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>In August of 1979, Thomas Pynchon, the critically acclaimed author of V., The Crying of Lot 49, and Gravity’s Rainbow died of a drug overdose in Los Angeles, California. Fearing a leftist revolution engineered by citizens reacting against Vietnam and Watergate, the government concealed the news of his death as one part of a broad and misguided attempt to keep American intellectuals tranquillized.
>In 1987, fearing that the discovery of his death and its concealment would expose anti-revolutionary operations, the CIA began to search for an unknown author who could write a convincing novel under Pynchon's name, silencing the rumors. After scouring thousands of recently published titles for suitable candidate, they discovered David Foster Wallace, who had released his debut novel– The Broom of the System– earlier that year, and was extensively familiar with Pynchon’s work and style through his studies in English at Amherst College. Wallace was then hired to write Vineland, which he finished three years later in 1990. At the same time, Wallace continued along the path of his own writing career as not to arouse suspicion.
>Vineland was a relative success, and convinced the general public that Pynchon was still alive, but was notably weaker than Pynchon’s own work, triggering the 7-year-long workshopping process that preceded Mason & Dixon. During this time, Wallace became exceedingly frustrated with the task of imitating Thomas Pynchon, and began writing Infinite Jest: a novel published in 1995 under his own name that served as a dramatic stylistic rejection of the “Thomas Pynchon” identity with which he had become disenchanted. Wallace continued, however, to write under Pynchon’s name simultaneously with his own over the next decade.
>In 2007, after years of enduring the strain of composing two bodies of work concurrently, Wallace began looking for a way out of writing as Thomas Pynchon. He consulted with the CIA, but they could not see a way to end Pynchon’s continuing career without risking the discovery of other secrets connected to the case. It was eventually decided that Wallace would go on writing as Thomas Pynchon, but would not as David Foster Wallace. His death was staged several months later, in September of 2008. With much of the work stagnated, Wallace would finish his shortest novel under either name– Inherent Vice– in 2009. In 2010, Wallace revisited a novel that had almost been complete in 2008 at the time of his resignation, and published it as “The Pale King” the following year. Knowing his suicide would propel the sale “The Pale King” significantly, Wallace intended its release as a protest against the government forces that he had grown to resent. In 2013, Wallace published “Bleeding Edge” as Thomas Pynchon. The novel was somewhat poorly received, possibly as a result of Wallace’s depression following the permanent closure of his own career years earlier.
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Pretty cool, you should write a novel about this and have pynchon read it
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>>8498597
...more. I need to know more. Keep going.
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>>8498597
If Wallace is dead then Pynchon must live.
If Pynchon is dead then Wallace must live.
Anonymous
ITT: Books About Serial Killers 2016-09-12 00:54:23 Post No.8498571
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ITT: Books About Serial Killers 2016-09-12 00:54:23 Post No.8498571
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ITT: Books About Serial Killers
Anonymous
2016-09-12 00:54:23
Post No. 8498571
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Are there any /lit/ approved books on serial killers?
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edmund_Kemper
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The Art of the Deal
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>>8498571
Mindhunter by John Douglas and Mark Olshaker
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/126584.Mindhunter
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My own unpublished book, an investigation about the Zodiac Killer.
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If someone could have been great at something, but failed because of an obstacle, can they still consider themselves great in any substantial sense?
e.g., if Muhammad Ali was an amateur on the come-up but got run over by a car and broke his back. Could he still reasonably feel proud of himself that he "could have"?
I think of Thoreau's quote "You cannot dream yourself into a character; you must hammer and forge yourself into one." I agree that possibility and the execution of that possibility are different, but how much weight does possibility have?
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>>8498523
Pride and greatness are subjective emotional designations. Its entirely contingent on opinion regardless, not objective fact
> Could he still reasonably feel proud of himself that he "could have"?
Yes of course he could, "would he" is the determining question
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>>8498523
I read an article about a law school graduate who couldn't find work. He was satisfied though because he could still think of himself as a lawyer, even though he had never actually practiced law. His friends and family also treated him like he was actually a lawyer even though he was unemployed.
I think >>8498534 is right that Ali could think of himself that way but I would agree with Thoreau that you must make yourself into a character. While Ali and the law school grad might think they have achieved something I think their pride is unreasonable, a crippled Ali is not a boxer and an unemployed law school grad is not a lawyer.
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>>8498523
just die with some dignity
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What's the earliest you ever gave up on a book?
Me? Pic related. Page 5.
