QTDDTOT

Why is Stoner so popular on /lit/?

>>7657445
This is a literature board and Stoner is a great piece of literature.

I want to start reading Vox Day but don't know where to start. What is your favorite book by Day?

>>7657421
It's called situational irony.

>>7657457
Thank you, brother

whats a good source for classics and greek drama / comedy as free audiobooks? obviously there are some on youtube and i could also find a few on archive.org but many of the amateur readers there are absolutely atrocious. i was especially looking for aristophanes ecclesiazusae (assemblywomen).

Do I need Kant's critique of pure reason to understand his moral and political philosophy?

Just ordered Wittgenstein's Mistress, Stoner, and Thus Sprach Zarathustra. I can't seem to decide which one I should read first. Which did anyone of you like best, and why?

File: gass-by-philip-guston.gif (128KB, 350x525px) Image search: [Google]

128KB, 350x525px

>>7657463
No problem, friend. Take a rare Gass.

>>7657452
I'm not questioning its quality, just its /lit/ popularity considering:

straight forward conventional realism
not a well known classic
not difficult complex meme tier
not edgy, not about NEETs

>>7657834
Good point.
A while ago some celebrity said it was their favorite book. This brought it into light with the general public. A few people here read it and highly recommended it. Furthermore, it was published by nyrb which seems to always have good books. Because of these things it eventually became a common occurrence on lit charts and recommendation threads.

How is everyone doing tonight? :D

I need to write a press release for my Writing for Media class. Unfortunately, I have no idea what to write a press release for. Would anybody mind giving me some simple prompts?

>>7657580
Yes.

>>7657585
I'd say read Stoner first, but I only say that because I just read it.

>>7658241
I'm alright, how 'bout you?

I've been checking out the wiki and beginner guides for the last week or two and I'm going to the library tomorrow, how much should I check out? They let you get as many as you want and I'm tempted to get everything they've got in a giant pile

What is a meme book?

>>7658486
If you're a beginner, just check out one book and focus on it.

File: 1454456300425.png (3MB, 1396x1852px) Image search: [Google]

3MB, 1396x1852px

>>7658486
Not what you asked but bumping with my favourite beginner guide.

>>7658593
you asked this in the last one

>>7658653
okay, but how about this: my library has Kafka's Trial, but they also have his Complete Works in "storage". if it's possible for me to get that one, should I, or should I stick with that one story to start?

>>7658893
I'd say grab the complete works. You'd still be reading just one story at a time, but now you have easier access to books.

Has anyone here volunteered at a literacy center? What was it like?

>>7657452
It's not

What should I do if I want to start on a new, better idea when I'm still working on one.

>>7658593
books i don't like

>>7659836
Just write it down, maybe begin planning for it if your current idea leads to a natural halt, but don't stop your current idea unless if you think it's total shit.

What is an efficient way to get through backlogs? Mine is about 40/50 books and I never make any progress because visiting thrift stores is one of my most enjoyable hobbies. They're like miniature treasure hunts, and I don't want to give them up, but it also means the stack keeps on growing and growing.

Is Also sprach Zarathursta legible without reading other works by Nietzsche if I just consult some online guides to understanding it? I borrowed it from the library, got in like 15 pages, and was bored to crap and didnt understand a thing. Now I bought it and eventually want to get back into it. Did I do something wrong?

Is there a particular recommended order for reading Shakespeare?

What is the order in which I should read The Hobbit-The Silmarillion-Children of Hurin?

Same question for Dubliners - APOTAAAYM - Ulysses

Is it worth reading The Portrait of Dorian Gray in translations or would I be missing out on essential writing?

Same question but for Moby Dick?

Same but for Wuthering Heights?

Is reading Gravity's Rainbow recommended if I have never read any other work by Pynchon?

Is Quo Vadis recommendable?

Feel free to only answer some of these, obv.

What's the best Oé?

After Mishima, Oé and Kawabata, what should I read next? pls no Murakami.

