/lit/ - Literature

>It is true, I suppose, that nobody finds it exactly pleasant to be criticized or shouted at, but I see in the face of the human being raging at me a wild animal in its true colors, one more horrible than any lion, crocodile or dragon. People normally seem to be hiding this true nature, but an occasion will arise (as when an ox sedately ensconced in a grassy meadow suddenly lashes out with its tail to kill the horsefly on its flank) when anger makes them reveal in a flash human nature in all its horror. Seeing this happen has always induced in me a fear great enough to make my hair stand on end, and at the thought that this nature might be one of the prerequisites for survival as a human being, I have come close to despairing of myself.

Not so much modern, but it definitely isn't greek. No Longer Human by Osamu Dazai. Super depressing book by a Japanese author that committed sudoku after it was published and working in another piece.

I believe there was also an anime adaptation of it and I know that the charter Dazai from Bungo Stray Dogs was named after the author.

Is it even worth reading translations of Japanese fiction? I mean the languages are so different the style is most probably lost in the process.

Read Dazai but didn't like the prose really, about to read Mishima and I feel like the same thing is going to happen

>>13780267
I recommend starting with the basics (The Greeks) and high school senior level lit. So stuff like The Iliad, The Stranger, The Republic, The Odyssey, 1984, The Trial, The Catcher in the Rye, Brave New World, Metamorphosis, The Great Gatsby, Of Mice and Men, East of Eden etc.
Harder stuff would be Infinite Jest, Phenomenology of Spirit and so on.
Good luck anon!

>This year I am twenty-seven.
>My hair has become much greyer.
>Most people would take me for over fourty.

Way too much shit I could already relate to on a literal level in that book.

Just read pic related. Enjoyed it a lot and want to talk about it. Thoughts and analyses?

>juden attempts to discredit the only approachable meditation guide for everyday westerner

No Longer Human

i just got into an English MA. what am i going to encounter, and how fucked am i?

>>13414654
Oof. I honestly feel sorry for women. The point used to be to marry a man while they're young and pretty who would be obliged to be with them even when their looks rapidly deteriorate. Now they get to 35+ and have zero chance of marrying a successful guy. The most they'll get is some accidental pregnancy from a one night stand with a high chance of an age-related miscarriage.

>Undergrad studying phil and econ
>Not a single friend during my three years
>Social anxiety so always reading
>Want to kms

Books to make me feel less lonely?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jqh6CV-dbE8
/lit/ BTFO

>>13314458
A breakup text from my ex.

>tfw I always relate to the characters the author wants me to hate

What did I think of it /lit/?

After writing for many years, I've come to accept that I will never succeed. My writing isn't great, I'm uninteresting, and the odds are wholly against an inadequate man like me. I've since deleted all my writings in a delirious fit of rage.

This thought has always been in the back of my mind but I pushed it aside, knowing that I could never succeed with a defeated outlook. But here I am. Perhaps my accepting of this fact has been made more painful because of my former romanticist view of the world– Idealizing a future of recognition and my creating beautiful literature.

The hope of success was the only thing that I valued about life. I couldn't kill myself as long as I knew that the possibility of success existed. With that wall collapsed, the fear of a failed suicide is the only thing that has been fighting my urge to end it all.

It's obvious that I'm an attention whore, announcing my problems in hopes of receiving sympathy; yes, I am aware of this. But I come with another message. Thank you, /lit/, for all the recommendations, critiques, Wittgenstein memes, and for providing me with a sense of community. Literature has brought me so much joy and I'm thankful that I discovered such beauty in this world. Yes, I ranted about the pains of writing, but it did keep me alive up until now. I know many of you are writers and I hope you all remain stronger than I was and find happiness, whether it be through a writing career or other things in life. It will soon be curtains for me.

>>12875849
I'm shocked to read such a good post on this board full of drooling brainlets.

>>12860945
he really had to go and burn the hello kitty umbrella.

Give me something to prevent me from blowing my head off from the thought that I will more than likely die alone without experiencing true love

>>12852867
Going through the same thing, anon. College application essays are impossible to write when I'm trying to be honest. It feels dishonest to advertise myself as some unique, promising individual who would be "fit" for a college.

>>12834171
>I practically have No Longer Human memorized at this point.
iktf

How do I know if I've been in love? I've never been in a relationship. I've only "liked" girls.

>>12808150