was he the biggest shitposter of all time?
>>8361467
He was a Fucking White Male
>tfw you realize philosophy is advanced lshitposting
>>8361467
implyin
Hey /lit/. Rate the first paragraph of my novella. And feel free to post your own first paragraphs. I'd like to discuss what makes an engaging opening to a story.
The arrival on the platform was disorienting. As always, it took a few moments for my vision to adjust and for my stomach to settle. Right away, I noticed things were amiss. The lights in the large, white, circular chamber, usually oppressive, were dim. The gawky lab technicians assigned to greet all new visitors were nowhere to be seen. A steadily increasing burning sensation was affecting the soles of my feet. But it was the violent whirring noise coming from the circular platform that alerted me to the danger. Without a second thought, I leapt from the platform and dashed for the arched white door, which slid upward for me at its normal, speedy rate. Behind me, a great electrical discharge erupted, which briefly cast an odd shadow of myself on the wall that I was facing, and fragments of the platform shot into the walls and ceiling of the chamber. The sound was horrible, like a bomb going off in a thunderstorm. I turned around to see that the destroyed platform had caught fire and that small wires were poking through the holes in its ruptured frame like headless snakes. Then the door shut itself and I was alone in a dark hallway.
Micro-critiques are strongly encouraged. In particular, I am unsure of the word "amiss" (too antiquated? - the protagonist is a marine biologist and might therefore use a stuffy word like that) and the simile "like headless snakes" following the denotation of the wires jutting from the damaged platform.
>pic unrelated: some nerd and his cat
0/10 i'm not your fucking editor
Too many useless adjectives.
Prose needs to flow too.
>>8361375
I haven't been to /lit/ in a while, but threads like this are fairly common?
I'm legitimately interested in talking about the art of the opening paragraph. Do you use terse, declarative sentences to command your reader's attention, or long winded ones, chock full of clauses and asides, to strike a jovial tone and prepare your reader for the complexities of the text to follow?
How much do you reveal? What elements of plot do you make sure to allude to?
I know that my writing is at least good, so you don't have to be a jerk about it.
Does this book deserve being regarded as a classic in your opinion? What do you think about it?
Yes, it's is hilarious. Gogol set the stage for all future Russian authors (haven't heard of one that didn't like him and was not influenced by him).
>>8361216
It's a poser book, nobody that isn't slav can understand it, but they like the image so they will convince themselves they did
good literature, but don't see what's supposed to be SO great about it
Are there any good books where the villain is a woman?
my diary desu
>>8360318
Where can I find a copy?
it would be misogynist to have a female villain
If a book is sexist, does it lower it's value?
Are books like Huck Finn, For Whom the Bell Tolls, and The Lord of the Flies, all considered sexist on some scale, weakened in plot or meaning by sexism?
Can sexism ruin a work?
Nah
Sexism doesn't exist since men are actually superior.
>>8360090
>If a book is sexist, does it lower it's value?
that depends on how you measure it's value. overall artistic merit, no.
>Are books like Huck Finn, For Whom the Bell Tolls, and The Lord of the Flies, all considered sexist on some scale, weakened in plot or meaning by sexism?
plot, no. I don't see what that would do much with plot.
meaning, no. In Aesop's fables all the characters are animals, we don't struggle to find meaning.
>Can sexism ruin a work?
yes and no, depending on the purpose of that work.
if the purpose is sheer entertainment, like say ASoIaF, and everything was extremely sexist and there were no female protagonists to speak of and all men ran the show, that's a blatant flaw in the work.
If the work has a purpose beyond itself, it is measured as such and the personal sentiments of the characters and even the author takes a back seat to the message and themes
if the message is sexist, that's obviously a different story
Do you listen to any literature or philosophy related podcasts?
If so, which ones?
>>8359976
my fucking ass i need to shit
History of Philosophy Without Any Gaps by Peter Adamson
Waking up with Sam Harris
(just kidding guys dw)
What are some books that will feed my secret desire of becoming a Jason Bourne-type figure with a wide range of skills and leading a revolution? Pic very related.
>>8359034
Is that the alternative title to Uncle Tom's Cabin?
>>8359046
Spook who sits by the door means a black employee that was hired and made visible so business owners could show that they hire Negros back in the day. It's like the 50's and 60's version of the Facebook rainbow thing.
In this book, the CIA is told to recruit one token black guy who then becomes an expert on military and intelligence shit, learns how to fight, studies guerrilla wars and communist movements and then launches an insurgency on US soil.
It's the american "What Is to Be Done?"
Prove your not a grammar Nazi.
>>8357725
>you're
>>8357725
*grammer
Prove grammer Nazi not yours.
Wow! The goodreads group requests were much more than I expected (11). We are still looking for members and welcome all applicants at: https://www.goodreads.com/group/show/195303-lit-club
This time lets work on finding a place to chat and figure out more about group readings -- which is a subject I brought up last time, and I hope that we make progress in this thread.
Awesome as always,
Alice
What is it you want to achieve with this group?
Random book discussions or group readings?
Just how many more /lit/ groups do you guys want to make?
https://www.goodreads.com/group/show/67886-lit-revival-of-the-revival
https://www.goodreads.com/group/show/29373-lit
>>8356983
group readings
>>8357368
I just want one that's alive and I have friends from old ones that want to come back.
Why do people here hate this?
>>8356203
They do? I have it, tell me why I should read it.
>>8356456
I have it too but never bothered to pick it up. Only bought it bc it was on discount in the first place
>>8356203
They don't. They just find it disappointing compared to his best books, which is entirely fair.
I just bought a KOBO glo HD
I have physical books
Kindle Paperuwhitu
Sony Reader Touch PRS 600
- epub : great
- image pdf : takes ages to adjust zoom to every page, took years until I found a program to solve this
- lost years of highlighted notes (maybe because of using WinXP ?)
- slot for SD cards
- requites good lighting
What makes you 'go' and live life everyday?
Why bother? What are you aiming toward? Respect? Women? Steady drip of dopamine?
>>8353869
well I'm already alive. just gotta keep that ball rollin
pussy and religion
>>8353869
I have no fucking idea, the universe is pointless
How do I find a literary bf?
I'll be gay if you stay away from my ass.
>>8353335
ok will u fuk my boipucci tho?
What language are you learning and why? +General language thread
Arabic, because it's extremely interesting and I find it very rewarding, I'm using several sources on the internet as well as books
>How many languages do you speak and which?
>>8347832
Hebrew, because of my jewish heritage and also because of general interest in qabbalism and the talmud.
I speak Estonian, Russian and English very well.
Native English. Good Latin and Greek. Sanskrit. French. Classical Arabic.
Esperanto, but I don't like it, so I stopped.
>>8347832
I got a few books on Low Saxon, which is reduced to dialects in my country. Tried learning Russian but gave up because I want to spend my time differently.
I speak English and Dutch.
So, will there ever be a novelization of this?
Fan novelization?
I'm not gong to read a fucking script cause the author was too lazy to write an actual book.
>>8342726
who cares, honestly
>>8342726
>too lazy to write an actual book.
But Anon, it is a book.
>>8342736
It's a screenplay.