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/lit/ - Literature

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20093783 No.20093783 [Reply] [Original]

why do you guys read? is there really nothing more exciting you'd rather do?
im not trying to critique, i'm just curious.

>> No.20093792

I read because I like to. I also do others things too. how old are you anon?

>> No.20093806

>>20093783
If you can't be, at least at times, completely absorbed/content with intellectual stimulation then you're banished to stupidhood forever.

>> No.20093808

>>20093783
Reading is research for writing.

>> No.20093816

>>20093783
I like those things inside books. The stories.

>> No.20093859

>>20093783
>>20093783
I like it. Specifically what I like about reading literature (rather than theory and philosophy) is the way it moves imagination and the feeling of becoming more aware of my own thoughts and of things around me while reading. It gives me a very specific feeling of "presence" no other activity gives me in quite the same way. If I am somewhere reading, I feel like I am there "more" than I would be while listening to music, watching a movie or playing a videogame. I am at the same time absorbed in an activity and observing myself being absorbed in it, if it makes sense. This somehow feels very pleasant, it's like a doorway to a more vivid reality, or a way of hallucinating a reality that is very similar to the one I am in, but at the same time more dense, layered and vivid. It is very similar to the feeling you have when you talk to a friend who tells you a story your are very interested about, or describes an experience in a very vivid way, with words that stuck with you: you are sitting somewhere, maybe in a kitchen or a living room, and you are engulfed in a story and place that are not there, but at the same time the story makes you very focused on things you have around you (e.g. the expressions, voice, gestures of the storyteller, the way the lighting and tone of the room mix with the story, etc.). When someone shares experience with me I have not witnessed directly I feel like I enter a state of stronger awareness, and details about the setting and characters come to my mind very vividly even though the storyteller is not describing things in a precise way. I think most people feel like that while listening to someone telling an interesting story. Reading literature, for me, feels like that. I am very grateful that up to now I have had the opportunity to read and experience beautiful literature, as I feel that it is making my life much richer. It requires a bit of effort and you should likely make it a habit, but I would recommend it to anyone.

>> No.20093868

I hope he breaks his neck

>> No.20093871

>>20093783
It enhances your soul.

>> No.20093874

God, I remember when I picked up a book and immediately got banned from any and all other activities in the world :(

>> No.20093882

>>20093874
>he doesn't drop all time wasting bullshit to minmax literature completely

>> No.20093889

Let me turn that around on you, what more interesting activities are there? A healthy chad-type is only busy with exercise and sex for a few hours a day, even on a day with an 8 hour shift there is usually a solid block of free time left over. What else would you use it for that isn't retarded?

>> No.20093892

>>20093882
you're supposed to put a statement or an image in response to the greentext

>> No.20093901

>>20093889
You can be busy enough in a day, that's for sure. But for an entire week at a time? No way. At some point, a vast majority of people are spending time on entertainment. In a day, I can easily get off work, spend time making a proper meal with my imaginary girlfriend, go out to a dinner or some sort of social function, gym then fuck off straight to sleep. But unless you're rich, you're not spending every weekend doing insane stuff like going to a new restaurant, or paying for an experience like bungee jumping or travelling.

>> No.20093911

>>20093889
>solid block of free time after an eight hour shift
Spoken like a true NEET, anon. Have you ever worked?

>> No.20093912

>>20093901
I get the sense that you set out to make a point but ended up turning it into a blogpost and just went with it.

>> No.20093922

>>20093911
I used to put in 60 hour weeks. Not everyone is an undisciplined and comfort obsessed retard who needs to blow off steam by watching twitch or crying in the shower or whatever it is you do for 4 hours before they can do any evening adult activities.

>> No.20093923

>>20093912
None of those things is what I'm doing right now. I'm just using hypotheticals, which you've started, with a healthy chad-type not being too busy to read, if he wanted to. I said it's easy to be too busy for a few days in a week, but not the entire week.

>> No.20093931

>>20093923
For sure, but there is still time available im general.

>> No.20093957

>>20093783
With fiction it's similar to why I enjoy getting to know and discussing with different kinds of people. Fiction helps you expand your thinking and helps you understand other viewpoints, as well scrutinize your existing opinions.

I enjoy non-fiction because there are topics I find interesting and learning more about them is fun.

