john updike

>>9520205
HEHEHEHEHEHE ANOTHER EPIC IDENTITY POLITICS BAIT THREAD DISGUISED AS A LITERATURE THREAD

HEHEHE

>>9520205
First-rate stylist but the stories and characters are dull.

Has some great novels, but they are sometimes weighed down by Updike's ego, lack of empathy

>>9520205
No. He's one of those authors that's up his own ass.

>>9520923
that's funny, the dude looks gross af

Always goes into peculiar detail about the hair-thinning patterns of his balding characters. Always. It's like his favorite physiognomic keyhole.

>>9520205
I have never met a single person who's read anything by him.

>>9520205
I've read The Rabbit Tetralogy (four books going through the life of Harold "Rabbit" Angstrom), The Centaur, Roger's Version, gave up halfway through on The Witches of Eastwick, Couples and Seek My Face (all of which, like all his other works, were beautifully written, but which didn't have very compelling plots/characters and which you could tell wouldn't become any more interesting at that point in the book), and also random short stories by him.

You should read at least one of his books for his beautiful style, if nothing else. He's one of the best stylists of the 20th century, when he/his editor hasn't left in a mediocre (but still flowery) passage in, of course.

I would suggest The Centaur and Rabbit Tetralogy, but I warn you that the beginning 20 pages or so of The Centaur, for whatever reason, are absolutely atrocious; but then after that the book begins to have some of the greatest prose of the 20th century, maybe of all American/English literature, and some of the best of his own writing I've read so far.

everyone says Updike is an asshole, and I used to agree, but honestly, he's like that friend who's an asshole and has an assholey sense of humor but you're still friends with them because you know they're nice sometimes and on the inside they're nice people. Honestly, some of his works have very touching moments, and I have a very deep sentimental attachment to The Rabbit Tetralogy and its characters for whatever reason. His other works, though ... I couldn't care less about his characters in them.

But yeah, he does come across as a chauvinist and asshole.

>>9521828
You're trying too hard, Cheever.

>>9520219
This. I've read half of Rabbit, Run and can't be arsed to finish it because nothing is happening. His prose is wonderful though.

I wish he wrote more poetry.

>>9522031
Cheever is based if he can get a good man like Susan's father.

desu the best way to read his books are to skim everything but when the characters are ruminating over their lives or fucking.

>>9520205
He annoys me, but not for any reason to do with his writing. I haven't read anything he's wrote other than the odd excerpt here and there. What annoys me is that he was such an antinomian.

>>9522630
He wasn't gay, Updike, what are you even on about.

>>9522912
cheever? v gay

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>>9522912
>pretending to not watch Seinfeld

>>9521847
Interesting, I actually picked up and considered a copy of The Centaur on a 25 cent rack this afternoon (had no cash on me). I think I'll see if it's still there this weekend.

>>9520205
What's updike?

>>9520205
microcephaly

never read anything by the guy but i recently bought a used copy of terrorist that contained a readymade bookmark in the form of its previous owner's gastroenterologist appointment card.

>>9524206
Not much dyke, what's up with you?

>>9520205
>>9521009
>>9524222
I wish someone would photoshop him to have a normal face/head ratio. It's freaking me out.

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>>9524354

Rabbit is a fantastic character. It's interesting to see which aspects of his character changes as America changes through 4 different decades.

>>9524623
Rabbit, Run
>Rabbit runs away from his pregnant wife and son
>comes back home, shacks up with prostitue
>alchy doormat wife takes him back
>he runs away again, she drowns their baby

Redux:
>Rabbit moves in with some crazy nigger and Boomer bimbo
>strained relationship with son
>some other shit happens
>house burns down, gets back with wife

Is rich:
>Sells cars or some shit
>infedelity
>o geez I'm getting old

At Rest:
>almost fucks son's wife or something
>thinks about death
>old people swinger orgy in Aruba
>dies playing basketball (kek)

Unironically love the novels though

>>9524206
Other dykes usually

>>9522743
He annoys me because of his writing. Like >>9522111 said, I read about five pages of Witches of Eastwick and put it down because something about his voice is incredibly smug

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>>9520205
How is it possible to be so fucking ugly? It's like every picture of him is through a fish-eye lens. Every feature of his face is an overblown insult to human characteristics. Would never read anything from an ugly fuck like that. Who reads ugly writers anyway?

>>9526041

Sure thing, Adonis.

why is his head like 85% face?

>>9523697
>Implying I'm Philistine enough to care about the seedy origins of the Reverend Costanza J. Pegg