/lit/ - Literature

>last
Of Mice and Men-A pretty decent novel; I enjoyed reading it
>current
Infinite Jest-Two months of migraines; I am currently on page 825
>next
Inherent Vice-Hoping this is an easy read, but I won't expect that from Pynchon

>last
alexander mcall smith - the good husband of zebra drive - cant go wrong with a little no1 ladies, i enjoyed it but its not the best in the series.

>current
tove jansson - the summer book
as a child i loved the moomin books so its been interesting reading her novels aimed at adults, its a really captivating, beautiful read so far

>next
tolkein - the lord of the rings trilogy
havent read them in a while and i absolutely adore them, should be fun

>last
Descartes - Meditations on First Philosophy. Naturally, it's a masterpiece, even if I disagree with it for the most part. One cannot deny the nobility in the effort to shed oneself of all sensory perceptions.
>current
A collection of Plato's "essential" dialogues (and yet for some reason it leaves out the Republic). In particular, I'm currently reading Symposium. Naturally it's all pretty good, although I'm not too stunned by Symposium in particular.
>next
Something either by Aristotle or G.E. Moore. Haven't honed in on which piece in particular I want to tackle next.

I'm just introducing myself to philosophy. Is there anything besides the obvious classics like Kant and Hume that I should read? I've already read the Dialogues on Natural Religion and a handful of modern articles on free will.

>>3661861
>Trying this hard, is everyone on lit like this?

>>3661865

How is it trying hard? I'm trying hard to learn a thing or two, sure, but I'm not pretending that I'm some brilliant intellectual. I accept how much of a novice I am, and I hope to become something better than a novice in the subject of philosophy. Don't get so worked up over literally nothing dude.

>>3661868
im not getting worked up, im just saying your trying pretty hard, reading 3 philosophical books in a row is trying pretty hard...

>>3661861
>even if I disagree with it for the most part.
What did you disagree with? Everything, or everything after the second part?

>>3661874

Well, I disagreed with the notion of objects and ideas having more or less "reality" than each other. So yeah, pretty much everything after the second part. I just wasn't trying to sound dismissive and edgy. The ideas the man had were, of course, great. It's just that he introduced a preposterous metaphysical mechanism to be able to hold on to God. Not to say that there's anything wrong with holding on to God if you really want to, but I think any attempt at proving God is futile.

>>3661873

If it gives you any reconciliation, I'm also reading some Italo Calvino on the side.

>>3661861
>Is there anything besides the obvious classics like Kant and Hume that I should read?

It depends on where you want to go. If you want ALL philosophy, then read through the notable names chronologically, trying to keep track of various fields that often overlap. If you don't, then pick an isolated area like metaphysics or ethics and follow it. So, if you are interested in political philosophy you should read Hobbes, Mill and Locke next. If you want philosophy of the mind, then read Ryle next -- In fact, you should probably read Ryle next anyway while Descartes is still fresh in your head.

>>3661873
>reading 3 philosophical books in a row is trying pretty hard
Thank you for you attempt, Anon, but we feel that you are not going to be able to cope with this board. You are welcome to try again next year.

>>3661861

Huh. Symposium is probably my favorite of the dialog's I've read, though admittedly more for literary merit than philosophical content.

>>3661884

Thanks, I'll read Ryle's Wikipedia page and see if I'll be interested. Although I've been thinking I might wanna emphasize on ethics. Epistemology, despite being all the rage nowadays, doesn't interest me all too much, or at least not yet, and I think metaphysics might feel slightly futile with Parmenides looming over everything. But I dunno, these are just knee-jerk reactions based on the little philosophy I've read.

>>3661890

That's the thing. I wanna keep my philosophy and my literature separate. If I wanted literary merit, I'd go read a novel. When I'm reading philosophy, I'm looking for the meat of the ideas. I'm looking for substance, not dressings.

I just finished The Iliad, literally just finished it. It was goddamn amazing. The interactions between people thousands of years ago and today are so similar. I also loved the treatment of the thematic aspects of masculinity, love and war, and family. I was also surprised by the relationship between Patroclus and Achilles, I found it amazing and inspiring.

