/lit/ - Literature

>>17224592
Yes, that one.

>>17224600
>Fuck podcasts, don't have it filtered through pop philosophy fruits. Youre better off just reading it.
I kind of agree on you with this, but unfortunately as a wageslave I have a pretty long daily commute and listening to the radio is not an option so I figured maybe listen to something that would support my reading.

>>17224502
notrelated.xyz
A nice condensed summary of random books

>>17224502
I've not listened before but I have heard good things about The Hemingway List

>>17224502

>>17224508
It was my Master's desu

>>17224809
Honestly if you are in the master's program only and not in PHD you're literally just a brainlet. Embarrassing.

>>17224824
I'm starting my PHD now

>>17224498
No, you found out that a degree in humanities is literally nothing more than a elaborate joke

>>17224498
Jesus christ, yes. You could have used writing sample software to measure the IQ of popular literature across genres and time and actually discovered something. But you studied commas in a thoroughly investigated book. You are a retard

>>17224419
>look at the soviet union and youll realize the soviets never stood a chance
Yea, the chink cucks went first human to space and still uses soviet made rockets (renaming doesnt make they chinkcrap made) and they fought in the fucking most hoorible war in history and ended in enemy capital (not the americans did all job in pacific, chinkcuck only suck japanese cock)
Chinks were lucky to have ussr in their backdoor and US who invest fucking billons to their economy and gave them tech - thats all "chinas smartneASS"
USSR at least did and improove something by yourself and have some sense in his existence and history
China is literally noncense fucking uselles peace of garbage

>>17224419
please, visit china, moron deserves it.

>>17225217
You should take your meds

Bump for recs

Where should i start for translated chinese literature? I tried Romance of the Three Kingdoms but i was too name-y for me.

>>17224388
Barbara Mertz and Jan Assmann

Where do I start with the esoteric egyptian mysteries?

>>17224388
Temple of the Cosmos by Jeremy Naydler

Story of Sinuhe.

>>17224388
>>17224497
you have to start here
I am not shitposting

>>17224365
la dispute rules

>>17224895
What's la dispute anon?

>>17224890
never stop experimenting, you only get better by trying, just let the sense of fun be the prime motivator

>>17224938
they're a rock n' roll band who produced the music video that OP's pic is from

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ExaL3xH0IiI

>>17224957
Nice sounds, thanks for the link anon

>>17224363
Non-fiction to face reality.
Fiction to escape it.

Non-fiction. Fiction is escapism, and therefore cope and cringe

>>17224363
Fiction, since there's no such thing as nonfiction.

>>17224363
I don't really judge books by whether they are fiction or non-fiction I just read it if I am interested which I wouldn't say skews to one side too much

>>17224380
I think it's the other way around.
Non-fiction acquaints you with a "reality" which will never be real for you (unless it's self-help or some shit).
Conversely fiction forces you to confront realities about your own existence and very real, immediate emotions.

>>17224356
saved thanks anon

>>17224356
What did you use to do this anon? Also, good selection.

>>17224356
Good list and that, don't think Dead Souls fits tho, I know it's not like a massive tome or anything, but the one I have is still like 400 pages. Maybe there's editions out there with just the first part and that's why.

>>17224469
I used a shitty app called "My library", and screenshot the books and compiled in one image because I'm poor and don't have a pc; But I believe you can find a program for pc just by typing "Book list maker","book shelf maker" or something like that

I remember reading an interview where Krazhnahorkai said Baron Wenkheim's Homecoming was the last book in his "trilogy" with the other two being Satantango and The Melancholy of Resistance. I'm sure it stands on his own merit, but the author wanted it to be read within the context of his other works.

>>17224337
Yes. No.
You should read Satantango, Melancholy of Resistance, War & War and then this one.

You can just read it. LK is one of my favorite authors, I read melancholy, Satantango, and war & war beforehand but I don’t think I had to.

>>17224753
From what I understand, BWH isn't really part of a "trilogy" it's just the book he was trying to right from the start. He said he wasn't satisfied with Satantango, so he wrote Melancholy of Resistance, he wasn't satisfied with that either so he wrote War and War, again he wasn't satisfied. He said he only ever meant to write one book, and considers BWH to be that one book.

>>17225439
>the book he was trying to right from the start.
Whoops, I definitely meant "write."

>>17224814
is this ironic? i genuinely can't tell with all the pain in your voice

>>17224333
>Post lewd pics to fap too
>too
retard

>>17225347
trolling is a art form autistic faggot

>>>/b/

>>17225567
>>>/lgbt/

>>17224292
>I'm smart because.. I'm smart!
Admittedly, Gore Vidal has somewhat created by himself the modern image an archetype of smug pretentious midwit who thinks he's intelligent, so that had some artistic ingenuity. That is, he was the first.

>>17224343
He's the only Based American in History.

>>17224479
I live in a mixed-economy country

>>17224489
aren't we all

>>17224479
you've had about 100 years of young people critizing our economic system. what new ideas have you come up with that weren't talked about a century ago?

>>17224584
Our most recent luminaries have determined that billionaires aren't oppressive if they're black or women and so on

>>17224584
capitalist realism

>>17227996
every american should be shot

>>17228008
>deep state is real, but no it's just the CIA controlling antifa
the meme keeps getting worse and worse

>>17228024
>allow me to put words in your mouth
Allow me to put cock in your mouth you stupid little commie troon

>>17228066
>seething
just like those boomers in DC

>>17224180
OP everyone here is useless, they only care and understand philosophical waffle
go ask /out/ or /diy/.

>>17224156
B

>>17224156
For Anglo-Protestant aesthetics? Authorized King James.

