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/lit/ - Literature

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1942545 No.1942545 [Reply] [Original]

>William Shakespeare was the Seth MacFarlane of his time

>> No.1942546

>Seth MacFarlane was the Seth MacFarlane of his time

>> No.1942552

A flaming homosexual? That he was.

>> No.1942558

>>1942552
that works too

>> No.1942626
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1942626

As mad as this makes me, I can't disagree.

>> No.1942847

So hundreds of years from now, MacFarlane will be recongnized as a genius?

>> No.1942857

Stealing from better men than him?

>> No.1942858

>>1942847

No. It just shows how far our cultural standards have fallen.

>> No.1942860

>>1942858
>implying the common people did not always flock towards base and crude humor

>> No.1942869

>>1942860

And Shakespeare delivered that base and crude humor in a manner that is structurally brilliant.

>> No.1943554

>>1942869
Was it brilliant in their time?

>> No.1943564

Shakespeare is over rated.

I know this because I am smarter than all of you sheep that follow the opinions of the masses.

There were really obscure playwrights in Shakespeare's time who didn't become popular because they weren't willing to suck royal cock.

Am I cool yet?

>> No.1943580

>>1943554

Yeah.

Marlowe would have been better, but he had to go get himself killed.

>> No.1943585

Early Family Guy wasn't terrible. It was just terrible after it went on hiatus and came back because Seth stopped giving a shit and started using it as his personal soapbox.

>> No.1943592

>>1943585

I'm just saying, it would be better if it were written in iambic pentameter.

>> No.1943611

>>1943592
That criticism isn't really fair.
Today that meter's fallen out of vogue.
Perhaps, someone will bring it back.
Don't count on it, bitch.

>> No.1943645

>>1942545

This is the most accurate post /lit/ has ever seen. The people beating off to Shakespeare need to get lucid.

>> No.1943658
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1943658

>>1942545
>implying William Shakespeare wasn't the Tyler Perry of his time.

>> No.1943725

>>1943585
MacFarlane hasn't actually written for Family Guy since a season or two after the revival. He writes American Dad, which is why it's better than the other two. MacFarlane actually isn't that bad a humorist.

>> No.1943748

>>1943725
I haven't watched anything by McFarlane in about two years, but doesn't most of his "humor" rely on sex jokes and absurd comments from characters?

I'm pretty sure he appeals almost exclusively to thirteen year old boys, but I could be wrong.

>> No.1943757

>>1943748
American Dad is more character-driven than gag-driven.
Hell, it could be that I'm wrong, and that MacFarlane writes nothing anymore and American Dad just has a good team.

>> No.1943759

>>1943757
Possibly. Plus, American Dad and Family Guy have entirely different teams of writers anyway, so McFarlane might not even have that much input.

>> No.1943762

the difference is shakespeare was popular among the critics, cultured, and intelligent as well. a more accurate comparison is he was the Jerry Seinfeld or David Fincher of his time, but those are still crude.

>> No.1943765

>>1943748

I'm elitist as fuck - I'm not even a hipster, but I wouldn't want not to be able to laugh at a man forcing his daughter's face into his ass while he loudly farts, causing her to fall over and vomit; a woman, discovered in flagrante with her daughter's boyfriend, saying 'Umm... rape?' followed by the Seinfeld slap bass, or a baby asking a dog if he'll 'shave his coinpurse'. This is what humor is all about.

>> No.1943774

>>1943765

>sex jokes and absurd comments from characters

So you're saying yes, that's exactly what he relies on?

>> No.1943779

>>1943774
That's what Family Guy relies on, yeah.

>> No.1943789

>>1943774

There's nothing sexy about the ass-face-vomit bit. I also refer you to the classic ipecac syrup sequence and Marlee Matlin queefing skit.

>> No.1943794

>>1943789

Queefing jokes could be taken as absurdly sexual. Ass-face-vomit is absurd. Ipecac is most certainly absurd.

>> No.1943800

>>1943794

Yeah, but neither of those are comments. See also Peter's purchase of a brain-damaged horse, and the evil monkey listening to Foghat.

>> No.1943811

>>1943800

Then 'comments' was obviously one stipulation too many. Because they are indeed just absurdities, as are the other two examples you cite.

>> No.1943815

See also Peter throwing Brian across the room and Brian getting mad about it. See also Quagmire's ludicrously extended beatdown of Brian in that one episode. See also Mayor West's unveiling of the Dig 'Em Frog.

>> No.1943816

>>1943580
Marlow would have never been better. In a single soliloquy Shakespeare puts more beauty and truth than Marlow could in his whole career.

>> No.1943822

>>1943811

If your question is 'does Seth MacFarlane rely on funny things to make humor', my reply would be yes, he does. Or would if he had any significant writing input, which he doesn't.

>> No.1943835

>>1943822

Absurd does not mean "funny".

>> No.1943839

A favorite line: 'Oh boy, now I can pee in my bed all day!'

'And when we get in the car, do you want a donut to sit on? Ha! I'm part, I'm part of it!'

'If you wanna be in black and white, black and white's gotta be in you.'

Shakespeare is great.

>> No.1943843

>>1943816

You can't know that. Marlowe died far too young and produced far too little to compare him to Shakespeare and his life-long career and dozens upon dozens of plays and poems.