>>7659973
if you're planning to read Nietzsche - do it chronologically

>>7659997
Soseki, Tanizaki, Abe, whatever you want. Who did you like best of those three?

>>7659973
> backlogs
I usually try to tackle shorter things from any of my backlogs - books, film, vidya, albums, etc - and then once I'm started to fill my shelf with shorter works, I'll begin tackling larger works while also tackling shorter works (unless if the larger works are something like Pynchon then that'll be the only thing I'll be doing for a while).

> Same question for Dubliners, etc

The order you have those books in your post is actually the order many recommend for people: Dubliners, Portrait THEN Ulysses.

> Gravity's Rainbow

I tackled GR without reading any previous Pynchon works but many would recommend that you read V before tackling GR and to read Crying of Lot 49 before reading anything of his as it's a good rundown of his prose style and the sort of structure you'll get in his larger works (plus, it's very short). I guess that tends to work for most people but plenty will also dive straight into GR - there's no definitive way of really beginning with him. Just dive in; take your time and take notes if you really need to.

>>7660046
Mishima so far, but I haven't read much Oé. I want to know what are his best works in case I haven't read those.

>>7660047
About GR. I'm ~70 pages in and have connected/understood only about 50% of what is going on.

>>7660052
Aw, I'm no fan of either of them, but there's another anon who I know is, and may stop by with recs. I'm more of a Kawabata type.

You can't really go wrong with Soseki though.

>>7660055
That's fine, anon. That percentage will lower eventually, but don't worry: take it at a casual pace and re-read passages if they aren't fully understandable (I certainly found myself enjoying the earlier pages more when I started to think about what some of the passages meant).

It does get more challenging but it's fine: when you finish it, and you ever feel like tackling the book again, it's easier to understand the second time around.

Never limit yourself to discussing/finding interpretations/notes for it online either.

Always remember: this is a hobby. Don't force yourself to finish it if it ever becomes too much of a chore or if you find it completely unpleasant in your reading experience.

>>7660066
I definitely plan to read it more than once. Thanks for the reassurance.

File: 67.jpg (521KB, 960x1280px) Image search: [Google]

521KB, 960x1280px

What's the best translation of Oku-No-Hosomichi? The consensus I've heard is that Keene's is the best

>>7657445
it's not just popular on /lit/ it's well recieved on booktube and bookstagram

source: I'm on both

Well hello there my malinkey droogies. What would /lit/ recommend as one of their favorite fucked up novel ? A friend told me about "The Confusions of Young Torless", but I'm looking for something a bit more graphic.

>>7660411
Amemeican Psycho

>>7660047
>>7660021
thanks m8s

>>7660147
Why I am so much more moved by things like this any art I see

Why is OP such an insufferable faggot?

>>7660354
>bookstagram
Dear GAWD! What's that?

>>7660411
Blood Meridian

>>7660411
As the other anons suggested, Blood Meridian and American Psycho will do it, as long as you're not just reading solely for shock value and you can also appreciate a casually-paced well written book.

I'd also suggest you check out Ryu Murakami's books, particularly Audition or In The Miso Soup - short reads and very violent.

120 Days of Sodom would also make sense.

Gravity's Rainbow is pretty grotesque at times too but if you try reading that solely for shock value, you won't be doing yourself any favours whatsoever.

>>7660438
> Dear GAWD!

You don't have to lie, anon. We're all friends. You stuck around because you found us through the IMGUR link, didn't you? We're better than Reddit and we'll be good to you, but only if you're good to us.

Start by not saying "gawd" whether it's with a sense of irony or not.

>>7660411
>>7660495
seconding In The Miso Soup, good shit.

>>7660420
You out to go visit the backtowns of West Virginia. This stuff is everywhere.

>>7660496
>because you found us through the IMGUR link
No, i did not. As a matter of fact i can't remember how i found /lit/.

Anyway, you still haven't answered my question.

Which DFW book should I read after IJ and Supposedly Fun Thing? I'm thinking Oblivion, since it seems to have some of his most celebrated short stories in it. But then Brief Interviews is really popular too.

