Guys, HELP.
I'd like to read Marcel Proust's In Search of Lost Time.
Should I get the newer Penguin Classics translations, or the Modern Library editions (the "revision of a revision")?
I'm trying to make a decision today because I could nab the 6-pack of ML books from Barnes & Noble for 30% off. Otherwise I'll wait until all the PC ones are out. I don't mind waiting if it's a superior translation.
>>8764023
the moncrieff is hwat you should get. the penguin ones have a different translator each volume whcih is fucking dumb
i have the modern library boxset shit is dank af
modern library you dummy everyone know this
ITT: Write something that proves you are sublime.
I'm only sublime because I'm not, in fact, sublime at all. :^)
>>8763952
If I knew the sublime, I would not be stuck in this void.
>>8763952
i am god ama
Are there any good books on this? Aside from psychoanalytic/Freud stuff which as I'm hesitant to look at, as he seems to boil everything down to something sexual.
Moreover, is there anything on whether we *should* interpret dreams or not? I know in recent years, dreams have been generally dismissed or 'explained away' as random/meaningless images that emerge from our memory whilst asleep, but I'm not so sure.
The reason I'm asking is because of a recent and surprisingly lucid dream I had. I only have about 1-2 dreams a year that I can clearly remember when I wake up, and no more than 10 dreams in total throughout the year in general (as far as I can tell). The dream went roughly as follows:
>I was pursuing some girl, but she was being/playing hard to get - not in terms of distance, we were with each other the whole time, but in terms of intimacy.
>We went up some cramped winding stairs to a tattoo place, where I sat between some odd people on a couch while she got a tattoo on her right shoulder.
>Then we left the tattoo room and went to another room, where she was being/playing hard to get again, although we did manage to kiss - and then I woke up.
Never had a dream like that before desu. Anyone able to interpret?
>>8763891
>there's a book out there who is perfect for me, rendering this thread meaningless, but I don't want to read it because I have a stupid misconception about it
>>8763902
What book?
And I've read some of Freud's cases such as Rat Man. The conclusions struck me as pretty dumb.
>>8763915
Literally 'the Interpretation of Dreams' dumbass.
I'm on a first name basis with the ghost of David Foster Wallace and want you to ease off him. I knew that guy before he was famous. We came up together and learned literature in college while all our buddies were busy getting girl and going to bars. Literally, all we cared about were books, but he took it to a new level which I'd never seen before. I don't meant to appeal to authority, except to say every book he talks about, was one I first suggested to him and read before him. Every book suggestion he gets, he runs by me first to get my opinion. That's how close we are. I know my shit, and this guy is the real deal. Now I'm not going to tell you my name because if you knew my name you would start to get nervous the way you'd sperg out when your anonymous MMORPG buddy tells you they're a girl. We all know you're just visiting /lit/. So next time you want to talk shit about the ghost of David Foster Wallace, know that I've seen every single one of his ponds at least ten times and he couldn't care less if a bunch of 4chan kids with aspergers disorder know he's smarter, better looking, and more successful than they are.
>>8763858
>I fit in, right guys??
>>8763864
No you fucking don't, this is a /b/tier thread
>>8763858
An attempt at pasta was made.
Has anyone read The Recognitions by William Gaddis? How did you like it?
>>8763810
Also, any similar books? Recommendations?
>>8763810
Yes. Very much so. Sort of triggered my aspieness and how foolish/self centred people are.
Read J R by Gaddis.
>>8763810
I liked it a lot. although the last few hundred pages. like 200-300 aren't as great. I would say it's worth a read just to see all the shit he crammed into it. J R is a lot better though.
Which books did you buy today, anon?
>>8763794
I don't buy books I go to the liberry.
i went into my local oxfam but didn't find anything that caught my eye
i bought journey by moonlight and a single man from there the other day though
>buying books
So you can put them on your shelf like trophies and forget them? Goddamn pleb.
What is the most influential work on the topic of natural history?
>>8763774
*snickers naturally*
"On the Origin of Species of course."
>>8763826
*snickers Marxistly*
"Heh you are like a child."