I'm probably gonna read The Metamorphosis soon, along with Moby Dick, and A Portrait of the Artist as A Young Man and eventually Mason & Dixon and the Odyssey -- those are the next 5 I have up on my to-read.

>>3661918
damn what is Underworld about ?

>>3661918
ooh I've heard underworld is fantastic, like the first 100 pages especially or something

>>3661932
I just started it. So far it seems to be about a baseball game.
>>3661939
It's pretty cash.

>Last
East Of Eden, I loved John Stienbeck's writing. The story made very self conflicted because in the end I resented Celeb out of jealousy even at the end.
>current
Jude The Obscure, Its difficult switching from a western writer to a european from another time. I'm making a strong connection with Jude so far but I've hardly scratched the surface of him.
>next
Maybe The great gatsby because of the upcoming film however I may read something more laxed like Neverwhere.

>>3661215
>Dispatches

You are in for such a fucking treat. Best work of non fiction I've ever read. Learnt more about the human soul with that one book than any amount of novels I've read before or after.

>>3661892
I love you

>last
the setting sun / dazai

>current
all the pretty horses / mccarthy

>next
journey to the end of the night (or) either / or v. 1

not sure yet.

>Last
1984, which I don't really need to say anything about, except daunting of course
>Current
Huckleberry Finn, god damn that Sherburn section
>Next
Maybe Brave New World or Catcher in the
Rye

If you can't tell I'm new to reading.
Also can someone recommend me a book with someone living amongst natives of a certain area, like the opening scene to The Thin Red Line?

>>3661957
>A Confederacy of Dunces

>>3661215

>>3661978
>steppenwolf

See
>>3661971

>>3661971
>A Confederacy of Dunces
What a fucking horrible book. You must be American.

>Last
Siddhartha
>Current
Claw of the Conciliator
>Next
Sentimental Education

>>3661983
English, and I thought it was pretty good, what's your problem with it?

>>3661983
i didn't like it either. one of the few books i've never finished.

>>3661983
Incorrect

>>3661968
Burmese days my George Orwell, I'm reading it at the moment (see:>>3661896)

The protagonist as a befriend-er of the natives in a colonial society of bigotry and all-white clubs. It's written about Orwell's time serving in the British Army in India. So it's fitting in living with the natives and I see you've read 1984 already, if you're looking for something without heavy 'Orwellian' themes and more focus on the natives look elsewhere.

>Melancholy of Resistance
Amazing, 10/10 life affirming book. Some of the best scenes I've ever read in anything ever, a masterful use of language and characters I'm never going to forget. Can't recommend enough.
>War and Peace
Parties and Parties. Two thirds of the way through now, its been an obsession. I will finish this sum-bitch. Not even enjoying it as much as I did at first now, but I just have to work my way through it and find out what happens to these characters. Can't imagine a life with Pierre, Prince Andrey and Natasha, etc

>Dictionary of the Khazars
Read the introduction, I cannot fucking wait for this thing. Seems like a novel-length Borges story, all about (internal, imagined) intertextuality and hidden divine revelation/murky, suspect history. I am fucking pumped.

Never been much of a reader but suddenly want to read fucking everything. This is where i started.

>>3661996
Neat, will do

>Last
Just Kids by Patti Smith. Wasn't a fan. I had to read it for a class I took on Memoir and it was the only one we read that I didn't like (we read A Childhood, On Writing, and a Place to Stand as well).

>Current
Re-reading two books. Shantaram being the first. It's my favorite novel of all time, and now that it's spring, after class I like to go sit outside and read it in the sun. It's awesome.

The other is Streams of Silver by R.A. Salvatore. Dat nostalgia.

Also reading a book of David Bottoms's poetry, Armored Hearts. I am just now beginning to write poetry for the first time in my life, and whenever I showed my first poem to one of my professors he gave me several poetry books to read. I'm really enjoying this one. It's the first book of poetry I've ever read.

OH and I'm reading a biography of Montaigne. How to Live: Or, A Life of Montaigne in One Question and Twenty Attempts at an Answer.

>Next
Probably Full Dark, No Stars. My mom picked up a nice hardcover copy for me on sale at a Dollar Store last week. I'll also be re-reading The Halfling's Gem. And I am going to read a book of Yusef Komunyakaa's poery, Neon Vernacular.