>>7660542
I don't know, I'm not the anon that mentioned Bookstagram.

>>7659790
Part of my library work is doing literacy programs. It takes a LOT of patience, and thick skin. People don't like feeling dumb.

But if your heart's in the right place, it's rewarding

>>7660542
what the fuck do you think it is you fucking retard. can you not honestly figure it out from the word? Bookstagram: its a bunch of fucks on instagram posting about their books.

>>7660851
Yo...you okay? Why are you lashing out like this?

>>7660861
acting angry towards nothing is a form of self serving that attempts to protect ego (even, maybe especially in anonymous forms), its how plebs sauce up platitude but its also babbys first emotional shielding. try it faggot

>>7660917
It's just got to be so unhealthy, carrying around that kind of anger.

Anyway, an actual contribution to the thread: I just picked up Absalom, Absalom! from the library. Is this a good starting point for Faulkner, or should I start somewhere else?

That's Jane Eyre, right OP?

>>7659973
>What is the order in which I should read The Hobbit-The Silmarillion-Children of Hurin?
Children of Hurin before Silmarillion, otherwise you'll have the whole plot spoiled. It doesn't matter how you fit The Hobbit in to it, it doesn't reference the other ones.

>>7660947
when you don't know what you're doing yet starting anywhere will eventually lead you to a beginning. also people who think in terms of comparatives and bouncing around the over confidence effect and optimism bias are just average people being average

also you should read These 13 as soon as you can, these were his desperate works $

>>7660851
consider therapy

>>7660994
Not OP, but yes that's Jane Eyre. From the Lowood (sp?) school scene

>>7657421
Random House UK, Turtleback Books or Penguin Books version of Inherent Vice?

What is the difference anyway between these, other than hard or soft cover?

What is some hard literature like Blood Meridian

I enjoy it whatever it is. Also Cormac in general.

>Friend gives Kane and Abel By Jeffery Archer to read.
>Book gets harder to read with each chapter because of writing and story.
>Read lots of books and enjoyed most of them. This is the only book so far that I just cannot get myself to read. It feels as if I'm reading the story of a soap opera.

What does lit think of Jeffery Archer and his book(s)?

Moby-Dick

Pages 927 (British first edition, 3 vols.)
635 (U.S. first edition)

Which version is The Version To Get?

I have the Aeneid in verse and in prose. Which should I read first (Assuming that both are worth reading)?

>>7661392
English. Then whichever one you're interested in most

>>7661366
Don't read any epic poem in prose.

I'm writing a romance between two characters and I want to be sincere. However, the main way they show their affection is through teasing, even though they both know they love each other. Is this still sincere?

File: 2016-02-05 01.07.40.png (2MB, 2000x750px) Image search: [Google]

2MB, 2000x750px

newfag here, went to the library today, how'd I do? I know it's too much but they give you 9 weeks before you gotta return them

>>7661675
I would only ever be in a sincere romantic relationship with a female that I could call a "dumb cunt" or "whore" to her face.

>>7661675
Sounds like they're tsuntsun, my familiar

>>7661366
Poem, fucking obviouly

>>7661892
You'll have fun with those. A lot of that stuff is newfag friendly.

The only really bad one is WUBC, but that's because Murakami sucks if you've read a lot.
I know Vonnegut gets a lot of hate here, but Slaughterhouse 5 is probably the only one you need to read.
I've never read Kerouac or Delilo, but everything else is alright.

>>7662004
Glad to hear it. btw, the Murakami is Kafka on the Shore, not Wind-Up Bird Chronicle. I sat down and read it for a couple minutes, it seemed alright

>>7662033
please do read Stranger though. not sure why that anon ignored it.

>>7662033
Sorry about that.
He's just cliche. Look up Murakami Bingo after you finish it.

I think my favorite in the lot was East of Eden. Steinbeck is great and I think that might be his best.

Also, your library has a really long checkout time. Mine is only three weeks.
Enjoy reading. It's supposed to be fun. Do it for yourself.

