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/lit/ - Literature

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1352444 No.1352444 [Reply] [Original]

ITT: Post books (fiction or non-fiction) that had a great impact on your life.

>> No.1352460
File: 105 KB, 700x525, gutenberg-bible.jpg [View same] [iqdb] [saucenao] [google]
1352460

Well, we'll just clear this out of the way, for me an everyone else.

>inb4 Das Kapital

>> No.1352465

Stranger in a Strange Land

>> No.1352469
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1352469

>> No.1352500
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1352500

The truth hurts a little

>> No.1352502

I used to read books because I had to, Heart of a Dog drove me to enjoy reading. It's been history since.

Love that book, I can read it on a whim whenever.

>> No.1352517
File: 12 KB, 305x460, Man-Who-Was-Thursday-Nightmar.jpg [View same] [iqdb] [saucenao] [google]
1352517

Fuck nihilism.

>> No.1352536

Starship troopers
Blood Meridian

both changed my moral philosophy forever

>> No.1352544

on truth and lies in a nonmoral sense

>> No.1352547

>>1352517
clearly you and I can to very different conclusions about The Man who was Thursday.

>> No.1352559

>nicomachean ethics
>on truth and lies in the non-moral sense
now to-read.

>> No.1352566
File: 41 KB, 339x565, endersgame-thumb-339x565-47861.jpg [View same] [iqdb] [saucenao] [google]
1352566

Amazing.

>> No.1352574

>>1352547
Well I love discussing my favorite books with people. Care to give your interpretation of it?

>> No.1352590

Plato's republic, nicomachean ethics, the prince, metaphysical meditations, social contract, many liberal books like ricardo, smith, marshall, keynes, friedman and marx too.

>> No.1352597

Les Miserable ironically made me a happier person.

>> No.1352613
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1352613

>>1352590
>Plato's republic

>> No.1352624
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1352624

Taught me that it was OK to like math.

>> No.1352666
File: 16 KB, 260x400, The-Plague.jpg [View same] [iqdb] [saucenao] [google]
1352666

"There are more things to admire in men than to despise"

>> No.1352678

>>1352666
>"There are more things to admire in men than to despise"
such as?

>> No.1352682

>>1352678
I take it you haven't read the book.

>> No.1352687

>>1352613
definition of what is good and bad, justice, injustice, ethic and morality.

>> No.1352690

>>1352682
not yet

>> No.1352693

>>1352574
In the pursuit of showing nihilism for the evil he thought it was, the main character becomes nihilistic in the pursuit of condemning the practice.

The book was trying to prove that all ideas that were not produced pessimistically were applicable, and that obviously wasn't the case at least from my interpretation.

>> No.1352698

>>1352690
Camus explains it better than I could.
Overall, it's a very humanistic, uplifting work.

>> No.1352703
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1352703

This and every John Green book.

>> No.1352715
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1352715

As Simple As Snow.
Simply beautiful.

>> No.1352721

>>1352693
I saw it in a very different light. At the start of the novel, Gabriel Syme is innocent to the questions surrounding man and the potential for civilization. The entire story equates to a coming-of-age nightmare for Syme, where he is constantly faced with bizarre situations that defy anything he has previously known. And, indeed, the world proves to be of an anarchist nature, devoid of reason, purpose, or even truth. Nevertheless, through sheer force of will, Gabriel manages to preserve humanity's imbued sense rationality (from my perspective) and prevail through his toils.

Not only does the plot establish Gabriel as a crusader of reason and faith, it paints a grim picture of how humanity, capable to understand and apply the concept of civilization, is born into a universe that seems to gravitate towards utter anarchy.

>> No.1352722

Nicomachean Ethics? Really? You bought into that whole virtue based ethics?

>> No.1352735

Trevanian's "Shibumi" as well as "Shantaram" by Gregory David Roberts. You would have to read them to understand (hopefully) why.

Those are the two that come to mind at this moment but, no doubt, small pieces of many tales have impacted my life.

>> No.1352738

>>1352722

Yup, why don't you?