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i read the first paragraph of madness and civ, instantly knew i was too dumb for it
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>>8498412
The Iliad, when they described something as ruddy
I dont like that word
Was the first page or so
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Brékkek Kékkek Kékkek Kékkek! Kóax Kóax Kóax!
Anonymous
/lg/ Literature General 2016-09-11 23:49:05 Post No.8498375
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/lg/ Literature General 2016-09-11 23:49:05 Post No.8498375
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Can we have a general for lighthearted literature discussion?
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>>8498375
Yes! Oh my God yes. Thank you Anon! I didn't think anyone here also liked this book. (I'm new) i think it is time to write a proper review for this book, as it is one of my all-time favorites and deserves way more than two words. back when i was a junior in college, i was at the nyu bookstore, trying to sell back some textbooks before going away for winter break. the person in line in front of me was trying to sell back infinite jest (where was i when this class was being offered?? ) and of course, they werent taking it back because nyu is a stingy fucking school. she turned around to me and said "you want this??" and i said "yes",cuz i dont say no to free, and she said "merry christmas",and kinda just thrust it at me. and it was the best present i ever got. a true christmas miracle. i was on my way to see my then-boyfriend in italy for the start of a european jaunt, and i missed out on a lot of european cities because i could not put this book down. i read it on planes and trains and a gondola, in restaurants and bars, by canals and in a cafe on top of the alps. fuck cathedrals, i had this book. i am a truly bad traveler, but i am a committed reader. as soon as i finished the book, i started right over. and since then i have read it a total of seven times. it is the most glorious collection of words that has ever been published. it is everything - it is funny and sad and creepy and disturbing and completely absorbing and brilliant. and he was just a gem of a man. the first time i got to meet him, i dropped this book in front of him - by now all tattered and smooshed, and he seem surprised that "someone has actually read their copy". and then i gave him a card that had been a thank you card, but i crossed out thank and wrote "fuck" in its place and said fuck you for writing the great american novel before i got the chance to. this is the kind of thing i think is charming because i am deeply flawed. but it worked, and he called me and it was really nice - he was a great man who was truly kind and courteous to his fans. i ended up getting a proper thank you card from him because he is more traditionally charming. and now i am sad just thinking about this. so the review ends here because it has served its cathartic purpose for me and i guess if anyone is reading this you just got a free glimpse into the softer side of me. it happens.
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>>8499684
Nice copy-pasta from Goodreads.
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>>8499714
I think you are confusing plagiarism with referencing. One is presenting someone's original creative thought as one's own. Facts are not original or creative thought. Facts are usually used to support an argument and they then need to be referenced to show they have not been pulled out of thin air.
Primary sources are referenced for facts so readers can refer to where the information was found. And the reader can the. Decide for themselves if the fact, is indeed a fact. In a nutshell.
If the 'fact' is well known and not arguable or in any doubt, I would not reference it. The sky is blue, for example. But this also depends on context and audience. Because a scientific paper about why the sky looks blue, is very different to a child's non-fiction book about colours.
If you are copying someone else's theory, work, etc. and not referencing it, this is plagiarism. For example, if you quoted from someone else who said exactly, 'Barack Obama was not born in Honolulu and plays the guitar professionally for a mariachi band.' And this was from, say, a bestselling novel about the alternate life of Barack Obama, this is plagiarism.
And then there is copyright which protects work from being copied without permission.
I would suggest not using an automated system if you are going to be writing academic essays. Talk to the librarian in your school, or you professors to give you some good guides to follow.
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Who here has mystical experiences all the time?
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>>8498329
I'm not falling for your stupid trap anymore. You've already sucked me damn near dry, you can fuck off now.
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I have some severe mental illnesses and dissociate a lot. Does that count?
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Not frequently, but the other day I had the sensation that God was real, and it sent euphoric tingles down my spine and reverberating in my skull. I felt that the Christian God is real.
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Post yfw you realize that no matter how much you read, it's no replacement for a personality and real life experiences
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>>8498282
Kek, enjoy your 'adventure' in a Thai hostel finding yourself
experiences are for plebs
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>>8498293
>experiences are for plebs
t. embryo
Anonymous
Who among us are fans of the dick? 2016-09-11 23:16:37 Post No.8498268
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Who among us are fans of the dick? 2016-09-11 23:16:37 Post No.8498268
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Who among us are fans of the dick?
Anonymous
2016-09-11 23:16:37
Post No. 8498268
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I literally just finished the behemoth of a novel that is Moby Dick over the weekend. It was a rather long project of mine that I had been working on over time while reading other things as well. But, I have finally made it.