>>3661968
>recommend me a book with someone living among natives
Check out Dusklands by Coetzee.
It's actually two stories, the second of which is about an asshole and his dealings with an African tribe. Not exactly heartwarming, but good stuff.

>>3661215
>Cosmopolis
Alright, the final monologue was spectacular but some of the justification for some of the futuristic computer bits was annoying

>Infinite Jest
Need I ass more?

>Dunno
I'm still going to be reading Infinite Jest during my exams and I haven't thought much beyond that

>>3661999

>Melancholy of Resistance
>Amazing, 10/10 life affirming book.

Listen to this anon. Read this book. Now.

How good was that ending? I sat stunned and motionless for a while after that final line. Total masterpiece.

>Arthur Miller's Death of a Salesman
Wonderful and emotionally destructive.
>Dezso Kosztolanyi's Skylark
About half-way through. It's a bit depressing, but I love the humor and the small town atmosphere.
>next
I don't know. Does anyone have a good postmodern book that isn't written by DFW or Pynchon?

>>3662055
White Noise or anything else by Dillio

>last
David Foster Wallace - The Pale King
enjoyable although somewhat formulaic David Foster Wallace if that even makes sense. Also clearly very unfinished
>current
Thomas Pynchon - Gravity's Rainbow
only about 25% into the book, I'm liking it so far, but I kind of wish there weren't quite as many characters as it feels as some of the characters are only barely fleshed out
>next
Finnegan's Wake
I've been putting this off for a long time as it is just blatantly intimidating, but I feel ready to take it on after reading most of Joyce's bibliography

>>3662055
john barth's giles goat boy

>>3662027
>Melancholy of Resistance
i was thinking about reading this because some guy on some other forum said it was good s o i guess i will now

The only thing I can say, for now, about those two books is that they're slowly making me able to see (through the realization of how my actions are dangerously similar to some of the characters') the chaotic and poisonous way which I'm leading my life.

>>3662071
>Dillio
>Dillio
>Dillio

>last
Steinbeck - The Grapes of Wrath
Finished it today. Enjoyed it a lot. I love the 20th century history-wise, saw the movie adaptation in a US history class last semester, the book lived up to my expectations.
>current
Hemingway - For Whom the Bell Tolls
I liked The Sun Also Rises and since I just finished my WW2 class it seems right.
>next
Fitzgerald - The Great Gatsby
Going to continue along the theme of American authors, I loved reading about the 20s through The Perils of Prosperity (history of the roaring twenties, good read for anyone else who likes history books)

Last. House of the Seven Gables
Meh. Gimme Melville over Hawthorne. Hawthorne was annoyingly worry

Current. The Road by Jack London. Interesting but dated.

Next. Anna Karenina maybe. It's been on my to read list for a while.

>>3662112
>>3662112
Wordy not worry

>>3662112
>>3662108
I'd recommend Melville's Billy Budd if either of you haven't read it.

>last
Hitch-22. It was alright. I was really hoping for more personal stories but it largely focused on socialism.

>current
In Search of Lost Time. I literally could not wait to read this (literally as in I skipped a chapter (the jewish one) in hitch 22). It is excellent so far, 70 pages into Swann's Way. Started this morning.

>Next
I honestly don't know. In Search of Long Time is such a monster, and though I am a fast reader, it will take some time to get through this. I'm thinking Amerika by Kafka.

Has anyone read that? What did you think? I've read almost all of Kafka's stuff other than this. I'm wondering why it's hardly mentioned in Kafka discussions, it seems pretty good.

>>3662141
good choice with Blood Meridian

>>3662141
I would avoid The Real Frank Zappa book, unless you want to hear about recording equipment and 80s politics

>The Reader
It uh... was a book! I still don't PERFECTLY enjoy it, because some of his writing seemed more to focus on a bunch of moral questions he didn't care to answer. LOVED the generational stuff though. That was awesome.

>Game of Thrones
"WELCOME TO FOREVER AGO, ANON!"
SHUT UP I WAS RE-READING THE SILMARILLION WHEN I FIRST HEARD OF THIS, AND I WAS IN THE MIDDLE OF THE ECLIPSE PHASE RULEBOOK WHEN IT HIT HBO SO MEH I'M SLOW.