>> No.1943850

>>1943835

No, funny means funny, and this shit is funny. It's absurd too, but the most important category it falls into is that of "funny".

'I cut myself DEEP' - the delivery kills me every time.

>> No.1943854

>>1943850

It's funny to you.

>> No.1943865

Top ten ways to reveal yourself as a young and immature reader:

10. "Moby-Dick is so boring, who could like this shit?"
9. "The Bible is actually a poor piece of literature."
8. "I hate the Great Gatsby, no one cares about fucking rich people."
7. "Holden is a whiny and annoying bitch, shit novel."
6. "The Sound and The Fury is incomprehensible."
5. "Vonnegut is the greatest American author."
4. "Dude, House of Leaves is a work of art."
3. "I prefer DFW to Pynchon."
2. "I don't see what the big deal is about the Odyssey, It's a good action/adventure novel, but nothing special."
1. "Shakespeare sucks! HUR DUR."

>> No.1943871

macfarlane's comedy leaves me cold, flakesphere's comedy makes me feel dirty

>>1943865

god you're such a pompous asshole, do you get a stiffy lecturing young people on good taste when yourself is remarkably unremarkable?

>> No.1943876

>>1943854

There is no objectively funny writing.

'I was about to bone my girlfriend out at the lake, but suddenly she yelled, so I looked up and it was Bigfoot.'
'So what happened next?'
'Then I went back to bone her, but the mosquitos were going crazy, and she said there was NO WAY.'

>> No.1943879

>>1943876

But there are opinions. And I value some opinions over others.

>> No.1943880

>>1943865
Moby-Dick IS boring.

>> No.1943897

>>1943865
I hated Great Gatsby because I found the characters unlikable, does that count?

>>1943880
The story was boring, but the chapters on whaling and crap were fascinating.

>> No.1943904

>>1943879

Yes, so does everyone. You surrounded the word humor with scare quotes as though it would disqualify the shows you're talking about from being considered as such. This reduces the stock I place in your opinion.

>> No.1943913

"One of the competitors is a 13-year-old female riding prodigy. Apparently she got on the bull to miscarry, and found out she had a talent for it."

Hamlet.

>> No.1943929

"Get out now or stay and get weird! Your call, warden!"

Cymbeline.

>> No.1943934

>>1943897

>The story was boring, but the chapters on whaling and crap were fascinating.

You're the first person I've ever seen say this. Usually is the complete opposite.

>> No.1943936

'How was your bowel movement, Peter?'
'Eh, I got some, but I didn't get the troublemaker.'

- Othello.

>> No.1943945

"Tom, who were you having dinner with in there? Was it a guy? Are you gay? Someone said you were gay. It was me. Are the rumors I'm making up true? Ignore me if you're gay."

The Two Gentlemen of Verona.

>> No.1943950

"I would have had sex with you, but Peter neglected to tell me that you are a complete dumpster fire."

- Twelfth Night.

>> No.1943953

>>1943871

All I do is speak the truth of what I observe good citizen. It is the duty of those who are greater in literature read and years aged to show those who are younger the folly of such silly smirking. Do not be injured or think me so grievous for setting the signal lights to light upon the folly of foolish things said. For I mean that you should not embarrass yourself before the wiser you become from years and study. I guard your future self from ill memories of your former self's sayings.

Also, YOU MAD?

>> No.1943964

"Road House."

>> No.1944094

>>1943964
"Road House"
- King Lear

>> No.1944143

>>1943945

Hahaha, that's actually funny! Did he really write this?

>> No.1944370

>>1944143

It's from Family Guy, not written by the showrunner himself in all probability, but yes.

>> No.1944380

>>1943865

>6. "The Sound and The Fury is incomprehensible."

But it more or less requires the reader to learn how to read again. I appreciate it to Hell and back, but it'll be years before I can reread it and actually get a sense of sequencing.

>> No.1944395
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1944395

>finnegans wake is a good book

>> No.1944407

>>1944380
>requires the reader to learn how to read again
Explain.
I plan to read it soon.

>> No.1944416

>>1944407

As someone said, the only way to read it is to have already read it. It deliberately withholds information without which most of it is incomprehensible until about a fifth before the end. Having read it, you must immediately re-read it.

>> No.1944455

>>1943865
>8. "I hate the Great Gatsby, no one cares about fucking rich people."
Perhaps true, but there are many other reasons to dislike the Great Gatsby. How about those very non-subtle and constantly pointed at symbols that plague the entire novel.

"Dem goggles man, did you look at them, well imma mention them again in the book, googles dawg, dem goggles".

>> No.1944459
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1944459

>>1943865
Top ten ways to reveal yourself as a young and immature reader:
>1. "Shakespeare sucks! HUR DUR."
Tolstoy disproves

>> No.1944476

>>1944459
you can't take a literary marxist's opinion seriously

>> No.1944479

>>1944459

He was also a Jesus freak and an Anarchist.

>> No.1944481

>>1944459

And here's Orwell to tell you why Tolstoy was, in fact, totally wrong.

http://orwell.ru/library/essays/lear/english/e_ltf

>> No.1944711

Tolstoy was not a Marxist.