>>7662049
They had every Steinbeck book except that one out on the shelves, so I had them get it from storage along with some other stuff, and I was shocked at how huge it was, lol
Mine's only three weeks as well, but they let you renew twice. Thanks again

What good book have suicidal characters and are written by suicidal people?

I like The Bell Jar, due to Plath mental illness some descriptions were precise and powerful. There are many books that show "depression" (very popular in the YA genre) but I'm looking for something stronger and written by someone who lived through severe depression and psychiatric treatment.

>>7662123
Infinite Jest

>>7662123
IJ but read Good Old Neon first.

File: 1454099853929.jpg (54KB, 720x540px) Image search: [Google]

54KB, 720x540px

>>7657421
What's the grammatical difference between "biologic" and "biological" (or "geologic" vs "geological", et cetera)?

What translation of Don Quixote does /lit/ recommend?

How far into a short story do you have to go before the reveal of a plot element becomes a plot twist? The story I'm working has three plot twists that I want to fit in, two of which are related but can't be revealed in tandem because they add nothing unless there is a gap between them

>>7659836
Train said writing is rewriting. Write everything down even if it's shit. You can come back to it later to remove/revise what you don't like.

How do you people read translations

>>7659973
I'd recommend reading Shakespeare chronologically. Some advise against it, but I think it's a good way to see his evolution as a playwright.

File: dead-souls-nikolai-gogol-signet-classic-libro-en-ingles-18229-MLA20152777194_082014-F.jpg (185KB, 724x1200px) Image search: [Google]

185KB, 724x1200px

is this edition complete? it's really tiny and half the pages than other editions

>>7662863
JUST DO IT, bro

But honestly just get a dictionary or w/e and start reading the shit. If it's a more complex, like non latin, language, you could use a bit of duolingo until you've got at least the gist of the grammar down, then just start reading. You'll pick up pace after enough time and eventually it gets relatively easy, until you can just read the language. Be warned that being able to read a language, though, doesn't mean you can write it, much less speak it.

File: 1452497719395.jpg (353KB, 1447x2039px) Image search: [Google]

353KB, 1447x2039px

I think im too stupid to read Pynchon, i'm reading CLO49 and im enjoying it from page to page, however i feel a little lost in the plot sometimes and forget the characters

Is this normal? i consider myself fairly new to books, did i jump into the "deep end" to early?

>>7662863
left to right

actually i don't know what you mean, like, why do i disrespectfully read a translation when i can learn the language and read it in the original? laziness and lack of time i guess, but it depends on the author, for example (extreme examples), i'm not going to read Joyce translated, it's useless because it depends a lot on the language and it has a magnificent prose and it's fucking Joyce, if you're so commited to read him you're gonna waste your time if you choose to read him translated, on the other hand, who the fuck cares in what language you read Harry Potter?

obviously, there's the whole world of literature in the middle, it depends on the author and the reader i guess

>>7662956
>forget the characters

Perhaps you're reading too fast, not allowing yourself time to digest and understand each introduced character (assuming they're built upon at all)

>>7662956
That's a common problem with Pynchon, no problem. Try going back and taking notes. Then again, if you're new, maybe save it for later. Lot 49 is by no means the deep end, but it is the deeper end of the shallow water

How do I choose which fucking version of 'x' book to order? There are so many publishers.

What are 'the best' for

Blood Meridian
Inherent Vice
Gravity's Rainbow
Cormac McCarthy's 'Border Trilogy'

>>7662956
Just read more Postmodernism family. The second time I read the book was a much better experience than the first.

File: 1452803795762.png (345KB, 460x590px) Image search: [Google]

345KB, 460x590px

>>7663121
well recommend some then familia

File: Postmodernism.png (2MB, 1100x1800px) Image search: [Google]

2MB, 1100x1800px

>>7663127
Vonnegut and Heller are good introductions into typical postmodern techniques. This is a pretty good wiki chart
teaghlaigh.