>>17224266
That's sad

my dad has a copy of this book and i'd read it sometimes. it's obviously fiction, but still worth reading

>>17224266
I'm male btw

>>17224151
it seem's well written and the chapter regarding interdimensional exploration is fucking interesting

>>17224225
If you go to India you'll only find India. Go within.

>>17224078
>he thinks this is a new interpretation
How recently arrived are you to /lit/? Anyone who actually likes Moby-Dick, loves the non-narrative chapters most because they are the most thematically important. Good interpretation but you seem to believe this is more novel than it really is.

>>17224078
>Hear me out.
Your constant begging for attention and recognition made me stop reading. Try reddit next time.

all that gay shit just to say
>the virgin contemplater vs the Chad doer

>>17224078
>not being confused but interested
>not slowly become obsessed with whale lore
>not spending hours and hours on wikipedia learning about the whales mentioned
>not trying to legit buy whale oil on the black market
>not genuinely picturing yourself swimming in the oil pool of a whales head
>not go insane and legit question what its like to live life like a whale
>not despising the book because its made you a fucking weirdo
>not not being able to put it down because the obsession has infected your soul
>not having the realisation that youve just become Ahab and that the author was a mad genius

Did you even read the book?

>>17224078
>chapters where nothing happens
I hate this so fucking much.

>>17224052
I think it depends.

>High virtue is not virtuous ...
>Low virtue never loses virtue ...

What does your annotation say? The original line says "上德不德,是以有德;下德不失德,是以無德。". The first half roughly means "上德者不自恃有德 (high-virtuous men don't think themselves virtuous)", while the second half means "下德者恪守形式上的徳 (low-virtuous men adhere to the forms of virtues)". Here, "不失德" carries the meaning "won't give up on virtues", implying obsession. In fact, "不失德者,執而未化也。(those who are unable to lose virtues are attached, and thus not 'enlightened'.)". There's no english word for "化", so enlightenment is the closest one, but it's quite different from enlightenment.

So, I think the first line already answers your question. It's not that you can or cannot "induce" a virtuous life, but rather why do you want a virtuous life? (and all the questions leading from it.) It's like the nirvana thing the chinese buddhists often say: you either get it, or you don't. You can mimic a virtuous life for 1000 years and still don't get it, or the mimicry can lead to you getting it, so that it becomes your 'tao'. Either way, you still need to 'get it'. Also, notice the hierarchy (hence the 'lose this, then lose that' lines.)
道>德>仁>義>禮
While 德 is usually lumped together with morality and goodness, it's actually more akin to forms of ideas. This hierarchy is describing the genesis of idea to relationship to behavior to society. So it's a bit misleading to talk about virtues.

>>17224611
this is too heavy to deal with today, but you are the second person to suggest it today.

>>17224801
>There's no english word for "化", so enlightenment is the closest one, but it's quite different from enlightenment.
in what way would you describe the difference?
>why do you want a virtuous life?
I don't know if it matters, but this>>17224514 basically. I can think of some other reasons, but that's really the one. Maybe you could see it as a form of attachment to guilt, I don't know. I think it made me terrified of acting in general.

Maybe this is like trying to put a band-aid on the wind, but do either of you have knowledge of tai chi/qi gong practices? I think I need something to do.

>>17224929
i do yoga, and i have tried tai chi, not seriously, but it definitely has something. and i mean, if it wakes your curiosity try it out, and yes, it sounds like doing something is the best step forward for you :)

Based thread. I was also confused by this chapter (among many others)

What's the Taoist perspective on Jesus' "Love your neighbor as yourself?"

>>17224611
Faking love til you truly love is also what C.S. Lewis recommends. Could it be rewritten as "be benevolent until you love"?

Is this what the Tao means by no-action? Once you love, being is sufficient and you no longer act/move?

>>17225456
i'm not an expert, but i think the christian contribution to the great religions is exactly this ethos of ethos, loving your neighbor, and so on. while the eastern religions have a larger focus on the individual and self-development.

the closest thing that comes to mind is:
“When the world's on the Way,
they use horses to haul manure.
When the world gets off the Way,
they breed warhorses on the common.

The greatest evil: wanting more.
The worst luck: discontent.
Greed's the curse of life.

To know enough's enough
is enough to know.”

that resting in yourself and in Tao will give way to a better world, so helping others by proxy.

>>17225004
Druon unexplicably switched the style, viewpoint and narrative angle to one random character presenting as one long inner monologue. Dedious as fuck, but the rest of the series are excellent/great with some odd misstep or two. I have read the all but the last two at least four or five times.

For me, its Marie Cressey (I've only read book 1 so far)

>>17225664
Yeah quite enjoying it so far, my main criticism is that the characters aren't developed enough. The only one who seem three dimensional so far are Marie, Guccio, and Philip IV

>American author George R. R. Martin called The Accursed Kings "the original game of thrones", citing Druon's novels as an inspiration for his own series A Song of Ice and Fire.

and discarded

>>17227289
Apparently "inspiration" is a generous phrase; Martin basically stole the plot of the first three books from Les Rois Maudits. Then he ran out of material to plagiarize and subsequently fell into the doldrums of writer's block he has been in for the last eight years or so.

>>17225718
Is it good?

>>17223976
Turning books into a market for the masses was a mistake. If LOTR has been written and that was it, everything would be wonderful. You like the odyssey? Now imagine millions of books had been written in the “odyssey genre” by talentless hacks who are all terrible derivatives of the first book they’re ripping off. Hopefully a few thousand years will wash away every derivative from existence, so that only the classic can survive. Eat shit grim dark boomer authors

>>17225724
Yeah

>>17225732
That's not really Tolkien's fault, though.

>>17223984