>The Warlock of the Witch World
I bought this at a bookshop on a trip to SF simply because the man behind the counter was the greatest seller of books I've met in a long time, and the art on the front had me spellbound. Look at that! Look at it!
Ever in the area, go to Forest Books in SF. Loved that place. Wish I could go back.

Last:
Fear and Loathing
Class, Thompsons prose is fantastic, the segment about looking west from Las Vegas and seeing the counter culture wave clash is up there with the best I've seen

Now: Catch 22
Took a while to get in, I actually read 3 chapters before stopping and reading fear and loathing but I regret it as around a 1/3 of the way in the book just *clicks*, I still have 200 pages left, the current chapters really are masterpieces especially the McWatt Beach one. The thing I like about is whilst it makes you depressed about war and shit, it makes you appreciate the small things like a group of buddies having fun and just chilling by the beach.

Next:
Probs the Hunter .S Thompson Hells Angels book, looks interesting

>>3662178
>Picking a book for its awesome cover

This nigga. Arbitrary reasons for reading a book are the best reasons. Its the number one reason I am against e-readers. Books should be objects.

>Last
The master and margarita

eh

>Current
War and Peace

good, a little slow so far

>next
Despair by Vladimir Nabokov
might be cool

>>3662254
whenever I need a book, I go on /lit/ and pick the first one I see mentioned that I haven't already read. I've been doing it for 2 years

>>3662264
How did you find Tao Lin's complete works?

>>3661215
>last
A Voyage to Arcturus by Lindsay
>current
Memoirs of a Midget, Lady Gregory's Complete Irish Mythology and Three Plays by Sean O'Casey
>next
The Short Stories of Saki by H.H. Munro

>Monkey Wrench Gang

I rather enjoyed it. Abbey has a wicked sense of humor, and I rather liked the farcical tone of the book. Was able to make a point without taking itself too seriously.

>Blood Meridian
Absolutely gorgeous so far. McCarthy's prose is godly to behold. Looking forward to finishing this.

>As I Lay Dying
The only Faulkner I've read before this was A Rose for Emily, and that was a short story. I really rather liked it, though, so I'm excited to read this. I've had a lot of people tell me I'll love Faulkner

Last - the crying of lot 49: not at all what I was expecting. Probably the most I've enjoyed a book with a female protagonist

Current- Dubliners: different story every chapter is enjoyable, the different perspectives keep it fresh

the Myth of Sisyphus: haven't read many essays but I like Camus' other works I've read

Next- maybe death of Ivan illych, I've got a lot of short ones at the top of my list after just finishing the brothers k

>>3662291
probably google. seriously any other author would have made more sense.

>>3661999

I have never heard of Melancholy of Resistance before, but I'm going to check it out the next time I'm at the library. Hope it's as good as you say!

Only counting fiction:

Last

>Planet of Exile, Ursula Le Guin
Only the second Le Guin book I've read. Not feeling her prose much but this was a good little story. I liked her take on posterity and the influence of the past on people in the present, plus how it tied in with the previous book (the importance of distant history/myth/collective identity).

Current

>Notes From Underground, Dostoyevsky
I said goddamn. It's like Fight Club for the nineteenth century. The narrator's incredibly thought provoking yet god knows how unreliable/damaged.

Next

>Probably reread Game of Thrones
And continue right through with the whole series, come at me.

>>3662336
As I Lay Dying is such a fun fucking book. It's crazy and sad and hilarious and all over the place. You won't have any idea what's going on at points and you'll love it.

>>3662368

Just the kind of thing I've been looking for. Thanks, brah. Even more stoked to get to it

>>3661215
Oh man, Fan's Notes... sad, amazing book. Good choice, OP.

>>3662418

>Last: Range of Reason, Jacques Maritain

>Current: Crime and Punishment and A Confederacy of Dunces

>Next: The Order of things Foucault

>>3662418
how you liking Stoner?

I recent started reading books in blocks. 4 books to a block and I don't start another until block I finish all 4. Since I don't read much anymore I won't get through my current block (just started) for about 2 months. Same for the next. Still haven't picked out a 4th book. Might reread the story of edgar sawtell.

