/lit/ - Literature

I read a poem today that you might appreciate.

Elegy for Minor Poets, by Louis MacNeice


Who often found their way to pleasant meadows
Or maybe once to a peak, who saw the Promised Land,
Who took the correct three strides but tripped their hurdles,
Who had some prompter they barely could understand,
Who were too happy or sad, too soon or late,
I would praise these in company with the Great;

For if not in the same way, they fingered the same language
According to their lights. For them as for us
Chance was a coryphaeus who could be either
An angel or an ignis fatuus.
Let us keep our mind open, our fingers crossed;
Some who go dancing through dark bogs are lost.

Who were lost in many ways, through comfort, lack of knowledge,
Or between women’s breasts, who thought too little, too much,
Who were the world’s best talkers, in tone and rhythm
Superb, yet as writers lacked a sense of touch,
So either gave up or just went on and on–
Let us salute them now their chance is gone;

And give the benefit of the doubtful summer
To those who worshipped the sky but stayed indoors
Bound to a desk by conscience or by the spirit’s
Hayfever. From those office and study floors
Let the sun clamber on to the notebook, shine,
And fill in what they groped for between each line.

>been browsing here for about six months

>was sort of an avid reader
>but now realise a whole world to explore in the classics after all the autistic sperging

>now I read around 30 books a year
>don't have a problem with genre fiction because most of you aren't secretly that elitist
>and neither am I

>but haven't had the time because there is just too much to explore literature wise
>Stoner and Steppenwolf were dope as fuck and i'm shocked i've never heard of them before

>actually started to give a fuck about which translations to use and it has improve my reading immensely
>started to give a fuck about reading between the lines, much more than in highschool
>started reading poetry for the first time in my life and its amazing!
>have slowed down on video games and youtube because it cuts into reading time

>I recognise what lit is probably too complex for me but I think i'm improving my understanding a little bit everyday
>am genuinely excited when I'm confident enough to "start with the Greeks"
>Reread the Theben plays and now they take on a whole new meaning than from when I read it when i was 17
>have about a 30 year backlog based due to your wiki site and the dozens of recommendations I see a day here

Thanks for memeing me lit :)

>>8287462
Please don't be like that. But I understand what you're saying.

I never had much social life and found some pretty nasty websites at an early age which were pretty much echo chambers for neo-Nazis. It gave me a place of belonging and the ideology made me feel like I was a very special person.

Small steps I guess

>tfw want to read but my eyes hurt

ITT: the best bromances of literature

Uncle Toby and Corporal Trim: true loyalty, best games, Trim is best wingman.

>be me, 20 year old uni student
>social anxiety disorder
>teacher is talking about Crime and Punishment
>know everything he's saying, understand perfectly
>asks who's read it
>put my hand up slightly
>asks what the surprising turn is in relation to the idea that social conventions can be broken by extraordinary individuals
>want so desperately just to say that he becomes guilty, and this shows that conscience is the voice of God, as is Dosto's style
>instead just stutter "it's been a while since I read it"
>teacher looks disappointed

Why is this the way, /lit/?

>>7821507

he's great. This guy has had the most impact on my happiness on life, along with others. I'm ugly and virgin at 25 but I'm working on my PhD, getting fit and my hobbies. You'll forget the pain that you suffered in the past and your own mortality. You'll see the present as a eternity, so everything you do does actually mater, and it's always worth it to take risks

>mfw a strong alpha STEMlord cucks me