/lit/ - Literature

>Reading Infinite Jest
>Every female within 30 miles comments on the size of the book
>Try desperately to create conversation with me
>"I'm trying to read."
>"Oh, sorry"

>Reading Infinite Jest on the tour bus before we get to the restaurant
>Everybody needs to get a joke in about the size of the book
>One guy asks me "What's it about?"
>"Everything"
>"But, really, what's it about?"
>"Sit down and shut up and eat your food."

>>1984192
I hate when people ask what it's about, I summed it up by saying crackheads and tennis and people look at me like i'm retarded.

>Reading Infinite Jest
>Mother walks in
>I had a look at that earlier, seemed like a load of inconsequential guff
>Agreed but kept reading anyway

>>1984196
I answer straight off of the blurbs from the back of the book. "What's Infinite Jest about? Oh, it's only a work of genius .... grandly ambitious, wickedly comic, a wild surprisingly readable tour de force."

"Oh this book? It's a gargantuan, mind-altering comedy about the pursuit of happiness in America."

>their faces when

Why the fuck are you all reading Infinite Jest?

>reading Problems of Philosophy
>dad notices it and asks if he can read it after
>I say no and joke around saying it's 2deep4u
>Goes on a rant saying how he knew about Russell before I even existed, etc. etc.
>trollface.jpeg

>>1984217
I need to start doing that. Like, really. Then again some of the shit my buddies have come up with in response to the crackhead thing are pretty funny.

>>1984226
God, I love that shit. I wish my dad asked to borrow my books after I'm done.

>reading a book
>asked what it's about
>how the fuck am I supposed to know, If I'm still reading it.

>reading a book on pedophilia (written by a pedophile) for abnormal psych paper
>casual lecture buddy asks what I'm reading during another class
>oh... it's just this book... about nothing really
>asks to look at it; flips through it
>next day, he sits in the opposite side of class
>never talks to me again

>airport in '09
>cracked open Finnegans Wake for the first time
>15 minutes in, guy next to me says:
>What the hell is that book about, and what is that word?
>points to "bababdalgharakt...."
>there is absolutely no way to answer those questions
>I say: it depends on how you read it
>looks at me funny, turns away
>;_;

>>1984242
Dude. I can top this.

I once walked into a Women's Studies class to survey the course and sat down with my girlfriend across from a group of pretty attractive girls who are all smiling at me and trying to catch my eye.

I put down the stack of books I've been carrying around to take home, and on top of the stack, plain visible to these girls is a hardcover book with the massive title emblazoned across the front:

"CARNAL CRIMES: SEXUAL ASSAULT LAW IN CANADA, 1900-1975"

I give them all the troll face as their faces change from flirtatious smile to absolute horror.

..... problem? :)

>reading House of Leaves
>Dad goes "what's it about?"
>show him this
>let him read a few dozen pages, gets into it
>He reads the whole thing after I finish
>everythingwentbetterthanexpected.tiff

>reading A Tale of a Tub
>girlfriend at the time comments that it must be very funny since i'm laughing to myself as i read
>"oh yeah it really is"
>start to explain it her
>she doesn't get it
>keep going, explaining some of the background history of the period too
>she still doesn't get it
>she bursts out with "you always fucking talk down to me as if i'm stupid" and then storms off
>we barely talk for the rest of the holiday

Thanks for that Swift.

>>1984254
>going on vacation with dumb bitches
>2011

You brought that upon yourself, brother. Don't blame Swift.

>taking a tax class
>woman next to me is a 40 year old black single mother cop
>"Whatcha reading? Oh, Crime and Punishment? Great choice. What did you think about ... "
>everythingwentbetterthanexpected.jpg

>be reading any pynchon novel ever
>"what's that about?" they ask
>"i have no idea."

>>1984265
Black single mothers who are cops are the salt of the earth and everything that is good about this world.

>Traveling.
>At a McDonald's for lunch.
>Reading McIntyre's "Whose Justice? Which Rationality?"
>Trucker dude asks me what I'm reading.
>I tell him.
>He asks if it is about moral relativism.
>I tell him no, and then explain McIntyre's project, mostly summarizing "After Virtue".
>Trucker is really interested.
>End up spending too long on lunch and get to my destination late.

>mom ask what I'm reading
>"Slaughterhouse Five. I bet you would like it mom"
>"I don't really like those violent, gory books you read son"
>"Its not gory mom. Its called Slaughterhouse Five because thats the name of the slaughterhouse they kept them in as POWs in Dreden during WWII. "
>"Oh, I probably would like it then"
>"and then the main character becomes unstuck in time and is abducted by aliens"
>"nevermind, it sounds stupid"
>"its autobiographical"

My parents refuse to read or watch anything that isn't "realistic". Anything that involves something that couldn't happen in real life is "stupid" cause "its not real".

>>1984253
>be reading that
>someone sees a page
>wow, whats that about?

>uhh, a drug addicted tattoo parlor worker who finds a manuscript by a blind, crazy old man adapted from a documentary that doesn't exist about a family that moves into a house that leads into a different dimension... or something

>>1984281
>you are now realizing that if your mother was a teenaged boy, she'd play Call of Duty on her xbox 360 all day errday, manually.

>>1984268
>reading Gravity's Rainbow
>little brother asks what it's about
>"rockets and stuff"
>he keeps asking about it
>show him the scat scene
>he doesn't ask about my books anymore

>>1984268

haha, this

>Reading V
>Friend asks what it's about
>I'm not sure yet, but I'm only halfway through
>Asks again a week later
>I'm still not sure. I have about a hundred pages left. It'll probably all come together soon
>I finish the book
>Friend asks if I can finally tell him what it was about
>Fuck you, Thomas Pynchon

>>1984304
Yep pretty much. I just told people that it's about the Whole Sick Crew. Seriously, I only understood half that book, all the flashbacks fucked me over.

No one cares about what I'm reading.

>On a school trip. Staying in hotel.
>Reading a book about John Locke
>Flaming gay obsessed-with-fashion minstrel friend walks in on me reading book.
>Starts listing the various works of Locke he's read.

mfw

>reading lolita in a starbuck
>a girl tell me that's her favourite book
>keep talking about how much humbert "loves" lolita
>she's my girlfriend now
>she fucks like a goddess

>reading American Gods
>father asks what it's about
>"well, it's about this war between old gods of pagan religions and new gods like television and internet, but it's really a me-"
>"fine, if you don't want to tell me you don't have to"

lol

bump

>>1984340
Is that really the plot of the book? Fuck me, you faggots will read anything.