Large portions of the book are very dry (to put it lightly) because Melville either enjoys just jerking off to the thought of whales or he likes to set up a scene so precisely that it takes tons of time to get to the juicy part.
Overall, I thought it was a great novel. I guess I can see why people thought during the time that it was a captivating read. Considered one of the first great modern novels, though I am not entirely sure why.
Overall, probably give it a 9/10. Lots of gay scenes, whale hunting smut, and dry clinical descriptions of shit.
What did you guys think of it?
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shut up retard
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>mfw some bitch told me she didn't like the parts about whales because they didn't advance the plot
Kill all women
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>>8498304
elaborate please?
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Itt: /lit/ creates a plot.
greentext one line of the plot for a new book
I'll start
>be white 15 year old fag
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>on a dark and stormy night
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>raindrops rolling down my window
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>50 years pass and it is still raining
Anonymous
Looking for an old read 2016-09-11 22:54:09 Post No.8498198
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Looking for an old read 2016-09-11 22:54:09 Post No.8498198
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/lit/ I need your help
I am looking for an book I read in high school. I can't remember the author or the title. I've tried Google and I can't its so run of the mill that I can't find any references to it. It was a pleb-tier high fantasy novel that contained the following:
>Setting was a large kingdom in decline
>Kingdom is threatened by a old undead emperor
>Undead emperor is shown in a flashback attempting to "sink" the capital city via a powerful wizard
>wizard is offered crown jewels to sink the city, but refuses
>Main character is the son of a local noble
>His home province is ransacked by an undead army led by the undead emperor
>he journeys to capital city to get help
>capital sends a group of soldiers to help (the Black Wyvern Company)
>Soldiers basically ransack the provincial castle, kill the main character's father
>Main character kills the Black Wyvern leader in a struggle
>Main character now known as the "Traitor Duke"
>meets wizard
>wizard offers him a lizard army
>main character gets the "Sun Sword", some ancient magical sword
>gets lizard army
>marches on capital city
>takes over defenses and defeats undead army
>defeats undead emperor in single combat
>wizard confiscates Sun Sword and throws it into some random empty cave or something
I know I'm pretty sketchy on the details, but I can't remember any of the important things that normally help identify books. Anyone know what book I'm referring to?
Pic not related.
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>>8498198
sounds like shit, better forget about it.
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>>8498204
I'm after it for more nostalgic reasons than any burning desire to read it again. I seem to remember it being part of a trilogy or a series, and I wanted to see if the other parts of the series were any good.
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>>8498234
The Broken Crown maybe?
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Who/what should I read for insight into the philosophy of psychedelics? I'm interested in reading how it can be used as a form of therapy to help people with anxiety and depression.
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Well Huxley is an obvious one. McKenna too, but I haven't actually read any of his work.
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Pic related, it's what you're looking for
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>>8498170
>philosophy of psychedelics
>how it can be used as a form of therapy
These two things are different. For the second, your best bet is primary sources from researchers. Popular science articles and books are garbage.
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What are some books or resources I can use to improve my writing in terms of grammar, sentence structure, etc?
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>>8498116
>that pic
You seem to know your way around English. Why do you require such resources?
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>>8498116
Nietzsche, Faulkner, Paul Celan
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>>8498116
"you too, Brutus?"
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My English professor made that argument that the best writers are also the ones who read the most. I understand this and it seems very logically.
She also added that reading out loud is the best way to read because the vocabulary and prose better cements itself in your mind subconsciously. What do you /lit/tle niggers make of this?
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>>8498106
>seems very logically.
logical*
also pic unrelated, just a writer in my town who recently released a novel
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http://memecucker.tumblr.com/post/144587721433/i-remember-in-my-medieval-philosophy-class-my
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>>8498110
>also pic unrelated, just a writer in my town who recently released a novel
NO FUCK OFF NONONONONO
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What is the most perceptive description of what it's like to die that you've ever read?
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"slowly, and then all at once."
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"Hello darkness my old friend"
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"My Mother is a fish"
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Hey, I'm learning Italian atm, and I ussually learn a new language by reading a book in that language (after learning some grammar and vocabulary). I've recently been reading about evola, would the revolt against the modern world in Italian be doable to read for a begginer-intermediate?
Also, post some books that you read in foreign languages.
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>>8498064
>evola
Please suicide.
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>>8498064
That pic
That request
>>>>/Pol/
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>learning Italian
>reading Evola
I seriously hope you guys don't do this.