>Last
Tigana - Not as good as I expected, since the entire internet talked this book up to be something truly spectacular. Still quite good and Kay writes quite well, even if he has a tendency to go off on unrelated tangents for emotion's sake.

>Current
1984 - Been meaning to read this for a while since I really enjoyed Brave New World. Only just started though.

>Next
No idea yet, thinking of moving on to another series. Malazan, Game of Thrones and Book of the New Sun all look interesting. More likely I'll just go through more standalone classics just because it feels like I'm actually making progress that way. Any recommendations for someone that loves fantasy and sci fi, but hasn't read through many of the classics of the genres?

>>3662634
Honestly I wouldn't pass up Game of Thrones. I just caught up through the series in the last few months and found it immensely enjoyable.

>last

Bright Lights, Big City. I really liked it, though I thought that the author was not using the second person perspective to it's full ability by making the character slightly unrelatable through ALL the drugs, but that's just my take.

>Current

At the Bottom of the River, by Jamaica Kincaid. A beautiful little collection of short stories. I love her style.

>next

The Green Hills of Africa, by Earnest Hemingway. I recently went to Africa and am now desperately searching for nostalgia feels for the scenery...

>last
Happyslapped By A Jellyfish
>current
Consider the Fork (audiobook)
Red Plenty (ebook)
>next
dunno

>A Walk in the Woods
Wanted a light read, got a light read. Very funny in parts.

>FWTBT
My first Hemingway. Enjoying it, but the dialogue is annoying at times.

>The Crying Lot of 49
Heard this is a good entry to Pynchon. Looking forward to it.

>last
jacques lacan, "the seminar of jacques lacan: book ii. the ego in freud's theory and in the technique of psychoanalysis 1954-1955"

>current
freud's "die traumdeutung" ("the interpretation of dreams")

>next
freud's "essays on the history of sexuality"

>then
freud's "jokes and their relation to the unconscious"

&c.

i began with freud's introductory lectures a while after i took a course on religion taught by an analyst, and decided i actually needed to read freud.

i read myriad other writings of freud's before going onto lacan's second seminar (and i'd read myriad writings by lacan by that time as well). i'm working back through freud chronologically, and then going through lacan chronologically.

u tryhard faggots r so laff

>>3664734
We do not need the mathematical expertise of Sokal and Bricmont to assure us that the author of this stuff is a fake. Perhaps he is genuine when he speaks of non-scientific subjects? But a philosopher who is caught equating the erectile organ to the square root of minus one has, for my money, blown his credentials when it comes to things that I don't know anything about.

>>3663706
Bryson is great. I think a short history of nearly everything is his best, though.

>Last
Deadwood: The Golden Years
>Current
You Can't Win

>>3664763
do you even understand mathematics? symbols? how about the anthropology of the body, and its relation to the significance of symbols qua linguistic limits?

lol ur pathetic kiddo

>>3661896
Okay so I have finished Burmese Days dammit Orwell, stop killing off the patricians and I'm now debating whether to read Slaughterhouse 5 next as planned or to read The Portrait of Dorian Gray, they're both in my to read pile.
Halp

>last
pnin
>current
post office
>next
i'm thinking the demon by hubert selby jr, maybe the crying of lot 49

>>3664763
go read meno

think of the penis as a symbol of power, domination, activeness (as opposed to passivity, which is the feminine projection)


google bourgeoisie and gender or something, lil tyke

embarrassing, lol

Last: Fahrenheit 451
Current: The Road
Next: Watership Down

>>3664794
Say that to mr Dawkins

>Last
House of Leaves eat me
>Current
Mao II
>Next
A Personal Matter

>>3664910
tfw I can't spoiler tag

>>3661861

Funny, I'm reading the same "Essential Dialogues of Plato" you are. And yes, I found it strange it left out The Republic, but it makes sense considering there are a million and two other places you can read The Republic, and it doesn't necessarily explain the wholeness of Plato's ideas that other dialogues do.

>Last
This Perfect Day, enjoyed the hell out of it.
>Current
The Razor's Edge, I love me some Maugham.
>Next
No idea, probably some more sci-fi.

>last
Mrs. Dalloway
>current
over 9000 books on wallace stevens for a research essay
>next
collected short stories of washington irving