>>7663116
help pls ;_;

File: Aguirre.the.Wrath.of.God.1972.PROPER.1080p.BluRay.x264-PHOBOS.mkv_snapshot_01.27.39_[2016.01.30_22.45.02].jpg (905KB, 1440x1080px) Image search: [Google]

905KB, 1440x1080px

>>7661055
I have already gotten Moby-Dick (I read its his favorite book) but can /lit/ recommend anything other?

>>7662956
You aren't stupid anon, that's literally the point with Crying. You are supposed to feel like Oedipa, lost and confused searching for meaning where there appears to be clues. The real kicker is that there is no answer, there is no meaning, there isn't anything there. It's just a lost journey.

Fantastically postmodern, it will help you understand other postmodern works from the 20th century.

Hope you are still monitoring this thread, because I don't want you to feel discouraged and not continue reading Pynchon.

I want to read the Recognitions, and not for the /lit/ meme, I've been interested in Gaddis since before I came to this board.

I understand and have read the giants of American literature, I know it like the back of my hand. GR was actually pretty easy for me. But I bought JR a few years ago and every single attempt is a false start. I can't do it. It's like having 9 different radios tuned to different stations and trying to find nuance and humor in phrases between each different one interacting with the other. I am utterly defeated, and nothing signals these books as difficult to my brain because they are all written in colloquialisms and random babble.

How do I into Gaddis? I'm suffering here, goys.

(Edit: I haven't read Infinite Jest but for different reasons. It was pretty easy it was just boring and pandering as fuck.)

>>7663192
http://www.williamgaddis.org/recognitions/index.shtml

Godspeed.

File: CUQcsgoUYAEPqKh.jpg (50KB, 600x400px) Image search: [Google]

50KB, 600x400px

Is there a mystery book where the book itself (NOT the text in it) is a clue in the book?

>>7663214
I'm the OR and thank you, but seriously? That's it?

>>7657834
it is a sad feels book and this board does have a sad feels cult that enjoy their Pessoa and Snow Country and a couple others.
Hell there are frogposters and feels guy posters on a daily basis

>>7663232
>A Readers Guide to William Gaddis's The Recognitions: the annotations

>>7663216
like how you need the box for MGS1 to get Meryl's CODEC?

>>7663253
exactly like that yeah

like something small like a symbol on the back of the book or something written in fine print hidden somewhere

would b pretty cool if something like that existed

Beach House and Lost In Translation occupy the same space in my mind, are there are literary works that will also occupy that space?

>>7663736
I refuse to watch Lost In Translation.

>>7663736
Murakami and some of Borges

>>7663736
>>7663776
Haven't read any Murakami but I suppose Borges and Calvino can be lumped in with the dreamy aesthetic.

Should I shave my testicles y/n

>>7663854
yes
and read Ulysses

im done with the greeks. want to move over to descartes. What books should i buy?

>>7663905
You should instead recommence with the Romans.

>>7663905
Meditations obviously

>>7662926
>>7662926
>>7662926
plz respond

>>7663905
>im done with the greeks


Kek.

>>7664000
Maybe it's only the first part, I couldn't say for sure though.

>>7663905
>done with the greeks
impossible

>>7663776
wat

>>7663905
An edition of his Meditations, published by either Hackett or Cambridge. Maybe read his SEP article.

>>7663981
have touched it. read meditations.
>>7664012
you know if bernard williams is a good translation?

File: 1428954205363.png (36KB, 129x135px) Image search: [Google]

36KB, 129x135px

can someone link the chart with the guide to philosophy?

I want to read more mystery novels. I really liked "and then there was none" and I would like more stuff that are similar. Not have to be books of the same author, but I would like to read more stuff from her too. Any recs?

>>7663261
sounds like something Eco would do

File: 12660277_1063603280369568_1170272196_n.jpg (62KB, 720x960px) Image search: [Google]

62KB, 720x960px

I just found these in my dad's bookshelves, I've never read Joyce before but I was wondering if there's any specific order I which I should read his novels.

>>7664760
portrait first, if you can read dubliners too. after that ulysses. you will get more enjoyment out of ulysses if you are also familiar with the odyssey.