>>8763826
I didn't realize Charles Darwin and Richard Dawkins were the same person.
ooooOooooOOooooOOOOOooooooo I'm the ghost of David foster wallace, here from the grave to answer questions from my biggest fans oooOOoooooooOoooOOOOOoooo
>>8763700
Why didn't you get a sticky?
Did it hurt?
The fact that Materialism is literally worshiping the Demiurge is a bizarre coincidence, right?
Not really. The Demiurge is deluded in such a way that he demands worship. This is his world, so it's natural that those who value this world above all would worship him.
>>8763618
isn't a conscious effort required to worship any kind of deity? I doubt most people know of Demiurge
>>8763638
Worship doesn't really require conscious awareness, neither of the entity nor of the act of worship itself. It just requires aligning your Mind with the Will of that which you worship.
Why is his dialogue SO DAMN GOOD, /lit/?
i guess he talked a lot
>>8763549
dialogue is pretty easy to write. as well as good passages.
the hard part is writing the boring passages well, those that fit everything together
>>8763585
>dialogue is pretty easy to write
Totally disagree, its the easiest way to seperate mediocre from good writers
what book has the best cover of all time?
sup /lit/
new to poetry, picked up paradise lost. what's /lit/'s opinion on milton's epic?
pretty fuckin rad tbphwf
>>8763230
It's great but if you're new to poetry you might not like it. Have you read homer and the bible?
>new to poetry
>better read that giant epic
>A new character enters the scene.
>He's able to describe them and leave you with a particular initial impression in only 1-2 sentences.
How did this mad man write so well?
>He's able to describe them and leave you with a particular initial impression in only 1-2 sentences.
that's not true tho
He was extraordinary at shifting perspectives, and his character descriptions were usually him moving into a first-person-esque POV, while still writing from a third person POV. The result is the particular impression that the new character has on the major character of the given chapter -- but, again, the magic is that Tolstoy never "reveals" how subjective the description is to that major character. Then, he quietly links these subjective descriptions from various perspectives together to create an "objective" reality of a character.
One thing is that he describes his characters with psychological rather than physical details for the most part. So when the characters interact you get a much deeper impression or understanding of who they are. That's why even minor characters of his can have incredible depth.
I hate reading analyses of anything I have read, I just can't get over the feeling of being such a brainlet for not having seen the things they did.
>"When Ching Chong wrote '-some deep shit-' he was clearly referring to the imperialistic ambitions Japan had in China, it may also be an allusion to the books of Genesis and Exodus. Some theorize it's a witty parody of Plato's Republic"
>me: I thought he was just describing some fucking blue curtains
anyone else experience this feel?
I try coping by just thinking they're pulling that shit out of their asses, but I can't help thinking that I would have missed out a great deal if I hadn't read the analysis.
How long do these people take to come up with their theories?
>>8763190
Literary critics are people who have read books at a high level nearly all their lives and have read and reread through their areas of expertise many times. Even lit students at universities can be a great deal more educated and experienced than an anime nerd who only recently decied to pick up books.
Don't feel terrible if you can't read like them. It takes time to pick up things like allusions and symbolism, and to analyze deeper and subtler themes and character development. Just try not to force it because it will come naturally if you keep reading and know how to be patient and thoughtful about what you're reading.
Analyses can be very helpful guides for reading this way but you should never take them too seriously (especially if they're from sparknotes or similar sites) because there may be a point when you can say, "Hey this is obviously a common misinterpretation which is wrong because reasons."
i always found analyzing literary texts easy and enjoyable...i think what helped was doing a shitload of lsd when i was a teenager, now when i read i would just let those weird paranoid acid thoughts run wild, and it turns out this is what literary theoriests at universities do, shit's rad af desu senpai...bro u know wut, watch the yale class "introduction to literary theory" and see what the prof does with "tony the towtruck" then just do that to every text and u gud
>>8763233
thank you
I'm currently poorfagging it in a foreign country, the local library has a small English language section but it looks a little bit like pic related. Naturally the books they do have are a really weird hodge podge of classics and popular fiction. What have you read because of poverty, schooling, not having anyting better to hand, etc? How did you like it? I just picked up Kim which I may never have read but for a limited access to /lit/.
Where are you?
>>8763127
>not bringing a copy of either Infinite Jest or Ulysses wherever you travel
fucking faggot
>>8763144
Norway