>reading mein kampf
>no one talks to me

>>1984288
You managed to sneak four memes into that post. GG.

>>1984340
>it's about this war between old gods of pagan religions and new gods like television and internet

That is a really shitty concept. I hope you're trolling.

>>1984400
>POMF
>Green Text
>You are now realizing, manually
>COWADOOTY
>all day errday

I count 5.

>>1984403
never underestimate how shitty gaiman is

>>1984416
>Gaiman
>not reading the Sandman, and watching Coraline, and that's it.
>2011

I wish I could tell everyone.

>>1984411
Hm, I'd consider "manually" a separate meme, so I'd say six.

>>1984304
>>1984311

so why do you read books you don't understand?

> 5 years ago, high-school
> reading Foundation by Asimov
> classmate reads the title by looking at the cover
> "hey Anon why are you reading books about building houses?"
> "err... it's not about buil-"
> then classmate laughs at me and leaves.

>>1984486
If I knew I wasn't gonna understand it when I started, I woulda never read the motherfucker.

>sitting at class, reading Lolita
> Guy walks up to me
> "Pale Fire is better."
> Guy leaves.
> mfw I like Lolita more because I find pedophilia more interesting than poetry.

>>1984575
>mfw King Queen Knave is my secret favorite because of hot nerd on cougar action

When anyone asks I say Pale Fire, Despair, or Ada, but if you looked into my heart you'd see otherwise.

>>1984368
>American Gods
>Bad

>>1984486
to try to understand it

>>1984575
wow that sounds like something someone from /lit/ would do

>>1984281
Oh god I hate that. My mom thinks reality TV is the pinnacle of television since it's real.

At least she just watches those forensics shows instead of Jersey shore or some shit.

Side note, my aunt loves just normal reality tv like biggest loser and shit.
One time she's watching Biggest Loser (contest for fat guys to lose weight or some shit)
I go:
>There's no way that's real
>"Excuse me?"
>The show, it's all fake
>What do you mean, they're not actors, this is real.
>I know they're not actors, no one could do that. It's CGI
>No it isnt what are you talking abuot, what's CGI
>The people
>her face

>>1984651
>fantasy
>good

>>1984304
>Reading V
Rage, console wars and not vidya.

>reading notes from the underground
>no one talks to me
>i'm the underground man

>>1984674
you should actively try to convince them that that stuff is not real. lead them to a conscience crisis or something
then take notes on their behaviour

>>1984689
Haha, will do anon. We'll stop reality TV's stranglehold on America's audience even if it is just one person at a time!

>>1984675

>>1984698

We can make a reality show about the disillusionment brought on by the realization that no one on Survivor ever gets a sunburn.

>>1984717
>the disillusionment brought on by the realization

I know you think you can write, but, uh, you can't.

>>1984717
we could make a reality show about hating reality shows and bringing them down

>reading a book by Paula Poundstone
>Teacher walks over
>I'm the only student with whom he can enjoy conversations about James Joyce, Jane Austen, Goethe, and Thomas Mann.
>He tells me I'm "the most widely-read person" he knows.
>Feels good man.

Sequel:
>That book wasn't particularly great.

>Buy High Fidelity after watching the movie
>Guy sees me around, asks what I'm doing
>Tell him I bought a book
>Asks what it's about
>"people... who like music... and they get dumped by other people... and they do stuff."
>it's actually pretty accurate
>also, that book is terrible, at least the movie is viewable.

>>1984755
Fuck off, that book was great.

>>1984763
no, every character makes me rage

>>1984755
>viewable
anything is viewable if you have a working set of eyes, nigga

>>1984789
really

>>1984789
I think that was the point, he's implying the book is so bad that's not even readable while on the FLIPSIDE the movie was good enough to be at least deemed possible to watch.

>>1984674
Ugh, original guy here.

All my parents watch are those crime investigation shows on court tv. Not like CSI, but the real ones about people who get murdered, like 48 Hours Mystery and shit. That crap gets depressing after a while.

>>1984793
Exactly.

>Reading House of Leaves
>Some random dude shouts: "Yo! Walt Whitman rules!!"

mon visage quand

>>1984804
>be obsessed with that book
>classmates made fun of me because I was reading it all the time
>talking to old classmate on facebook the other day
>"Jeez Jeff, go read Leaves of Grass or whatever"

mfw

>reading mein kampf on the train
>lady stares at me for about 2 minutes
>calls me a "freagkin' dirty nazi"
>she gets off on the next stop

As if neo-nazis ever pick up Mein Kampf, let alone understand it.

>>1984821
yeah I don't get that shit. like
>>1984242
>>1984246
what's happening in the mind of someone that thinks that you automatically agree with everything you read, listen or watch? how come no one is looked at like a serial killer if he enjoyed Silence of the Lambs?

>>1984320

I WISH THAT THIS WAS A "TRUE ACCOUNT".

>be reading Ulysses
>"what's it about?"
>"it's a thousand page account of one day in Ireland from varying points of view"
>"oh.. is it any good?"
>"most of it doesn't make sense"
>"right.."

it doesn't though

>>1984858
>my brain doesn't work as well as other people's

It doesn't though.

Fixed that for ya.

>>1984804
Oh man you love something and then you forget about it but every now and then you see it and it rekindles that lost love. beautiful

>reading Naked Lunch
>girl asks me what it's about
>tell her "You don't want to know, trust me"
still really enjoyed it though

>be 14 years old
>go to one of the last remaining independent bookstores because i just got 25 dollars for my birthday
>hunt around for something until i find a copy of "the 120 days of sodom, and other writings" by the marquis de sade
>go up nervously to pay
>creepy man behind the counter says what i owe
>i hand him the 20-dollar bill
>he says "it's 20 dollars and 73 cents" (or something, i hadn't heard because i was nervous)
>i hand him the 5-dollar bill and say "sorry, i didn't realize."
>he hands me the book and says in a creepy way: "ah, we have to pay for our pleasures...."
>i never went back to that independent bookstore

>>1984901
sort of related
>comic book store
>i ask for the price of a comic book I saw in the showcase
>smug middle aged guy makes a three with his hands
>Baffled and dumbfounded because that comic book sure was expensive, I say "... What?! THREE euros?"
>Arrogantly says that it's thirty
>Say I don't have that money, maybe I'll be back
>"Yeah, I bet you will"
>Leave
I hope his wife dies.
That clerk of yours sounds like a cool guy instead, you should return and buy more weird-themed books until it becomes an inside joke between the two of you.

