/lit/ - Literature

Haven't yet finished Confessions of Zeno, but in the meantime I read Neil Shubin's Your Inner Fish. It was okay. I was looking for a deeply informative book on tiktaalik and the rise of amphibians, reptiles, and mammals, but instead it was more of a memoir of Shubin's research, and not a very well written memoir either (there's a grammatical error on the very first page). It's a lot of "I went here, I met these people, and I did this," rather than thorough explorations and explanations of how evolution occurred. It boasts an interesting topic on the cover, so it's a shame I can't recommend it.

I wrote today for the first time in a week and it's almost all usable.

I'm doing the notebook challenge. Today I decided to brain dump about the historical fiction I'm working on and I filled up 7 pages over my coffee break. Writing is so fun on days like today.

Update: I finished the Kreutzer Sonata. I liked it. It was my favorite of Tolstoy's shorter works which I've read.

I thought it was interesting that the tale is told from a first-person point of view, which is something Tolstoy rarely does. I can't think of anything else I've read by him where he does this. But what's interesting is that the first-person narrator is clearly not Tolstoy's voice, instead it is Pozdnyshev, while the narrator's voice is that of the reader (me or you). However, it's also important to remember that Pozdnyshev isn't merely a mouthpiece for Tolstoy, that would be a pretty weak form of narrative, but everyone who exists in Pozdnyshev's story is also Tolstoy's character, including the wife.

On one hand, the autobiographical elements of the story are disturbing, because there is the suggestion that Tolstoy may have at some point fantasized about murdering his wife. It is known that Tolstoy's marriage was not the happiest, and Pozdnyshev's considerations of running away from his family to America echo Tolstoy's final moments. On the other hand, Pozdnyshev is in tears by the end of the story, acknowledging in his epiphany the humanity of his late wife and his own. One evil act begets another more evil act.

Overall, I really enjoyed it. Next, I am going to read Confessions of Zeno by Italo Svevo.

>be me
>go on /lit/
>filters have automatically hidden 137 threads
>feels bad man
>I will turn of my computer, go outside and read a book today (The Kreutzer Sonata)
>feels good man

This is by far the most hostile board I browse. I don't know why we can't be kind and have fun together.

In this thread, talk about books you like without being mean to others.

>>21709528
That's alright man. Feel free to discuss your feels. A fren of a fren is a fren.

>>21693364
It was the second book I read in English and it will always have a special place in my heart. I liked that concept that you have to earn your right to meddle in politics by your willingness to die (surviving bootcamp) to earn your franchise. It was gay though that women could enroll to bootcamp. Shaped my Christian worldview and the respect I have for military and soldiers in general.

What are some happy, optimistic, comfy or life affirming books?

I'm gonna try talking to a girl (female).

>>20216702
I just want Stacy Lovesmycock

>>19819044
I'm happy for you anon, good job!

>>19758225
Based Gen Z, I made a thread about that translation about a month ago, how are you liking it? I thought it was clunky in terms of english, but very precise, and liked that he kept the enjambements where they were

>>18458966
>>18459014
>read a book in a bar waiting for friends to arrive
it's not so difficult guys, you just have to read while also having a healthy social life. None of the two things is inherently good if taken alone, but both are good for you if taken in the correct doses - with good books and people you value and who value you back. Try to live a good life anons. Reading is fun, and having friends is good.

>>18337058
I'm happy you're happy fren

>>18047884
Games are fun but I cannot shake off the feeling that I wasted my time every time I spend more than one hour gaming. This is true for most media except books. I feel like most media (and possibly a large number of books) are escapism in the sense that they distract me from reality. Of course, I need that distraction and release from tension, sometimes, but if I do it all the time I end up being depressed. Not only for the loss of time.
To make a comparison, being in bed all day is nice, but after a while it feels horrible: your body needs movement. The same is true for the mind. The mind is supposed to make experiences, think and feel. Games and anime are, more often than not, a way to reduce the range of your feelings to the very few, unthreatening ones, you can gather under the umbrella definition of "having fun".
On the other hand, reading gets you into these feelings - all kinds - and thoughts. Of course, there is literature that is pure escapism (as there are games, movies or other medias that connect you to reality), but good literature is overwhelmingly effective in making you feel like you are "here", at least in my case. When I read, I am present, I don't know how else to describe it. I am not just into the book, I am in reality, because I am actively thinking about something and not just being stimulated to feel that I am "having fun". This is a rewarding feeling that you may want to chase, and I think it is what draws people to good books.

Any books that have given a convincing or profound answer to the question "what's the meaning of life?" rather than the usual trite faggotry or pseud drivel?

What is a Finnegans Wake?

>>16959806
you're fun anon