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/lit/ - Literature

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16134441 No.16134441 [Reply] [Original]

is this a good book?

>> No.16134451

>>16134441
No book is good

>> No.16134487

>>16134451
what about the good book

>> No.16134525
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16134525

>>16134441
I trawled through a load of reviews for it a few weeks ago in an attempt to find out the same thing; it appears that a) no one ever finishes it and b) it is far more a collection of melacholic writing by other authors than an analysis by Burton himself. I suppose it depends more on if you have 20 dollars to burn on a book you will probably never finish.

>> No.16134546

>>16134525
I finished it.

>> No.16134564
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16134564

>>16134546
>still doesn't say whether it was good or not

>> No.16134569

>>16134487
never read it never heard of it

>> No.16134583

>>16134564
It's hard to say because A) I'm a very strange person and most people do not find me relatable and B) the book itself is strange and probably unlike anything else you've read.
What that other anon wrote about it being a compendium of other writers is absolutely incorrect. It's written in the old style where it's sprinkled with erudition and references to classic authors but it's all original.
The book is basically like a medical document. It's called the "Anatomy" of melancholy because he is setting out to completely describe melancholia and everything related to it.
I will say that if you are going to read it, you should get the NYRB unless you are completely fluent in Latin as he makes makes extensive use of Latin phrases throughout and this version translates it in brackets

>> No.16134585

>>16134441
>'The best book ever written' Nicholas Lezard, Guardian
This guy from the Guardian thinks so.

>> No.16134590
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16134590

>>16134569

>> No.16134589

>>16134583
I just realized I still didn't answer your question in a binary way, but if you want to know, yes I thought it was good.
It was a very comfy read and Burton is a bro. Sad that he killed himself after he spent so much time writing this.
This book is much longer than you probably anticipate, that copy is fuckin huge.

>> No.16134905

>>16134569
oh it shows

>> No.16135420

>>16134583
>>16134589
Gracias anon, like I said I only gleaned what I could from reviews and those reviews made it out as if it were merely a collection of melancholia.

>> No.16135434

>>16134590
Not to imply that Jesus wasn't a real a person but all of those mentioned were born after Jesus' alleged crucifixion.

>> No.16135581

>>16134583
The notes are mostly untranslated iirc

>> No.16135725

>>16134441
>1400+ pages
Is it worth it if I’m genuinely interested in the topic?

>> No.16135736

>>16134441
Wait for the Penguin Classics to get released after coronachan stops.

>> No.16135879

>>16135434
No historian was alive at the time of Jesus’ crucifiction. Why is it that when it comes to Jesus, to proofs needed for his existence must be of a different quality than for anyone else?
No expert currently accepts the thesis according to which Jesus didn’t exist.

>> No.16135890

>>16135879
>No historian was alive at the time of Jesus’ crucifiction.
Nigga wat

>> No.16136167

>>16134441
I've read volumes I and II of it. Apparently volume III has some of the most interesting and famous sections. It is impossible to concentrate on all of it because it is packed with information, quotes, Latin, etc. If you're a classicist you'll probably get the most out of it; if you're a plebeian like I then I recommend just reading the Latin sections and comparing with the translations to see what phrases you can understand, but not obsessing too much over it otherwise you will get nowhere. I read it whenever I am attacked with fits of melancholy, and I enjoy Burton's learned, rich, earthy voice cataloguing the symptoms, remedies, cases, diagnoses of obscure classical medical tracts and the soothing, depressing absurdity of a book that is impossible to truly read and even more impossible to finish.

>> No.16136196

>>16135736
Why? What's the difference between it and the NYRB?

>> No.16136227

>>16135890
You heard me.

>> No.16136231

>>16135879
>No historian was alive at the time of Jesus’ crucifiction.
There were literally tens of thousands of historians alive at the time of Jesus' crucifixtion.

The reason they didn't write about him was because he wasn't some demi-god, he was a rebellion leader, of which there are many. The reason they wrote about him after his death are the same reasons the bible includes many made up things. They mythologized him, in death he became a martyr for liberty from the Roman Empire. Just like William Wallace wasn't 7 feet tall and couldn't shoot fire out of his ass, Jesus couldn't walk on water or turn water into wine. They included these things to ensure there would never be a proven second coming, because those things are impossible.

>> No.16136260

>>16136227
You're a literal retard. Even Tacitus' mention focuses more on the inane and insane collective rather than any central figure (Christus).

>> No.16136436

>>16136196
Potentially the Penguin edition will translate all of the Latin. The NYRB doesn't translate Burton's endnotes, which all but a handful are fully in Latin, and refuses to translate passages of a sexual nature. It's honestly a really shitty edition, but as far as I know is the only one that translates (most of) the Latin for the reader. It's honestly just lazy as fuck. It seems like they gave up on their vision because they realized there was no they could translate the Latin to meet the deadline. It honestly adds nothing except these translations for the reader.

>> No.16136487

>>16136436
I see thanks, I was going to order the NY one but now i'll wait.

>> No.16137957

>>16135879
Imagine being this stupid. This is what religion does to your brain.

>> No.16138568

>>16136436
Why not just learn latin you lazy fuck?

>> No.16138603
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16138603

>>16135736
>>16136196
>>16136436
>>16136487
>Penguin Classics
>This title will be released on December 3, 2020.
Fuck, I am excited too now. I put up a notification for myself. Thanks for the heads up :)

>> No.16138624
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16138624

>>16138568
I want to read books, just learn a dead language. You're as fucking stupid as the French when they say learn French to read `In Search of Lost Time`.

No, go FUCK yourself. I am going to read the latest English translation by Lydia Davis. I don't give a fuck about French or Latin. Shove it up your ass you autistic wanker - fucking telling people to learn languages that takes years to learn just to read a fucking book with a broken understanding of the language.

FUCK YOU.