> reading any book over 500 pages
> "Hey, is that the Bible?"
> allday
> everyday
> mfw

>>1984245
what book is this

>>1984948
You should have just lunged over the counter and punched him in the face. I would have lost my temper and hit him.

>Reading Light in August
>Girl asks me what its about
How the fuck am i supposed to sum up a 600 page book i haven't yet finished in one sentence? That never happened but fuck the hypothetical girl in my greentext.

>>1985078
>cannot read

>>1984245

bit of light reading at the airport?

lol you wanted someone to say something.

>purposefully read the most outlandish book I can in a public place
>can't wait to get comments and stares from everyone
>no one cares
>I go home and cry myself to sleep

>>1985103
It wasn't a bit of light reading; my flight had been delayed 3 hours. I was initially planning to start it on the plane to keep me from being bored for 7 hours.

>Go to temple with my family
>Bring Mein Kampf
>Pull it out halfway through, start reading
>Dad whispers "Where the fuck did you get that, put it away"
>I laugh so hard I snort
>People in front of me look behind to see where the snort came from
>See Mein Kampf
>Shocked look on their faces
>One woman starts grabbing at the book saying "Give that to me, you little shit, this is the devil's book"
>Everyone looking around now
>People start yelling
>Laugh so hard I almost pee
>Get thrown out

SO fucking funny

>reading "Lolita"
>home for summer after 1 year of college
>leave it on my bedside
>mom asks what it's about
>"Its just a love story"
>Normally don't read love stories, mom thinks it's wierd
>looks it up, reads some of the "sex" scenes
>Gets mad

>>1985125

You sound obnoxious.

>>1985095

>implying your explanation has to be one sentence

>Reading God Emperor of Dune at summer job during break
>nobody says anything
>Switch over to Keith Richards biography
>anon is a pretty cool guy

Honestly I like KR's biography more because it's much less brain stress. Much more insightful then you would think.

>>1985130
There was like nothing in there though

>>1985107

>finnegans wake
>anything but boring

did you have the reader's companion too?

>>1985104
i.e., finnegans wake, but someone actually says something and you never actually prepared anything to say and you're actually rangaha

>be 16 and on the train
>take out Picture of Dorian Gray
>20-something guy next to me pulls out a book also
>about 10 minutes in notice we're reading the same book
>he glances at what i'm reading and realizes this at the same time as me
>both look up. he says:
>"well this is kinda gay"

it was pretty funny at the time.

>>1985183
That's fucking amazing!

hardest I've laughed at a greentext

>>1985188

forgot this >>1985183

>>1985183

You guys are fucking socially awkward weirdos.

Oh, god forbid a human being take interest in what you're reading and ask what it's about. Dear god, how dare they interrupt your gloriousness.

>fuck this gay earth

Here's another good one:

> be in Barnes and Noble
> just kind of browsing because I'm broke and thinking about just reading here
> see girl from school doing the same like two rows down
> don't mind it really and continue
> she eventually realizes I am here and approaches me
> "Hey Pointman, you must be here to grab that book for class huh? blah blah blah I don't even get why we're reading this crap, I mean, just push aside AP Literature for a class slot more worthwhile."
> she laughs with a face expecting me to agree
> mfw

She was Asian and smart as hell, but wow, we are two different people.

>>1984804
That's awesome

>Sitting in the back seat of my parents' car on the way to Thanksgiving dinner, mom asks what I'm reading
>"The Corrections"
>"By who?"
>"You know that guy who got in trouble with Oprah?"
>She looks up the Wikipedia plot summary on her phone
>"This sounds like a GOD DAMN MODERN DAY PORTNOY'S COMPLAINT what the HELL is MY LITTLE GIRL (age 23) doing reading something like this I don't like that AT ALL"
>15 seconds pass in silence, she's still looking at something on her phone
>"That Colin Firth! I just love him."
>"mfw"

>>1985215
Were you really making that face at her?
How did she react?

>>1985220
>>1985220

She took it as if I was just agreeing with her and we went on talking about the class. I could've stopped her there and had an argument, but I just found that to be so unnecessary - she probably would just regret even talking to me.

>on a cramped plane, age 20, traveling alone
>terribly socially awkward
>reading Crime & Punishment for the first time
>incredibly ancient guy next to me sees it, he has a weird accent, maybe Aussie?
>starts telling me about how he read that book when he was a kid
>then goes on for 2 hours describing weird shit he did "in the service" as a young man
>never clear what military or whatever group he belonged to
>tells me that he's killed like 30 people "in the service" and sometimes the guilt is overwhelming even though they were "bad guys" and that he really understand Raskolnikov sometimes, and that he really does remember their faces
>says (and i never forgot this) "if you hafta kill someone, better remember his face, its something you owe"
>offer to buy him a whiskey
>"heeee heeee, son, you are aw roight"

he's probably dead now. :(
coolest guy ever.

>>1985229

i'm sure that was funny when it happened, but i can see why you're socially awkward. you can't even relate the funniness of an ostensibly funny story by greentext.

>Reading A Clockwork Orange
>I'm at the library to renew the book
>My grandma is with me, and she notices the book
>She starts saying very loudly, "OH MY GOD I SAW THE MOVIE OF THAT BOOK ONCE, IT WAS SO TERRIBLE! I WAS JUST DISGUSTED! I CAN'T BELIEVE YOU CAN READ THAT BOOK WITHOUT THROWING UP!"
>people start turning their heads and staring at us

Guns, germs and steel
>hey my dad is reading that book

i dont have a story about people asking what i am reading because i tend to ensconce myself and look prickly, but

>prowling the library
>wearing my newest hat/disguise
>furtively select a book
>duck into the darkest most remote corner to read
>still
>STILL
>Possibly Reptilian Employee 'just bumps into' me and talks to me for five minutes like we're old pals, then wanders off
>bumps into me again, sharklike, just as i am leaving for a final awkward exchange/possible one-sided flirtation

every time.

and he doesnt even ask about what I am reading... wouldn't that be the smoothest possible opener if you're trying to lure a library regular into your reptile cult?

>>1985276
>>1985276

> possibly reptilian

Sherlock, I worry about you.

>reading Mason & Dixon during a family vacation
>grandmother asks what the book is about
>I explain to her the strong bond between the two astronomers, and how Pynchon celebrates sentimental narration tantamount to Lawrence Stern
>my entire family is now under the irredeemable impression that I am a arrant homosexual

>reading The Devil in the White City on the train in the morning
>approach stop where all the high school kids get off
>teenage girl who looks like Margaret Cho unzips backpack, pulls out her own copy of the book, and hisses "WE'RE BOOK TWINS" in a funny voice as her sidekick buries her face in her hands
>doors open and they walk off cackling

>>1985279
well then why don't you email me

(nah it's cool, no pressure or anything, lizard man)

>reading Howards End before class
>best friend who has the same class sits down next to me
>'what are you reading?'
>'howards end by e.m. forster'
>'is it about love?'
>'not necessarily. there are romantic relationships in it, though, for sure.'
>'sounds gay.'

