify the political and cultural mores of their time. | Check out the published chapter: "The Cup and the Lip and the Riddle of Our Mutual Friend" (ELH 62: 955-977) |
 | Blake's Jerusalem, Dickens's Our Mutual Friend, and Joyce's Finnegans Wake are at the core of my study.
Also considered are publishing methods, technology, and forms of "modern" riddle-telling. |   |
