/lit/ - Literature

>>7919378
yup its great

>>7919378
It's his most ironic so it's not the best example of his style (ie his other works are less ironic) but it contains a lot of his recurring themes.

parts of it are better than others. not my favorite but worth a read.

I finished it earlier today. The quality fluctuates but I found it very good overall.

>>7919378
White Noise general?

My contention, which definitely isn't very refined, is that the novel is not about how our society is saturated by consumerism as wikipedia suggest, though that's definitely there. Rather, it's about the different relationships a person can have with the knowledge of their inevitable death. Jack is afraid of it, Heinrich is fascinated with it, Murray seems to be an expert on it.

What does /lit/ think?

It reads like a generic pop fiction novel, cheesy humor and all. I don't get what all the fuss is about.

>>7919799
You're not entirely wrong, but it's explained that consumerism is Western Civilization's evolved defense mechanism against the awareness of death, even if it eventually fails.

>>7919865
Ah. So as a scholar on pop-culture (which isn't the same as consumerism but still) Murray would naturally be able to maintain a scholarly distance from the fear of death.

And that explanation totally makes sense considering (this is actually a spoiler, OP) there ends up being a branded consumer product which treats the fear of death.

Its pretty good.

Nothing he'll ever write can top the first 50 pages of Underworld though. Not much can.

>>7919799
so, you're parroting the sparknotes summary

>>7919811
it only seems like that if you have no eye for great prose

>>7919811
J-just like Nabokov, amirite? sez Anoniterious while adjusting the reed on his kazoo.

>>7919378
>Worth reading?
fuck
>Considered literature?
FUCK

>>7919799
this isn't a contention as much as it is literally a subplot

>>7920827
The prose is generally fine, if nothing special. The 'humor' and mannerisms ('the whole point of ...' blah blah) can get a little too cute and cringey.

>>7920821
didn't realize I was

>>7920851
>this isn't a contention as much as it is literally a subplot
Okay, sure. But why is this subplot there.

>>7920950
why is any subplot anywhere? why do people write books?

>>7920989
This

>>7919378
>Considered literature?
omg

>>7919378
I love this book immensely, but 4chan will try to be contrarians as usual and tell you it's shit. Personally, I think it's a near perfect novel.

>>7920012
> muh Underworld opening

I loved Underworld and I thought the opening wasn't the best part at all. The ending is unforgettable.

>>7921398
Libra is as perfect as a novel can get.

>>7921678
except that's not what don is about at all

he listens to nasheeds while jogging

>>7921398
Read more.

>>7919378
>Considered literature?
You pedantic fuck.

>>7921763
kek.

>>7921635
The whole book is great but you have to admit that opening sentence is fuckin amazing.

>>7920989
>>7921081
Woah bud, sorry for trying to discuss literature on a literature board. Guess it wouldn't have made any thematic difference if Donny had employed a subplot about scuba-diving instead.