>>1985291
>>1985291

Sorry, but you know...

using poetry as an excuse is so easy.

;-;

>>1985301
>>1985301

chuckled so hard that zelda jumped off my lap and went into the other room

>>1985312
zelda is a dumb name for a cat.

>>1985321

Whew. She's a dog.

>High school algebra 2 class
>Reading Dostoevsky
>teacher comes up, asks me what I'm reading
>have conversation about it
>conversation turns to Poe, Douglas Adams, then away from literature to music
>listens mostly to dadrock
>don't give a fuck and have bro-ass teacher for the rest of the year

Talked about music, literature, and ripped on the majority of the people in the class. Great guy.

>>1985306
Well, I eagerly await your correspondence. We need to get this reptile situation under control and it's hard to find trustworthy allies in the west

>read The great gadsby on the train
>stay on train after arriving to finish book
>Stand up
>walk away
>leave book on seat for cleaners.

>in middle school

>reading one of Brian Jacques' Redwall books

>"wow," says a girl from my Reading class, "that's a biiiig book."

>Tell her it isn't and she should shut up, throw book down on the table and furiously storm away

>'Do you know what [ridiculous] books he is reading?!'
a sneering remark made between my 'friends' after aknowledging I read extracurricular books related to my university studies
>mfw

>>1985382
better that one

>finish infinite jest on train
>look out window
>see double rainbow
>get to station
>leave book behind
>Korean guy pulls me over; "hey you left your book"
>Don't want it
>Walk away

>reading nigger of the narcissus (fully respectable minor conrad novella)
>use public transport in washington dc
use your imagination

>Sitting on park bench.
>Reading "War and Peace."
>Old lady come sits next to me.
>She says "that's a long book."
>Keep reading.
>She says "I have a grandson about your age."
>Keep reading.
>She asks "Is it an interesting book?"
>Tell her "It is an atrocious book about people prying in on other peoples affairs in which they have no business."
>Stand up and walk off feeling all cool and hip.

>>1985528

>>1985510
I really want this to be true and to know the rest of the story!

>>1985510

I'm imagining something like this occurring:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0fFwnqBU_-U

>>1985563
>>1985563

Oh god, thank you.

I remember why I loved this show now.

>tell mom i'm reading finnegans wake
>she calls bs
>tell her i'm on page 300 and give a summary
>she calls me a dirty liar and kicks me out of her car

> reading three men in a boat in dorm common area
> girl walks up and asks permission to draw me
> try to stifle giggles so as not to fuck up her drawing and end up laughing harder
>"must be a funny book?"
>"yep."
>never going to get laid

>>1985566
Wanna hang out with that mom.

>>1985566

This is what happens when you don't read Finnegans Wake at 3AM with a bottle of Irish whiskey.

>reading Naked Lunch in car
>friend walks past and conversation about Naked Lunch starts
>gives wikipedia explanation of Naked Lunch disguised as his own
>incoherent ramblings of a heroin addict or some shit

Fuck. You

>Hey anon, what have you read lately
>Oh well I just got done with a pretty good little book called Beasts of No Nation by Uzodinma Iweala, it's about a child guerilla soldier in-
>ALRIGHT JESUS whatever
>mfw they go back to watching tv

Another story
>Buy used copies of The Trial and Portait of the Artist as a Young Man in Manhattan
>train ride home, I'm reading Kafka, dad who doesn't normally read much besides national geographic picks up Portrait
>half an hour or so goes by
>puts it down
>"Ugh, Jesus, I don't know what he was going for there but I suffered through twenty pages of it"
>reads another book I bought instead and seems to enjoy it
>haven't gotten around to Portrait yet so I have no idea if the first twenty pages are actually bad but according to critical opinion I'm forced to assume they're not, but overall I'm okay with this for now and will probably not be disappointed until the first twenty pages of it blow my mind

>reading book on crowded train
>detailed lengthy sex scene
>become aware that person on my left is reading over my shoulder, even as I change page
>shift to make them stop reading
>become aware person on my right is reading over my shoulder, again as I change the page.
>cough
>they both jump, girl on right sighs.
>mfw

>flick through the pages to find my place
>really old book, so yellow its almost unreadable
>extremely pungent
>old lady next to me has coughing fit
>laugh and start reading

>>1985658
Second hand reading kills.

>Read a book
>No one has ever shown interest by asking me about it.

>>1984575

I hate people who feel the need to walk up and give their stupid amateur opinion, like I give a shit what they think.

>>1985845
From the tone of your post, I would bet twenty american dollars that you do give a shit what others think.

>>1985855

Nope. I can choose my own books.

Whenever I read in public I try to have a summary of the book ready in case someone asks. There are a few acquaintances I have and they always seem to ask. It's actually really irritating to me, but I'm always polite. Sometimes they get a little high-and-mighty if I don't have something ready, though.

>What's that about
>Oh... well... I really don't know.
>over half way done

Ff.

>reading american psycho
>friend liked the film
>read the bit with the rat and the plastic tubing to a bunch of my friends sitting in a circle

>Have to find new friends

bump

You guys seem like pretty chill dudes. What are the best books of Bertrand Russell? The one that describes his philosophy the most?

>>1987297

On Denoting, The Problems of Philosophy

>>1984184
>>1984192
>>1984196
>>1984199
>>1984217

First five posts and it's all IJ and it's all by pretentious-as-fuck tryhards.
This thread surely went places.

>read House of Leaves
>"Hey what's that about?"
>House eats people

>reading house of leaves on the bus
>Guy in a suit reading War and Peace glares at me

>>1987726
AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA what a cunt

>>1984901
>14 years old
>de sade

Um

>>1985229
I read that in the TF2 snipers voice.