>> No.20093985

>>20093874
i didn't ask the question to suggest you cant do those other things. it was more so a question of why you read over everything else.
in the same way you have to time to read, normies see that as time to do something arguably more exciting than reading, unless you consider browsing tiktok and instagram reading.

>> No.20094006

>>20093985
>i didn't ask the question to suggest you cant do those other things. it was more so a question of why you read over everything else.
That doesn't make any sense. If you can do other things, then reading isn't taking the place of something else. Maybe you should read more and get smarter.

>> No.20094032

>>20094006
it takes the place of an immeasurable amount of other activities you could have done instead of reading. when you decide to read or do anything, you dedicate that otherwise free time towards an activity.
you could've jacked off, went to a bar, or get high on meth but you decided to read instead.

>> No.20094047

ideas that have been forgotten or buired in the past are rediscovered through literature
also
every movie adaption is an abomination and NEVER does the source material justice in terms of the conveyance of ideas and messages of the author
that being said some adapation are still good in their own right and taken as they are

>> No.20094063

>>20093783
It's fun, I get to learn new stuff, it tangentially helps with my future profession (law), I find it helps my writing ability, and overall it just feels more fulfilling than other mainstream activities. I'm pretty introverted and I really enjoy my privacy and solitude. I cant really handle too much social stimulation desu.

>> No.20094086

>>20094063
When you call it your "future profession", what do you mean? I've actually been accepted into a law school and everything but I still don't use that phrase, I believe it is likely to make you see it as foregone conclusion and affect your decision making.

>> No.20094104

>>20094047
what are some of your favorite books?

>> No.20094188

>>20093783
You read to acquire knowledge. Knowledge is the only good while its opposite, ignorance, is the only evil.

>> No.20094228

the trial
the sirens of titan
one hundred years of solitude
short stories of mark twain
candide
the idiot
war and peace
book of the new sun (all the series)
lovecraft's stories
islands in the stream
twelve little indians

alot of those i read a long time ago but they left an impression on me which is good enough and i might reread some time in the future

>> No.20094234

>>20094228
meant for >>20094104

>> No.20094289

>>20094228
any of those at least somewhat newbie?

>> No.20094310

>>20094289
speak english

>> No.20094321

>>20094032
>you could've jacked off, went to a bar, or get high on meth but you decided to read instead.
These are the alternatives you offer and you're asking why we choose to read?

>> No.20094337
File: 27 KB, 1092x1037, CADF3BF4-3534-450F-8B0C-57B505880587.png [View same] [iqdb] [saucenao] [google]
20094337

I just like the stories

>> No.20094419

Besides working full-time I go to the gym every day and go hiking 1-2 times per week. If I spend literally all the rest of my time reading (and learning languages), I still feel as though my life has a healthy balance.
No I do not have a social life. No I do not see that changing if I were to read less.

>> No.20094422

>>20094289
All of them except the Russian ones.

>> No.20094454

>>20094032
dumb retard

>> No.20094484

To understand the world and for the beauty of it. Fiction really fulfills me, reading and writing it. Nex to that I like non-fiction because it helps me increase my ability to think well.

>> No.20094511

>>20094422
thanks. i'll try one of those out. been i needing something to do outside of sitting on the computer all day.

>>20094321
it was only meant to be used as an example of activities, friend. besides, i hear people have a lot of fun at the bar.

>> No.20094516

>>20093783
>why do you guys read?
escapism

>> No.20094557

>>20093783
i read because without it i would nothing.
im not interesting, i have no hobbies, no passion, nothing, i just exists.
if i didn't read, i wouldn't be able to hold a conversation with anyone because i dont know anything. so one day i decide to start reading and i became the guy who knows obscure trivia about books.
that's it, that's who i am and that's why i read.

>> No.20094583

>>20093783
"Why are you carrying around that lantern?" I asked.

"I am hunting, " he said, "for a man who is being honest when he says 'This isn't a criticism; I'm genuinely curious'."

"What will you do if you find such a man?" I said.

"I will be very surprised," he answered.

