Is this truly the greatest novel in the last 30 years?
have you even HEARD of Infinite Jest?
>>9126068
I'm currently reading it actually. But a New York Times survey of writers and literary critics ranked Beloved the best work of American fiction from 1981 to 2006.
>>9126066
No
I saw a post this morning that linked to the 100 books every man should read, and upon going through the list, I was unimpressed. Some of the picks were ridiculous (The Bible?), and some a little heavy-handed (The Prince?). I guess my problem with lists like these is that they are so long and sprawling
Fight Club by Chuck Palahniuk. Tough lead here. It's a book that's as much about alienation as it is about machismo and nihilism. It's scary that many of us in the early throes of adulthood are lost in the sense that we hit a certain age, get a diploma and/or a job, and stop and say "now what? Is this what the rest of my life is going to be?" Tyler Durden is like the manic pixie dreambro, an agent of chaos who can save the world by breaking it, or so he has you convinced. This is a book that speaks to the disenchantment of my generation, built to reach the stars only to graduate into a much colder world, and the thing about Fight Club is that it shows how badly insecure people want an answer, any answer.
Ask the Dust by John Fante. Arturo Bandini is a young man in his early 20s trying to make it as a writer in LA in the 1930's. It's so easy to relate to him, because as a narrator, he's so candid. He makes his guilt, shame, pride, ego, failure, success all so palpable that it's like I'm right there beside him. It's a good counter to Fight Club because it's less cynical, more hopeful, and yet cripplingly tragic in a very soft-spoken way (read the book and that will make sense). This is the second in the "Bandini Quartet," four novels featuring Fante's alter ego. You don't need to read the first for any context here--they all stand alone very well. What's the book about? The reality of chasing one's dreams.
East of Eden by John Steinbeck. I really wanted to avoid the run of the mill classics here, because duh, if you are a reader, you should read the classics. This book transcends a classic. It's about fathers and sons, heroes and whores. It's a tome, but it really picks up steam about 200 pages in, and it's so gripping. It's about growing old, and family, and trying to make things right, pride, honor--it's got so much important stuff, and Steinbeck can be subtle, I love the man, but he has no problem hitting you over the head in this one from time to time.
"Winter Dreams" by F. Scott Fitzgerald. Heart wrenching tale about love. This is one of the stories he wrote while he tried out a bunch of the Gatsby ideas. It's a growing up sort of story.
Sirens of Titan by Kurt Vonnegut. I love me some Vonnegut. He's so very good. This is one that falls outside of his "classics." He fools around with time being a set single line, Tralfamadorians, and his general absurdist take on everyday life. This is a novel about hope, failure, loss, and redemption. A man (and his dog) who has come unstuck from time figures out a way to save the world and humanity. It's Vonnegut's second novel, and I think it's his best, but I also think all of his stuff is incredible.
>>9125993
>Fight Club
>>9125993
>Some of the picks were ridiculous (The Bible?)
>reading the basis for the civilization you live in is ridiculous
lol i aint readin all this shit nigga where da tldr at
Help, I wanna read Thus Spoke Zarathustra or the Devine Comedy but I have hardly and biblical or philosophical knowledge, can I go into these being a dumb cunt or should I read something beforehand?
Thus Spake Zarathustra is basically meaningless without previous knowledge. As in, you will get nothing from it whatsoever.
The Divine Comedy is more about context, you ought to have at least some understanding of canon and theology before reading it, but you should already have a bit assuming you aren't from, say, Iran.
Just do it. Don't expect to finish the books with your setties though.
Can anyone recommend me a good translation of Goethe's Faust, Part 2?
I read Kaufmanns translation of 1 and really liked it but apparently his translation for 2 was heavily abridged and I can't really find any decent info on any of the translations for 2.
>>9125958
You're dumb
>>9125986
I very well might be, but that doesn't help.
I'd like something that preserves the original meter while still sounding natural.
There is plenty of information on and comparisons of all the translations of the first part, but the second part hasn't had the same treatment.
>>9125958
Well no need to worry, Faust Part 2 is just the ramblings of a senile, pompous know-all.
Should I start the Book of the New Sun or War and Peace?
>>9125910
so this is the new carliclaire thread?
>>9125910
Honestly, I found both to be equally boring
>>9125932
yes, it involves answering the question
>>9125935
why so, bro
>reading some shit in french
>*alright lol got it*
>watching some movie in la francaois
>tfw i don't understood a ting
how is this even legal? They utter the first half of the syllable and the word is like 20 letters long.
This isn't really related to literature, try posting in >>>/int/
>>9126050
ok
>Le chat
>Les chats
>you will never ever know if it's singular or plural since they're pronounced exactly the same
Fuck oral French, I'll just stick to reading French literature.
>when you get an erection mid-meditation and it goes away
>>9125768
You made a thread
>>9125877
>this is the true face of the female form
What's the fuck is the deal with huge ass book formats ?
You can't hold them in your hands, you can't bring them with you unless you got a big backpack.
They are so impractical that simply reading them is annoying so why is this even a thing ?
>>9125704
manlets, when will they learn
>>9125704
Because it looks impressive on a shelfOr you're shopping for books in the disabled section
>>9125707
this, desu, baka baka
>back of the book just has people saying how good it is
>title is an extremely common phrase/so minimalist that you cant search online about it
>book has 6+ pages at the beginning filled with about the author guff
>book is filled with words
fuck this shit
>back of the book just has people saying how good it is
I never understood this. It either needlessly reveals the entire plot (fuck you, 40th anniversary edition of Dune) or sings empty praises nobody cares about. The only acceptable uses of the back cover are either more artwork, or author's biography.