>read any book in public
>nobody gives a fuck

>reading Marx's Capital in staffroom
>supervisor comes in, gives me dirty look
>manager comes in, gives me dirty look
>desperately attempt to convince them I am simply reading it for its historical significance

>>1987772
>implying both supervisor and manager are aware of the implications of subordinate reading subversive literature in the workplace

>reading John Dies at the End
>(I read it as it came out online and was so glad to hear it came out as an actual book)
>friend comes up and asks is John actually dies at the end.
>"He actually kinda dies pretty early on.
>"But it's okay 'cuz the dog brings him back when they're on the way to Vegas."
>Friends don't ask me for book recommendations anymore

>at train station
>reading Beyond Sleep by Willem Frederik Hermans
>a class of 8 year olds start sitting next to me
>fat black kid asks "what are you reading"
>I tell him
>Other 8 year old says "yeah we have that book at home, I read it but it was pretty boring"
>mfw I read the same books as 8 year olds

>In The Miso Soup
>ex asks me what its about
>show her the excerpt from the inside of the cover

>It looked as though Maki had another mouth below her jaw. Oozing from this second, smiling mouth was a thick, dark liquid, like coal tar. Her throat had been slit literally from ear to ear and more than halfway through, so that it looked as if her head might fall right off. And yet, incredibly, Maki was still on her feet and still alive, her eyeballs swiveling wildly and her lips quivering as she wheezed foam-flecked blood from the wound in her throat. She seemed to be trying to say something. . . .

>18, in college on spring break
>At an airport, starving because I lost my wallet.
>Reading Aquinas's Compendium theologiae
>Middle–aged lady comes up to me, asks me if I'm a seminarian
>I say no
>We talk about Aquinas—turns out she has a masters in philosophy and teaches at a Catholic HS
>She's very well–read and intelligent
>Lunch was awesome, experience was awesome

She was like the cool aunt I NEVER HAD

I wish things like this happened to me. I only have this story.

> Father is looking through my stack of books I'm planning to read.
> "These are some intelligent books you're reading anon. Someone might mistake you for an intellectual."

Well played, dad.

>Just purchase From Hell, take it out of the bag to read on the bus home
>woman sits beside me
>looks over and sees the first sex scene in the book
>changes seats

>>1988603
She wanted coitus.

>Sophmore English class
>Dystopian unit
>General consensus of the class

Reading Anthem
>This book is great
>This book is so deep and true
Honestly, I think the reason so many kids liked this book was because of how easy it is to read. That, and how short the book is.

Reading Fahrenheit 451
>This book is right, READING SUCKS
huuurrrrr

Reading Sirens of Titan
>This book is so unreal
>None of this could ever happen
>This author sucks
>This book was so pointless
>I dont understand
>This author doesn't know how to write
This one made me rage the most. My friend said most of this stuff and then he continued to suck Michael Crichton's dick and read every book he ever wrote.

Later an acquittance is reading of mice and men
>haha guys look they say nigger in this book!

>>1988813
>I think the reason so many kids liked this book was because of how easy it is to read. That, and how short the book is.

No shit pal.

>visiting dad down south
>takes me to restaurant
>reading Fight Club for the first time while we wait for food
>waitress comes to take our order, sees book and says it's her favorite
>starts talking to me about what she's doing after work, asks us about personal details and shit
>too much of a beta to suggest we meet and do something after she gets off work

>>1988779

I had already had a dalliance with an older—though not quite as old as her—woman at this point. I know the signs, thems weren't they.

>reading Fight Club
>"lol u know the narrator dies at the end"
>the opening implies that he's going to die
>and then at the end he doesn't
>worst attempted spoiler ever

>>1985183
That made me lol for like 5 mins

>Reading 'Magic and Witchcraft: From Shamanism to the Technopagans' at a local park (Mainly because I wanted some background on Aleister Crowley after reading 'Diary of a drug Fiend'
>Two fat chicks walk over
>Whale #1: "I see you're reading about magic - You know, we are actual witches"
>Look at them without saying a word
>They continue explaining their moon rituals and their "mother earth names" or whatever
Shit

>>1988892
Your FOOD, dude! Your FOOD!

>>1984340

Fuck yes that is on my nightstand right now.

>>1985183

>both look up. he says:
>"well this is kinda gay"
>I say:
>"what is?"
>he then leads me to a dark isolated section of the book store where the cameras cant see and says "This." before licking his fingers and sticking them in my ass
>and that's how I met my husband
Fix'd

>>1985528

That book was an immense waste of time. I enjoyed myself more reading The Great Gatsby...

And I threw Gatsby out my window when I was done.

>>1984368
Yeah I didn't think it was that great.

And I just wasn't really that interested in the whole gods thing. Didn't make much sense to me. Plus you can totally tell Neil Gaiman was trying to project how he wanted to be onto the main character. "mysterious ex con, used to be bullied but triumphed over them after his growth spurt, becomes the wingman for a god, tall and handsome" and of course he has a name like "Shadow".

>>1990594

Im not gona lie. Shadow's name should have been Sue.

>>1990594
Wait, didn't make sense? The whole thing about the powers fading away when people don't believe in the gods should cement that the only driving force behind what powers the gods are humans. Thus, we have new gods based on the internet and TV. It's not about religion, it's about belief.

Anyways, naming the dude Shadow was the worst fucking idea ever.

>>1990652

Loved the story, hated the protagonist.

>>1990652
Wasn't Shadow a nickname that he had since he was a child that he just went by?

His real name isn't mentioned.

>>1990689

Nickname or not it was a poor choice for the protagonist. It was a good old fashion out of place name.

>>1985183
>>1985183

oh, my sides!!

bump

>>1988892
What the fuck? You're at a restaurant with your dad and you pull out a book? Is he a deaf mute or something?

bump

>>1992295
What's wrong with that?

>Reading Broom of the System - DFW
>Guy on train sitting across from me asks "hey, is that any good? I enjoyed Infinite Jest"
>Tell him it's a pretty tight piece of meta-fiction
>he says "awesome"
>I say "indeed".
>We sit awkwardly for the next 40 minutes of the train ride.

>Senior year, AP english
>Re-reading Catch-22 on my own time
>Reading it in class while nothing is happening
>Jock thing turns around and asks to see the book
>Reads the back of it
>"That's weird. Where the hell do you find all of these obscure books?"
>Catch-22
>Weird and obscure
>Not a hint of sarcasm

>>1993385
You sound a bit pretentious brah.

>mfw in high school, I was that jock.

I'm not even kidding. I thought stuff like Brave New World was obscure. And I didn't read much during my high school years. I spent it playing football/tennis.

>>1993361
Not sure if serious.

>Reading The Demon in the Freezer
>Dad asks what it's about
>Small pox and anthrax, brah.
>Cool
>Spend ten minutes discussing Unit 731 and the pardon of Japanese scientists after the war
>Father mentions how Mengele didn't get pardoned
>MFW my father is a bit of a nazi-lover

>>1993403
It was an AP English literature class. And I'unno, I just never liked the concept of these jocks who resent learning and think that needing to read books for school is some sort of corporal punishment taking AP classes to increase their high school cock size for when they go to apply for college, instead of actually enjoying learning.