>> No.20094596

it makes you more sensible to life, more aware of yourself and of your surroundings. more prone to admire things, i'd say - like, reading helped me with depression, it started as an escapism and then it ended up showing me that its great to be alive. cheesy talk aside, it makes you incredibly more eloquent, smarter, better in debates, more based in the shit u say. i understand being lazy and doing other things cause its easier but i'll have to agree with the other comments, u gotta be a dumbass mf if you dont see the values of it. like, try to find some book that really interests u and read it at least for 30min each day. u will see the value of it. books cant live life for u but they might tell you something that changes u completely.

>> No.20094597

>>20093783
I read, study, lift, and focus on cooking/cocktails in my spare time. When i can afford it I'll buy a weighted keyboard and get back into piano

Not really sure why you assume everyone on /lit/ just reads - but even if they do, there's such a massive amount of variety in literature you could be entertained and enlightened for a lifetime.

Meanwhile, excessive social media exposure is already proven to make people more erratic and unfocused.

>> No.20094611

>>20094047
I thought No country for old men was okay..

>> No.20094665

>>20094557
well now that you know that hobbies make you a more interesting person, why not pick up more hobbies and become more well rounded? honestly, it just sounds like you're depressed not necessarily uninteresting.

>> No.20094687

because I like it, it's like a workout for my brain and for my soul. it's also like having really smart cool people around

>> No.20094693

>>20094086
I mean being a practicing lawyer. I want to practice criminal law. Yeah a lot of my classmates in 1L didn't have much of an idea either. 1L is all foundational pre-requisite stuff so there's no rush. But I would say that before 2L when you're picking courses you should definitely give it some thought.

>> No.20094716

>>20093783
Spoken like a true illiterate retard kek

>> No.20094728

>>20093783
>is there really nothing more exciting you'd rather do?
Depends on what you mean by exciting, for most of us here reading is exciting. It is not perhaps another's idea of excitement, or what they envision when they think of the word. Nothing feels better than reading a good book and getting lost in it. For me it is relaxing, keeps me sharp, I enjoy stories, I enjoy the art of writing, and of course reading is a skill that everyone should sharpen up. I read mostly fiction, but it has still helped me immensely in day-to-day life and reading heavy texts whether it be a philosophical work or some heavy mathematics textbook. Another bonus is you become more articulate, your vocabulary expands and it gets you into your medium.

>> No.20095033

>>20094693
What I mean is that you can't really know the future, but I had figured you were one of many underage high school students saying this. Its different when you're actually in law school.

>> No.20095108

I like it
>>20093859
This guy put it perfectly

>> No.20095317
File: 237 KB, 580x662, 1647809897587.jpg [View same] [iqdb] [saucenao] [google]
20095317

>>20093783
What else am I supposed to do? Reading is the most productive way to spend my excess free time. I work, I go to the gym, I watch hockey games sometimes, I browse 4chan and chat on a /lit/ discord, I read.

>> No.20095580

>>20094511
try candide first
it's funneh

>> No.20095823
File: 498 KB, 720x441, 1643925738161.png [View same] [iqdb] [saucenao] [google]
20095823

>>20093783
>Intellectual stimulation
>Entertainment
>Learning
>Feels
>Horny

>> No.20095834
File: 129 KB, 344x342, 1639558148059.png [View same] [iqdb] [saucenao] [google]
20095834

>>20095580
sure since google's giving away the pdf for free. although 200 pages seems like a lot.

>>20095823
>Horny
how is a book helping you with that?

>> No.20097473

>>20093783
I am not reading for fun, I want to know the truth.

>> No.20097682

>critique
Criticize you stupid faggot

>> No.20097780

>>20094611
That was a screenplay originally

>> No.20097997

>>20093808
This. It's also helped me be more articulate.

>> No.20098022

>>20093783
>why do you guys read?
Only medium I don't feel like is wasting my time.
>is there really nothing more exciting you'd rather do?
Meh not really - learning is exciting in a way. I like to write essays about the things I learn and try to understand my world. Is it vanity? Sure! What isn't? I don't have a good body for athletics, I don't have musical gifts, and I feel like I waste my time when I play vidya or watch TV/movies so books it is.

>> No.20098029

>>20093922
Based. Blowing off steam is fine when friends say it but my gosh do I get the same thoughts as this anon.

>> No.20098036

>>20093783
I'm reading starting strength to get swole

>> No.20098045

>>20094047
Not every adaptation