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So I want to read a book by DFW as part of my attempt to read more contemporary authors. Anyone have suggestions as to which would be the first book to get into?
I know Infinite Jest is one of his best known but I also don't want to invest into 1,000 pages of something that I might hate anyways.
Thanks
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>>8988053
If it takes you until the end of a 1000 page book to realize you're not enjoying it then I'd stick to movies
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>>8988057
he means spending money on something he might hate
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>>8988063
>spending money on books
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What author is John Green for adults?
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>>8987952
Bonddigitty bondigitty
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>>8987958
whom
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>>8987952
John Green
Anonymous
The Brothers Incandenza 2017-01-17 11:54:01 Post No.8987921
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The Brothers Incandenza 2017-01-17 11:54:01 Post No.8987921
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Am I the only one who has noticed the parallels Infinite Jest has with The Brothers Karamazov and Hamlet?
While the Hamlet parallels are fairly straightforward in terms of interpretation: Himself is disposed from the throne as headmaster of ETA by his death, and is replaced by the protagonists Uncle who is also sexually involved with his mother, Avril. Also the wraith of Himself has obvious parallels with the ghost of Hamlet's father appearing to him. The Brothers K similarities are less heavy handed: Orin is a sensualist who embraces the hedonistic culture of the modern Era, much like Dmitri Karamazov. Another similarity is the theme of patricide. While Orin does not kill his father he disturbs his grave and disrespects the Quebecois burial rights which unleashes his ghost. Hal is coldly rational, which is depicted by the author as an obviously unsustainable lifestyle much like Ivan Karamazov. Mario is pure, and the youngest, the only hope of the novel which has obvious similarities with Alyosha.
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>hurr durr how come stories have similar motifs
Because there's only about 5 plots total?
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>>8987927
not the one im writing about the guy who tries to perfect the art of volleying piss into his own asshole
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>>8987921
Wow, never thought of this before...
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What do you think he's doing now?
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cleaning his house
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>>8988023
Is it bad that I muttered "cleaning" to myself before I opened this thread?
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struggling
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Is there really such a thing as individual thought, specifically in writing? Having unique and individual thoughts seems unlikely unless you discover something that no one else was able to find before, unless you believe that all things are basically already known, it's just a matter of becoming aware and then it won't take much for the ideas to fall into place as patterns in the mind, like some sort of equation.
This seems especially true of the written word, given that thought can only exist in this pre set realm of words; much like there's only a pre set - albeit much less variety of - notes in music. Such as there's only so much your brain can do, literature can't give you an lsd trip or altar you state of consciousness. Are words a way of copying the data of another consciousness into your own brain? Surely a bunch of symbols with - albeit ambiguous meaning - when spread from to person give them that once in pure, pre-verbal form inside of the head of another.
This non verbal, pre form exists in your head once it's transfered from mind to mind, sort of like a transfer of consciousness. In this way I do believe that if a writer writes out his or her own stream of consciousness, you can capture a bit of a glimpse of what it's like inside of that person's head. Case in point - the bell jar.
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>>8987897
>he equates individual thinking as novel thinking
You have a long way to go son
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>>8987904
I didn't equate individual thinking to a novel. That's your own interpretation of what I said.
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I think you just have to accept that unless you're literally a schizophrenic genius you'll always be imitating something but that's fine. All you can do is learn to pander to an ever-increasingly tighter niche and in that way get closer to writing something that pleases you, by way of trying to please people you imagine to be like you.
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What did /lit/ think?
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>>8987891
>that face
was the main character The Dude?
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>>8987891
read the first dozen or so pages.
> dude gets on a rocket
> seems the locals don't like him
> ...
> nothing happens
dropped
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>>8987891
i read the left hand of darkness and liked it. does this compare?
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I think that seperate one is too /lit/ and the other too /pol/. Will there ever be a book written the falls between these works of art?
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>>8987821
This once I'm finished with it
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>>8987821
perhaps one day
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What's the scariest book you've read? Pic related is the only horror i've read, i'm looking for some real spooky stuff
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My diary by me (Toby Honest)
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>>8987769
Junji Ito's stuff is great
it's manga but he does a good job, there hasn't been a story of his I've been disappointed with of the twenty or so I've read
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Honestly books just aren't very scary. I like pretty much all of Algernon Blackwood's short stories, The Willows and The Wendigo being the most famous. Never read any of his novels. The Haunting of Hill House is alright. I feel like modern horror is dead because King came in and monopolized it. I've never really read anything that scared me in any meaningful way, although I like reading horror.
These are the books I've come across most often here. I've never read them. Will reading them change my life in any way?
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Yeah. Before you won't have read the book. After, you will have read the book.
Every decision changes your life in an equally trivial way. Stay at home and masturbate forever.
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>>8987766
in the minute way that casting your eye across the page changes your life, in that your eyes had not been cast prior, yes, it will change your life. guaranteed.
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Not if you get them with those covers
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I'm looking for a book that pushes the limit of the complexity and depth of human thought, preferably in the realm of perception and existence. But if you have another idea in mind, please let me know. Not The Passion According to G.H.
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>>8987759
You look like you would like Waking Up, by Sam Harris.
Happy reading, friend!
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>>8987759
>a book that pushes the limit of the complexity and depth of human thought
Schopenhauer's 'On Women' and Mein Kampf comes to mind
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>>8987759
Being and Time, M. Heidegger.
Anonymous
Your favorite lines from anything... 2017-01-17 10:41:07 Post No.8987600
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Your favorite lines from anything... 2017-01-17 10:41:07 Post No.8987600
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Your favorite lines from anything...
Anonymous
2017-01-17 10:41:07
Post No. 8987600
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ITT: Short lines from prose or poetry that remind you how beautiful language is.
No matter what writer you like or where you stand politically, we can all agree that language is a beautiful fucking thing.
I'll start. Four lines from Gil Orlovitz:
"I shall not want my death so soon.
For even Asylum takes of the world for being,
Even Asylum goes mad with winter, summer, autumn, and spring.
And my children will change into men."
Show me what you got /lit/. I want some lines to keep in my head.
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>>8987600
"It doesn't matter who we are, what matters is our plan."
Gets me every time.
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>>8987623
Where is that one from?
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>>8987660
the bible
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Can one truly justify reading as a main hobby in rapidly moving 21th century where life has so much more to offer than strips of paper with words that were written by rich white men hundreds of years ago? Are 'readers' living in the past?
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>>8987580
tell me what "life has to offer"
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>>8987580
When I was a kid, shitposting meant something
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Why is the present/future a better place to live than the past?
Will reading political books make you more intelligent?
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>>8987571
They will make you look smarter
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>>8987571
Not if they're by fucking Noam Chomsky lol
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>>8987583
this
the side effect is that they'll make you dumber
My father is an elite reader, Everytime I go see him, I just gaze upon that enormous collection of books he has on his big-ass shelfs (like 500 books.)
He recommended me to read Franz Kafka's The Metamorphosis and The Trial. What do you think of his work?
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>>8987568
It's great, read it.
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>>8987568
i think its amazing and you should definitely read him
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Thoughts on Jane austen?
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She's great. She has an excellent grasp of character and dialogue, and is objectively important to the history of English literature and the novel in general.
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>>8987546
tumblr tier trash
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she good