Maybe I was a bit jaded though, because I primarily only interacted with real friends who had similar interests to me, or with people online where I could filter out the people that I didn't click with.

>>1993455
>>1993455
I am actually the polar opposite to some people in here. I spent high school reading and learning for pleasure, I now wish I had ditched all of that and got better socially and taken up sport.

Basically, I think jocks are in the better position and think I am being more realistic in saying that than I was before.

>>1993455
learning sucks when it's compulsory and you have to do it in a zoo full of people you don't really want to be around

>>1992295
I fucking hate people who get pissed off if you read at the table. My parents never let us if we ate together, which is the direct reason I prefer to avoid family meals.

>>1993460
>I think jocks are in the better position
Neither of you are in the better position; the quality of human experience is a zero sum game in which you cannot achieve a net gain over another human being.

Think about the lack of consciousness with which these 'jocks' proceed through their lives; think about the heightened consciousness which you have earned through solitary ruminations of the nonsense which you have read. They are less able to ponder anything which they experience, and you have fewer experiences upon which to ponder

>>1993464
Eating with other people is supposed to be a social experience. Hard to socialize if one member of the group is ignoring the others.

>>1993469
> zero sum game

I think you need to look up what this term means, doesn't make sense in your usage.

> heightened consciousness

A waste of time, explain what you mean.

> They are less able to ponder anything which they experience, and you have fewer experiences upon which to ponder

Yeah, and I wish I'd gone for the experience route.

>>1993469
Not sure what you mean about gaining over another, I simply meant jock types will have had better high school experiences and more to play the game with when older. Having gone through it myself, a kid who only focuses on solitary or learning pursuits is actually a little sad, just damaging himself in future. If I had children I would ensure they didn't do this.

>>1993469
Broad assumptions do not make an argument. I don't agree, you have no idea what they do. Does a jock's shit liquify or solidify if no one is around to see it?

>>1993475
Surely the purpose of eating is for, well, eating. I am a lot more comfortable enjoying my food and reading than eating and talking at once.

>>1993476
Oh boy, a semantics game where I get to explain myself and hope that you don't accuse me of further failing to articulate my thoughts while I sit here behind my computer suspecting that you understand what I am saying anyway

>zero sum
It doesn't matter what you do, there is always a gain which comes from the experience - they are not better than you and their lives have not been better than yours and yours has not been better than theirs

>heightened consciousness
You're probably more aware of what happens to you and why and how because you've spent more time thinking about that stuff. I don't mean heightened consciousness in that meditation new age crap sense of the word, I just mean that you think about stuff more

I use catch all terms to compact these thoughts, but apparently your definitions are rigid.

>>1993480
You sit there and say they had better experiences while admitting that you haven't shared any of those experiences? I say that I have been there, I have seen their life and yours and neither is better than the other, both are good and bad in their own ways, and you're not missing anything.

>>1993482
>you have no idea what they do
You said that on an anonymous image board!

>>1993475
> social experience

It's only a genuine social experience if all participants entered it willingly, surely? I just want to eat and read.

ITT: Summarize books in one-liners.

>>1993486
everyone got together and decided that it was not polite to read at the table. you're doing something that you know is different and people don't understand or like stuff that is different. no one's putting a gun to your head but i am asking you please to stop reading at the table and try to be a person which people will like, this is not selling out it's just trying to make the world better place for everyone involved try to put yourself in their shoes for a second. and don't make any excuses for your behavior because i don't want to hear them.

>>1993462
>>1993455 here
Then why are they taking AP classes? They don't want to learn; they shun anything that may be seen as vaguely intellectual or artistic. Is their sole motive in taking AP classes really just to make their dicks larger so when they wave them for colleges, they'll have a better chance of going to a good one and making money? I mean, if that's what keeps them going, more power to them I guess. They have a right to do what they want, but I just can't imagine that life being fulfilling. When they're 40 or 50, what are they going to have to do with themselves besides watch football on their 60" plasma? They'll have harbored no interests because they spent the entirety of their high school days playing sports and talking about pussy and shunning anything creative... Again, if that's what they want, I'm really not trying to sound pretentious or judging; it's their lives and they can live it as they want. I just don't get it.

I had (and have) friends, and we socialize as often as those jocks associated with their friends. I play four instruments with an intermediate to high degree of proficiency. I'm teaching myself to draw. I run outside for an hour a day and lift to keep myself in shape, but I resent sports.

I feel a lot more fulfilled living as I do, than I would living just for talking about pussy and throwing a ball back and forth, vying for money...

>>1993491
I don't see how anyone can enjoy your hobbies either but here we are

School is simply a rung on the ladder to be climbed for many people because the education system is tied in with the job training system

>>1993491
This post is a classic example of "we sanctify that which we cannot change"...especially true if what we cannot change are our old bad decisions.

The jocks are more appealing to the average person, can build rapport with a wider range of people (including employers), are more attractive to the opposite sex and are probably in better shape at a similar age.

>>1993494
Fair enough. I mean, they're happy. I just don't understand why, but they don't understand why I'm happy. LIFE GOES ON~

>Female friend on Facebook comments on the length of HP7
>Something like "This has got to be like the longest book ever"
>mfw

>>1993484
>You said that on an anonymous image board!

Yes while shooting up steriods and whiping off my rapeing implement with Ulysses. It was a pleasant evening shaddowed by thought of the next highschool football game...

(anon allows for generalisation... are you a fool?)

>>1993491
>>1993491
> I feel a lot more fulfilled living as I do, than I would living just for talking about pussy and throwing a ball back and forth, vying for money

Speak for yourself. Hah, if it meant I would end up more successful at the stuff you just mentioned, I would go back in time and burn all the books in my house so I would never develop a bookish side.

>>1993499
Hey!

No need to be sarcastic, there's plenty of that on the internet already

I was just pointing out that you're making false assumptions AND that this thread isn't about my or your personal lives, just the differences and alleged benefits of choosing one lifestyle over another

>>1993501
I don't understand why you would reject a part of yourself which you've put so much into, you seem like a nice person and you've got plenty of years ahead of you to do whatever it is you need to do

I followed the solitary, personal learning route and was proud of my own naturally high intelligence and attitude, loved philosophy, literature and various other fields of knowledge.

Unfortunately, the result of pursuing this lifestyle means I am also intelligent and knowledgeable to know I went the wrong fucking way.