>> No.1352743

Holy crap, I love Man Who Was Thursday, Chestertonchat is the best chat

>>1352721
I think that your analysis is really interesting and cool, and I don't think that it's wrong. I do think that Chesterton would have disagreed with you. The nightmare for Chesterton imo really is nihilism - the notion that we are alone in the world, that the world is simply an insane place, that all our suffering is for nothing. That is the nemesis he is acting against. And this fits in with Chesterton's whole philosophy and history, especially his early history. He certainly viewed nihilism as his nemesis in a very personal sense.

I think the ultimate point of Man Who Was Thursday and Syme's character is that all this suffering isn't for nothing, and to be able to say that with some assurance - he is the man who can really say "There is meaning, and it is something to have lived, and creation is good." I think.

Also check out this essay by Chesterton which is quite interesting in this connection - the diabolist could almost be syme - but the essay is basically autobiographical - http://www.gkc.org.uk/gkc/books/diabolist.html

>> No.1352778

>>1352743
Wow bro, thanks for the cool link; it was pretty insightful. And now that I think about it, your perspective has a crucial aspect of validity to it: at the end of the book, even AFTER the nightmare itself, the only two characters left are Syme and his friend (the anarchist; I forgot his name). What's really interesting is the fact that they're arguing - Chesterton (if we're going on your route) ended on a note of Nihilism and Anarchism fighting over the fate of the world.

>jesuschristhowhorrifying.jpg
Kind of makes it a coming-of-age novel for Chesterton, huh? Which makes sense, because I read Thursday at the end of High School.

So, anyway, I see you're a fan of Chesterton. Personally, Thursday was the only work I've been exposed to by him, but I would love to read more. Care to make any recommendations?

>> No.1352813

>>1352778
>And now that I think about it, your perspective has a crucial aspect of validity to it: at the end of the book, even AFTER the nightmare itself, the only two characters left are Syme and his friend (the anarchist; I forgot his name).

And the friend's sister. But that's because Chesterton likes redheads I think.

>So, anyway, I see you're a fan of Chesterton. Personally, Thursday was the only work I've been exposed to by him, but I would love to read more. Care to make any recommendations?

Thursday is easily his best work from a literary standpoint... Napoleon of Notting Hill is entertaining and Flying Inn has its moments, but neither reaches the same heights as Thursday. And none of his poetry is any good. I think what is most interesting about Chesterton is simply Chesterton. And so what I think is the best place to go is to read through his essays - which he wrote a tremendous amount of, being largely a freelance journalist most of his life - and his Autobiography, which I personally enjoy immensely (and which is very illuminating on Thursday, as well). But that's just my opinion....

>> No.1352840

not really a book but death of ivan ilych pretty much made me get off my ass for about a month

the effect's worn off by now though

>> No.1352866

Die Verwandlung
All quiet on the western front
Green Eggs and Ham
Frog and Toad series

and last but not least,

porno magazines

>> No.1353269

bump

>> No.1353292
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1353292

Wittgenstein - Tractatus logico-philosophicus

>> No.1353295

>>1353292
ah, so that book turned you into a total dickhead...

>> No.1353323

I'd have to say Brave New World. It really made me love to read and write. I mean I loved to read before that but that got me really started on reading.

>> No.1353337

>>1353295
of what we cannot herp we must derp over in silence

>> No.1353342

>>1353337
too bad you don't seem to possess this quality...

>> No.1353346

>>1353342
show, don't say

>> No.1353354

>>1353346
thats your idea of a clever comeback?

you are a constant disappointment

>> No.1353357

>>1353354
If I wanted my come back I would have etc etc

thnk u have a nice day

>> No.1353359
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1353359

Don't Judge it before you read it. It is a mixture of Existentialism, Objectivism, Individualism and Psycho-dramatic Ritrual.

>> No.1353361

>>1353359
>Ritrual.
ritruhruh?

>> No.1353363

>>1353359
does it come with black hairdye and/ or funny pyramid hats?

>> No.1353365

>>1353363
No it comes with a lot cynicism towards stupid objects such as these.

>> No.1353367

>>1353365
Idon'tthinksotim.

LaVeyan satanism loves stupid rituals with hats and swords.