>front cover spoils the book
Hey /lit/,
My school is having a writing contest and I think I have a pretty decent shot at winning it. I am going to post my short story, and any constructive criticism or advice would be greatly appreciated.
A morning with Tom
By: Anon
Tom Higgs awoke to the sound of birds chirping outside of his window. He let out a yawn and stretched his arms to either side only to jolt upwards when his left arm came into contact with empty bedsheets. “That’s odd,” he thought to himself. “She’s never up before me.” Determined to discover the cause of this irregularity, Tom swung his legs over to the edge of the bed and stepped down into his plush slippers. Tom made his way across the bedroom and stepped into the en suite bathroom. After stopping to itch his buttcrack with his hairy knuckles, Tom stepped onto the bathroom scale. “Wow the diet is working! I can almost see the numbers,” Tom thought as he peered down at his bulbous stomach. Tom stepped off of the scale, donned a plain white T shirt, and headed downstairs. The house was empty. “She must be out running errands,” Tom thought. Once he was in the kitchen, Tom poured himself a big bowl of Sugar Frosted Candy O’s. He picked up the bowl of diabetes and sat down on the couch. He groaned when he noticed the remote was missing from its usual position on the coffee table. Tom reached under the couch cushions and felt around. He pulled out the remote and turned on CNN. Following his his viewing of almost an hour of people arguing with each other on a split screen, Tom got up and walked into his study. As Tom approached his computer he noticed a piece of printer paper taped to the monitor. The flowery handwriting was recognizable after just one glance. Tom knew that the writing belonged to his wife. He felt a twinge in his stomach as he began to read.
>>9125592
Dear Tom,
I have left this note to say that I am leaving you. Our marriage has become a living hell. You barely make any money, you get fatter every day, and you never pay any attention to me. I supported your childish idea of writing a hit song and getting rich for seven years, but you were never going to be successful. When I begged you to find a real job you didn’t listen. In fact, you never listened. In all of our miserable years together you never once asked me about my day, my friends, or my family. YOu are a self centered child who just can’t be fixed, Tom. I may not be perfect, but I definitely deserve better than you. I deserve a real man, and guess what? I found one. I have talked about John from work countless times, but I doubt you were ever paying attention. John and I have taken the Prius, which I payed for, and gone to Manhattan. We also took the cat, whose litter box you never bothered to clean out no matter how many times I asked you, with me. We are going to find an apartment and start a new life together. The Big Apple may not be all that it's cracked up to be, but anywhere without you is paradise in my book.
In shock, Tom hurriedly flipped over the paper to see if there was anything else.
P.S. My attorney will be contacting you about the divorce papers shortly.
Good Riddance,
D.
>>9125596
A single tear rolled down Tom’s cheek and splashed onto the letter. He dropped to his knees with a loud THUD. Tom lowered his head and began to bawl his eyes out. With each sob he sank lower and lower to the ground as he gradually curled into the fetal position. After hours of crying, Tom’s reddened eyes finally began to dry. He pulled out his phone and took a deep, shaky breath. Tom scrolled over to his wife’s name in the contacts and swallowed nervously. Maybe the situation could still be salvaged. Maybe he could change. Maybe she would give him one last chance. Mustering all of his courage, Tom began to type.
Hey there, Delilah. What’s it like in New York City?
AHHHHH WHAT TRANSLATION OF THE BROTHERS KARAMAZOV DO I GET I JUST WANNA READ THE FUCKING RUSSIANS!!!!!!!!!!
Start with the poops
>>9125560
>translation
Constance Garnett version
What do you think about Alan Watts ? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mMRrCYPxD0I
he has alot of good stuff from his early phase and late-ish phase
if you mention his hippie phase most of the people here are gonna laugh at you
legitimately good insight to
>muh eastern philosophy
there's so many christ tards on this board though, you're just gonna get called a fag regardless
His teachings allow for a perfectly happy and stress free life, but if everyone followed it civilisation would crumble at an astonishing rate.
>>9125559
remember watching him when i was like 4 years old and feeling inspired, basically self-help, not philosophy at all, and if you listen to him and acknowledge his ideas, you aren't really thinking critically.
basically, he says stuff that feels good to hear but isn't an academic or intellectual in any sense of the word. he doesn't back up any of his claims or arguments in any rigorous way..so...basically just motivational bullshit that you forget in two days. read some descartes or something instead. listening these things will actively do harm to your ability to think critically.
Is this a good starting point for philosophy? Is it too broad to be worth reading?
It's good to get a really skeletal overview of a thinker and it's well-written and fun. It explains the actual philosophy to a certain degree which can be handy if you genuinely have no idea what a Leibniz is. But it's not a systematic thing or a textbook.
There's a good audiobook of it that's up on Youtube.
I think it's a real mess. you can safely skip it if you plan on reading the great philosophers themselves. if not, and you just want a *very* broad and selectiveand questionableoverview of the subject, I guess it's better than nothing....
>>9125540
He didn't even mention Leibniz tho
Let me start out by saying that I suffer from depression and anxiety and I'm not really interested in anything, really.
That being stated, I would like to become interested in something but I don't know where to start. So if you would, please give me a universal book about subjects taught in universities, or just a book with a wide variety of subjects that I can look at and maybe interested in?
You know what I'm saying, /lit/?
I'm just trying to look for a book that would show me various subjects in which I may or may not be interested in.
>>9125504
kys
>>9125504
anatomy of melancholy. good luck. not for plebs.
im going to write a shitty YA novel under an ethnic nom de plume and drop subtle redpills
this is going to be so easy
>>9125472
Even though I won't read it, because I don't bother with anything "YA," I wish you the best of luck in your endeavor, OP.
>>9125472
Hide the Tiger
>>9125472
ten bucks says you'll never even finish it