Could you guys recommend some melancholy short stories? Nothing Russian novel depressing, just light and vaguely sad.
>>8781643
>Nothing Russian novel depressing, just light and vaguely sad.
Like my diary, desu?
million $$$ baby
yes, the one the movie was based off of
Any murakami short story
What books can teach a socially inept person how to socialize and make friends?
>>8781567
How to Win Friends and Influence People - Dale Carnegie
Richest Man in Babylon - George S. Clason
>>8781567
The complete works of Plato.
Socrates was an ugly spaz but he was friends all over Athens, most ~50 years younger.
>>8781567
I know fake it until you make it is an unhelpful platitude, but it's how I did it.
Has anyone else not only read this book, but studied it academically?
If so, would you like to discuss it? I'm interested in what Ulysses means relative to the novel as an art form, the commitment to realism of Modernist writers, and insofar as it attempts to combat the psychologizing of the human as promoted by Freud. Anyone interested?
which fucking publisher do i commit to if i want to read this? vintage? penguin? help
>>8781540
commit suicide
>>8781540
dover.
Despite all the funposting pervading /lit/, I actually learned something here: Non-fiction is far more interesting than fiction, more than it ever can be. Sure, I've read a lot of classics and whatnot. But I couldn't tell you in detail the history of our great country. That's simply ignorance. History can be pretty /lit/, anyway. Heck, girls probably are more interested in history than literature, right, fellas?
....riiiiiiiight
>>8781513
>girls probably are more interested in history than literature
>>8781542
What makes you think otherwise, friend?
Is this book basically the even memer reddit version of Snow Crash? I've been seeing it mentioned as good Sci-fi (or cyberpunk) by someone, saw it on /lit/ being mentioned as trash, and then out of curiosity seeing it mentioned as being good again checking the wikipedia and randomly placing my eyes on different parts of the plot (saw XP, leveling up MMORPG, etc).
Is this as reddity and meme as it sounds? Does it read like a cross between snow crash and /r/writingprompts?
More like the 9gag of poorly written, non-researched trash.
Don't read.
>>8781420
I have a morbid curiosity to see what utter shit is really like, though. I forgot to mention that in my initial post.
Sounds like a trainwreck.
>>8781404
It's as meme as it gets
1) Main character randomly points out that Atheism is objectively correct and then never touches on the subject again? Check.
2) Main character gets ripped from hardcore playing video games? Check.
3) Constantly flaunts its status as "Harry Potter for adults" CHECK
Is Nietzsche an edgelord of unfathomable dimensions? Or a man of whom this world is not worthy.
I'm reading Thus Spoke Zarathustra and I'm going kind of back and forth here.
Opinions?
There is literally nothing "edgy" about Nietzsche.
"Edgy" persons who have poor reading comprehension abilities prescribe this fallacy to Nietzsche all the time.
It is a projection of themselves.
Am I a pleb?
Just give it to me straight doctor
Cuz that's how I'm reading it.
i dig what he said but being communist is liberal and gay! what do i do?
hes also an ugly nigga XD
Do not listen to Sartre or any other French philosopher.
>>8781297
y not
>>8781210
all one has to do to reappropriate sartre's system is to find some replacement for the choice of class allegiance upon which the edifice of his existential psychoanalysis is based. so rather than interpreting this or that artwork or philosophy according to the author's class allegiance, you pick some other fundamental choice in defense of which his behaviors structure themselves.
that's not to say that the method itself isn't interesting, but i don't think it works very well as a defense of the primacy marxism requires for itself to be coherent.
Why do all the greatest writers, and artists, seem to be autistic?
>>8781194
Being an artist requires introspection and imagination, so being in your head like that will create autism.
they're just saying it with a British accent
>>8781194
poo
signet classics masterrace? those spines.. so good
>>8781183
Not as good as the spines in my backyard.
Or my diary desu
everyman's library masterrace, unless you're a paperback boy
>>8781403
Modern Library is basically the same as Everyman's, except without all that glorious red.
To those of you who studied literature at undergraduate level, what topic did you write your thesis/dissertation on?
>>8781135
I translated Joyce's Ulysses to the old Greek language for my Phd.
>>8782424
Your parents must be so proud.
I translated my Spyro 2 game manual to ancient greek.
How the fuck do I read faster? I have a very slow reading speed, and it makes reading a chore.
You don't. Get it so it's not a chore anymore, whatever that means to ya, and read more.
>>8781078
But mine is tremendously slow- I would be loving it if it didn't take me 3 minutes per page.
>>8781084
Get faster or don't.
Suffer or don't.
Is this any good?
>>8781061
Sublime, life-changing stuff.
>>8781061
nice coca cola add you got there, leddit.
>>8781061
yeah it's good, except for the last few chaps. once the little baby girl shows up it gets kind of dumb, but everything before that is pretty dece
I don't ever post on /lit/ so I don't know what to expect, I just really like Kurt Vonnegut and was curious what a board about literature had to say about him.
So far I've read Slaughterhouse 5, Cat's Cradle, Breakfast of Champions, The Sirens of Titan, Mother Night and am finishing God Bless You Mr. Rosewater.
/lit/'s thoughts on him?
lmao
>>8781046
>/lit/'s thoughts on him?
He's a meme, kid.
So what are you getting yourself for Christmas?
I bought myself the Tundra trilogy
>>8781038
A book shelf that I can place all the books I haven't read on so I can admire them
>>8781038
From where? Post link please.
>>8781038
A girlfriend
What is the best method for learning a new language independent of shitty programs like Rosetta Stone? What did people do before any of the modern language resources were available?
I want to be at a level where I can read the German classics. I test at a B1, and am currently translating Der Kleine Prinz into English and using duolingo to gain vocabulary, but I feel like I'm going to plateau very soon.
>>8781027
>buy grammar textbook
>blast through it, using Anki to create a massive vocab list and memorize vocab
>from day 1, start listening to a podcast, even if it means nothing, just to get the sound in
>when good enough, start reading newspapers
>when good enough, start watching tv in the language you want
>every day, and I mean every fucking day, listen to the podcast, read, and watch tv
>speak with native speakers whenever you can
>profit
Go to classes of german, plus practice by your own. If you don't have an structured learning, with all the time it takes for the knowledge to sink in, you are going to stumble many times.
It is not so much that the classes in themselves can teach you more than a good book or long vocabulary practice, but they force you (if they're good) to speak in the language and gain feedback from other people who are dealing with the same.
Plus once you set yourself goals (i. e. finishing third course and completing the A1 on the european frame), you can identify what your strengths and weakknesses are. Thus, being able to know what problems you will face with the language.
>>8781116
I took 2.5 semesters of German in high school as well as 1 semester of College German that tought me everything up to the Dativ case. Not in college anymore so courses aren't an option.
Probably going to close the thread now that I got some good answers.