>>7664777
alright thank you, I appreciate it.

Is Stirners work legit philosophy and if not why

>>7664243
I still got this saved hoped it helps

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1y8_RRaZW5X3xwztjZ4p0XeRplqebYwpmuNNpaN_TkgM/edit?pli=1#

File: 1421124829021.png (464KB, 1745x681px) Image search: [Google]

464KB, 1745x681px

>>7664243
P I G G Y
I
G
G
Y

File: P1020040.jpg (4MB, 4000x2672px) Image search: [Google]

4MB, 4000x2672px

I was elected to be on the judiciary board of a college. What are some necessary works of judicial philosophy? I want to be a well informed justice.

Just blindly read my first book (The Catcher in the Rye). What should I do now, is there a guide to analysis or some shit? im tempted to just move on and read more recommended books

>>7665602
It helps if you take notes as you read. If you notice an interesting detail (character development, tone, themes, prose, even something small like a metaphor), write it down. Then, after you finish, you can use your notes to make connections and notice recurring patterns. Also, it's easy to lose motivation. Set aside time each day and eventually it will become a habit.

>>7665756
>taking notes on fiction
autism

>>7665602
how hard is it to learn braille?

I tried to find it online but its seems rather impossible to find.
does any one have links for translation for Al-farabi's commantry for Plato Laws?
I found this:http://www.amazon.com/The-Political-Writings-Summary-Editions/dp/0801453801
but its way overpriced for me to get at the moment and I couldn't find scans online or through my university's library

>>7665602
If you feel like moving on then move on

Can you anons recommend me some Bildungsroman novels that take place in tribal societies/warrior cultures?

>>7665602
doesn't matter fammm just read another book if you enjoyed it

>>7665955
>$30 for ~200 pages
god bless academia

>>7666052
Its seems like the jerk move to release book only for small amount of big\specialized libraries with no other access to the public. which I don't really want to support all that much.

>>7657421
I'm about halfway through Crime and Punishment, and while I think it's a good book so far, I'm really having trouble trying to understand Raskolnikov's character. I don't really know what to make of him and a lot of his actions simply don't make sense to me.

He's no doubt suffering from the immense guilt that he commited murder, and I think deep down he's a good guy (he gave that one family money for the funeral), but I think he feels immense guilt over the fact that he did commit murder and because of that he acts paranoid and conflicted around the people that want to help him, because of the fact that he thinks he can't be able to connect to them anymore because he's a vile person that commited murder. He also seems incredibly narcisstic though. I don't really know.

Is a lot of stuff simply flying over my head or do his motivations get explained later?

>>7666074
it is the only thing which is viable, if even that is viable. generally speaking only people in academia would be interested in this sort of thing, and the people writing the books and publishing and printing the books have to keep their head above the water somehow.

File: image.jpg (362KB, 1207x1292px) Image search: [Google]

362KB, 1207x1292px

I want to read more Goethe.
Has all of Wilhelm Meister been translated? All anyone ever talks about is Apprenticeship.
Can unread Apprenticeship without reading anything else?

>>7662690
bumpity

Best engish translation of Book of Disquiet-Fernando Pessoa?

What is "marathoning" in regards to reading?

>>7666097
I read Crime And Punishment last year and there is a short, cathartic passage at the end that explains his madness in part. Otherwise it appears that he is simply acting irrationally ashis immense guilt over the murder as well as his fear of being caught by Porfiry has unhinged him.

>>7663116
If the texts were originally written in English get whichever looks better and is within your budget. Obviously.

>>7666329
I'd say that refers to the act of finishing a book in one sitting (though you wouldn't use the term for a short book) but I'd be shocked if there was an official definition

>>7666439
Thanks man, I think you are right in saying that it lacks an actual definition though. Earlier today I heard someone say they "marathoners 20 pages".

What are some books about loneliness?

>>7666456
>"marathoners 20 pages"

Well I guess if a crippled man crawled for half a mile and wanted to call it a 'marathon' it's only polite to humor them

>>7666462
my diary tbqh