>> No.1353368
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1353368

>>1353365
You sure?

pic related, its LaVey

>> No.1353371

> it comes with a lot cynicism towards stupid objects such as these.

> picture of lavey holding a fancy cup, sporting a huge-ass medallion and absurdly large ring
> skulls and cheap-looking pentagram in the background

yeah, sure... whatever

>> No.1353373

>>1353368
I don't see a hat or hair.

>> No.1353407

gide's novels especially lafcadio's adventures and so be it
voltaire's candide
huxley's island and bnw revisited

i know these aren't exactly sophisticated works, but they have shaped my thoughts and attitudes toward the world.

>> No.1353414
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1353414

>> No.1353417

i was really into kerouac and burroughs in my early 20s. burroughs' ideas on drugs and consciousness really altered the way i perceived reality and shaped my stance on the morality of drug use, abuse, and the responsibility required to know the difference. his affection for cats and the importance he placed on dreams are some things i deeply admire.


kerouac has a style that is seductive for young people. he embodies that stereotypical free spirit so well. i think i built up jack in a romantic way and when i matured, his work lost most of its luster.

junkie, my education, the yage letters, big sur, and dharma bums are the works that i enjoyed the most.

>> No.1353431

>>1353407
> implying you can understand Candide without knowing Leibniz' theory of the best of all worlds, which it makes fun of

>> No.1353540

i read it for a class and liebniz was mentioned, but not dwelt upon. i don't think there are any prerequisites for enjoying things, but it seems that you think differently. the idea that you must grasp the concepts of x before you can appreciate y is silly in the realm of literature, as it is not a field that is built on cumulative knowledge. for instance, i don't need to know chekov's cliches or be intimate with his life story to appreciate his work. surely, it will deepen and heighten my understanding of his canon, but it is not necessary for my own personal enjoyment.

>> No.1353552

Marcus Aurelius - Meditations


Saved my life.

>> No.1353558

>>1353552
really? in what way?

>> No.1354570
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1354570

>>1352687
>definition of what is good and bad

mfw nothing could ever define that.

>> No.1354584

The Picture of Dorian Gray

>> No.1354610

My books are...um....oh...huh. :|

When thinking about this it seems that I don't have any particular books that have had a great impact on my life.

This is odd as I have read easily 1000+ fiction and non-fiction.

So why am I different, anyone know?

>> No.1354625

>>1354610
You read books, but you do not take them in.
Akin to spinning a record only to utilize the music as background noise.

>> No.1354637

>>1353431
man, candide's criticism of Best of All Possible Worlds is so incoherent and bullshit, it actually kind of annoys me

it, like, doesn't address the actual idea at all

it's like "well, this couldn't be the best of all possible worlds because THINGS ARE BAD!!! ahahahaha owned b*tch suck my dilz"

that is literally what voltaire said

>> No.1354664

It's embarrassing, and it's also a comic book: Johnny the Homicidal Maniac by Jhonen Vasquez. I read it during a very angry period of my childhood, initially because it served my feelings of vindictiveness and rage, but it ended up teaching me that it's important to forgive and move on. I went from sullen bullied kid to relaxed basically-well-liked person almost overnight.

>> No.1354709

>>1354570
definitions of why is good to be good and why it's dumb to be bad. Read the goddamned book.

>> No.1354741

>>1354709
>>1354709
>>1354709

>> No.1354743
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1354743

I'm going to assume that no one has even heard of this book before, and because of that, I am disappoint.

>> No.1354748
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1354748

>> No.1354753

>>1354743

I got one.

>> No.1354756

>>1354753
:) Great book eh?

>> No.1354766
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1354766

The Life of an Amorous Man

http://www.amazon.com/Life-Amorous-Man-Saikaku-Ihara/dp/0804810699

It's why I hate Western Women.

>> No.1354773

1354743
good book
i'm going to assume you did not read it in french

>> No.1354782
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1354782

>>1354709

Those are still impossible definitions, hahah.

>> No.1354790

expressivism

>> No.1354895

>>1354782
Tell that to socrates.

>> No.1355008

>>1354782

Fail troll is fail
I hope it's fun living in the cave