All the book nerd kid is doing in high school is reading "you are better than those other kids and should not be envious" in a thousand different wordings.

>>1993503
I think the benefits lie not in the choice but in the conviction...

(On a side note... conviction, why is the english language so messed up?)

>>1993504
Because I could do a lot more with a kickass attitude and physical skill than reading books and masturbating my knowledge.

>>1993507
Point still stands - despite what you've seen on TV, despite the best efforts of people on social networking sites to present it otherwise, despite what you have read...

You didn't miss anything.

I'm sorry that my word choice is unsatisfactory, I really have spent a lot of time trying to present my thoughts in a way which is clear and easy to understand.

>>1993510
Why not do both? If you're as smart as you say you are then you should have no trouble getting in shape and getting good at talking to people.

>>1993511
> If you're as smart as you say you are then you should have no trouble getting in shape and getting good at talking to people

I am - I just wish I had done so with the energy and natural benefits a younger age would have given me, while everybody else was developing as well. Taking up a sport would be difficult now to get the same gains (I am 19) and I would probably have a lot more friends if I had started when younger.

And to be honest, literature has finally begun to seem dull, especially philosophy (which I wasted a farcical amount of time on, literally writing my own essays - stupid).

>>1993511
Nope I didn't miss anything, was high school football team (Australian, not American), tennis team, (fuck cricket, shit is boring), worked back stage at school plays and smoked weed with Drama teacher, wrote for school magazine.

The only thing that I regret was not having a job at 15. Cash is cash is cash is cash.

>I think the benefits lie not in the choice but in the conviction. If you are happy with your choices and follow through with them, NO FUCKING WORRIES.

>>1993505
This.

>>1993510
Well, I guess it probably helps me because I had been practicing instruments, harboring other interests, exercising and training, etc, and overall molding myself into the person who I want to be when I was young. I took solace in solitude and the 10 or so friends that I had that shared interests with me, because I had such a hard time finding the jocks which I talked about remotely likable.

Also, I think that >>1993505 is a pretty similar story to me. Except it wasn't that I was trying to hide my envy and convince myself that I was superior. I just didn't want to be around them. I wanted them to do their own thing, 'cos it made them happy, and I wanted to live in a glass bubble with my friends and girlfriend and make music and jokes and talk about books and film and the internet and whatever.

Anyway, thanks for this discussion, /lit/. You usually suck a lot more and make me introspect and reflect on my former self a lot less!

>>1993514
>19
You're at your physical peak, stop talking like that

>literature has finally begun to seem dull
Then go do something else! I don't care but stop badmouthing your own experiences and books. You've admitted that you have a problem with yourself, now it's time to take action -- or at least pretend to, so that your bad feelings won't erupt out onto the internet like this in the future

>>1993514
>>1993514
19; too old.?. faggot. Join a fucking sports team, get over the fact that you will not be the best in the world... Or you will be an unemployed alchoholic....

>>1993526
> physical peak

Yeah, and due to what I was like as a kid my physical peak consists of skinny fat, hardly any muscle tone, getting out of breath easily and being almost sickeningly pale. My skin is shit to the extent people think I am a lot older than 19.

>>1993537

I would do but I am clumsy as fuck. I am going to the gym to get myself sorted, but still a way from doing any kind of sport yet.

> unemployed alcoholic

lolwat?

>>1993550
If all this is true, go swimming it is the best way to tone up, puls you get sun on your skin.

>>1993550
Listen dude, I really don't need your analysis of your body. If you don't like the way you look then go sit in the sun (and read a book!) and get some exercise

polite sage because we're in /adv/ or /fit/ country

>>1993550
Go to /fit/ and read the sticky, and listen to it. You'll go far, kid.

>>1993565
>>1993564
>>1993562
Yeah fair enough

> kid

Sort of see myself as old by now, but yeah. cheers for responding, will take my issues out of the thread now.

>on a vacation trip with the school when i was 16
>on a plane reading lord of the flies while sitting with about 30 other kids
>was an overseas school holiday so we had to fly out there
>unfortunately we didn't crash on the island we made it safely

>at university library
>about to take out Infinite Jest
>student approaches me after noticing book
>"That is the most awesome book ever!"
>Neckbeard, I'll-fitting clothes, smell of body odour
>vow never to read the book from that day on

>>1993618
I know you're trolling, but that is just the stupidest reason to not read a book ever.

>Go to listen to Beatles album
>Hear about Charles Manson's obsession with Helter Skelter
>No way this is good, the Beatles must be crazy as fuck

>Go to museum to check out a Rembrandt exhibit in town
>Obnoxious guy I know starts raving about how he loves Rembrandt
>Ugh, Rembrandt must be terrible, nevermind.

>>1993625
> go to buy some chicken nuggets
> black people like chicken
> ...
> vegetarian

>reading anything even remotely obscure
>"wow lol tht must be hard"

>Reading The Naked Sun
>"lolololololo naked"
It was the last year of High School.

>>1993625

Not trolling. I don't want to read a book where weird people will keep coming up to me thinking it's a conversation starter. I may read it in the distant future though.

>>1993625
I know you're trolling, but that is just the stupidest reason to not listen to an album ever

> read Child of God
> finish it successfully
> masturbate
> mfw

>>1984232
>>1984226

> reading Moby Dick
> dad say's "what in gods name you doin readin a bloody book, go milk the cows and finish puttin them shingles up on the barn!"
> mfw

>that feel when you make a pointless thread and it's still alive

>>1985199
>dat filename

>First day of college lit class
>No-one knows anyone, awkward conversation abounds
>"So, what did you read over the summer, anon?"
>"The Man Who Mistook His Wife For A Hat"
>"erm... ok. What's that about?"
>"It's a non-fiction series of descriptions of nuerological disorders by a brain doctor"
>...
>"It's quite funny, actually"
>...

>Over at friends place
>His neckbeard coworker comes over to hang out
>Books somehow come up
>He starts talking about how Game of Thrones, Golden Compass, and some other book are the 3 pinnacle series of fantasy writing and everyone should read them
>Try to talk to him about the books
>"Idk, I've never read any them, but I watched Game of Thrones on TV"
>mfw

>Reading "The Trial" on a park bench
>some college guy asks me what I'm reading
>Tell him
>"Oh, so I see your into intellectual novels."
> try to keep a straight face
> his female friend comes over
> "Oh, you're like Kafka?"
> She proceeds to suggest to me other "intellectual" novels.
>I'm stuck talking to them for about 10 minutes

>implying I read in public
>read in bed, around the house, and in the garden when it's fairly warm

Why do people read in public, anyway? It seems weird, and apparently a bunch of full retards give you grieve over it, HURR HURR YOU REED BOOK!.

>>1993849

this.

>>1993849
exactly
only time I read in 'public' is on train journeys, and even then everyone is polite enough to not interrupt

>>1993862
i agree

>>1993849
>>1993880
I like to go and read at the park when it's nice out. On the other hand, I don't have any garden and just live in an apartment complex so it's pretty much my only option if I want to crawl out of my apartment and spend time outdoors.

Most people don't interrupt me though, which is nice.

>Readings Myths from Mesopotamia
>Guy next to me on the train mentions how that Enkidu is a "real character"
>I have no idea what he's talking about because He pronounced 'Enkidu' so bizarrely
>Later realize what he means after I suspect Enkidu used to fuck his cattle
>Sad that I missed a potentially awesome conversation because I couldn't understand this stranger.

>>1993550

So your excuse for not getting into shape is that you are in bad shape?

Cool reasoning bro. Why bother trying anything you don't know how to do?

>>1993887
Learn how to use 'on the other hand' properly

>>1993849
lol, I read everywhere I go. On the bus, while I walk, in class. No one gives me shit, partially because I don't look approachable.
At home there's way too many distractions.

>On class
>Random books
>Some professors ask what i'm reading
>Apparently i'm a genius
>Have annoying faggot that closes the book randomly, making me lose the page i was on
>he keeps doing this
>won't stop

Fuck , how do i get this faggot to stop?

>>1994531
Maybe you... zuck his dick?

Also
>Reading 'The Nigger Factory' on a train from London
>Black guy gets on, walks up to me
>Asks, "What is that? You a racist or summink?"
>Explain premise and context of book
>"...Aight. That's k, then", and finds a seat down the train
>Thinking he's a bit of a dick, but whatever, continue reading
>Mustachioed redneck, replete with wifebeater vest, sidles up to me
>"Niggers, eh?" and laughs
Stay classy, mankind

>>1994687
Redneck? an american from the south? or are you using it as a synonym of bumpkin or something?

>>1994699
Redneck means any hick/farmer from anywhere. Stems from someone having a sunburned neck.

You definitely are American.

>>1994709
Nope, british actually. It's an american term and if it's usage has spread it's due to television and pop culture not any native development.

>Be 12
>Reading The Catcher in the Rye
>Fat bitch science teacher asks me what I'm reading
>"The Catcher in the Rye, Mrs. Cunt."
>"You shouldn't be reading that. It's a smutty book."

I had to buy a new copy after she took it away.

>>1994713
>if it's usage has spread it's due to television and pop culture not any native development.

its 2011, the two are synonymous

>>1994714
>smutty
Yeah, all those offensive curse words like chrissake, crummy, and phony. Oh, and don't forget that part about NECKING GIRLS and when he pays a prostitute to TALK TO HIM. What a pornographic piece of filth!

>>1994714
You posted in another thread about this. It's a good story, but get over it bro.

>>1994531
Punch him in the mouth. Nah, but really. He's only doing it because he either wants attention from you or is secretly (perhaps even to himself) jealous of the attention you are receiving for you intellect. Quite probably the first one, so if he's a guy you don't know too well have a chat with him about it and don't be upset about it or anything. If he keeps bullying you or responds "lol faggot" to your conversation, then... Punch him in the mouth.

Or sit far away from him.

Make sure you mention how juvenile he is.

>>1994741
I made a similar post 2 weeks ago. I know it's not an amazing story, but I don't have any other interesting ones where people ask what I'm reading.

I'm sorry I'm an asshole. Please shoot me in the face.

bump

>Book has more than 300 pages
>Oh wow beeeeeg buuuk! how can you read just wow so many words!?
>It would take me forever oh jesus!

>reading Discworld
>"yo anon, what's this about"
>"there's this flat world on top of a giant turtle thats"
>"ok,nm"

>Salutations, brother, what is that literature you seem to be enjoying quite a bit?
>Gravity's Rainbow
>What's it about?
>Uhhhhhhhhhhhhh... I'll get back to you on that.

>>1983970

Where's this image from?

>>1996905
>how can you read so many words!?

I hate this question so much. Like it's some kind of effort to read words once you're proficient enough at the language you're reading.

>Almost done reading A Canticle for Leibowitz in highschool
>English teacher asks how I liked it
>Tell her that I enjoyed reading it
>She says that most of her students quit after a few chapters because they don't understand what's happening.

>Later reading Brave New World
>History teacher asks why I'm reading a second year college level book in highschool

Since I've gotten out of highschool no one comments on the books I'm reading anymore.

>>1997430
>BNW
>college level
pfft, maybe community college level

>reading Gravity's Rainbow
>someone asks me what it's about
>"It's a multifacted critique of war, imperialism, and human degradation in general and the complicity of capitalism and scientific culture in these global ills. It is set mostly in Europe during WWII and centers primarily the American Lieutenant Tyrone Slothrop, who becomes involved in a bizarre and chilling conspiracy involving one German V-2 rocket bomb of special (but vague) significance. The scope of the novel is very large, featuring numerous tangets that enrich both the world of the novel and its philosophical content, but in a way that can sometimes seem obscure and difficult to summarize. The novel's unique style and formal structure reflect its anti-rationalist stance. It is occasionally obscene and has quite a bizarre sense of humor. It is, in just about every way, a transgressive work of literature, and I very highly recommend it.

I really don't understand how a literate, decently well-read person can read Pynchon and not get it. His themes are upfront, intelligible, and not hard to understand, despite how complex his books are structurally, and strange stylistically. It's "weird," but it's not fucking difficult.

>>1997434
But the
>tangents.
When my brother asked me about it, I was reading the Byron the Bulb story. What was I supposed to say? It's about a conscious, immortal light bulb and the international conspiracy to destroy him?

>>1997431
Yeah that's what I was thinking too, especially the "Second year" part.

>>1997441
Oh yeah, another aspect of the novel is the difficulty individuals have in comprehending and coping with the immense complexity of ill-founded political structures, despite the necessity of doing so, and how this often results in them 1. embracing absurdities and 2. appearing insane to the outside world, even if they are ultimately "right." Sorry, I haven't read it in a while and I couldn't recall everything.

>>1985229

;_;

Got anything else?

>>1997430

lol I totally believe you

I read BNW in highschool as assigned reading for English class.

dear /lit/

here is a made up story in greentext about a time someone in a position of authority was astounded by my superior intellect

validate me please