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/lit/ - Literature

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2588484 No.2588484 [Reply] [Original]

Alright so I'm trying to decide what book to read next. My choices are:

1. Crime and Punishment
2. The Trial
3. Fight Club
4. The Corrections
5. A Supposedly Fun Thing I'll Never Do Again

Thoughts?

>> No.2588485

>>2588484
The Corrections

>> No.2588489

>>2588485

I second The Corrections. A really fun book.

>> No.2588496

I've kind of skipped around through the pieces A Supposedly Fun Thing and really enjoyed it, especially as an intro to Wallace. I just started some of his fiction, Oblivion, and kind of like his journalistic voice better as of now.

anyway, go with that one if you want. I haven't read any of the others, though Dostoevsky and Kafka are both great. Just bought Corrections and probably won't ever read Fight Club. there it is

>> No.2588501
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2588501

>/lit/ recommending a novel published in the last decade over Dostoevsky

not that I'm complaining

>> No.2588520

Crime and Punishment.

You silly plebians.

>> No.2588563

Corrections

>> No.2588622

'The Trial' is the best book of the bunch.

>> No.2588630

Fight Club. Get the easy but fun stuff out of the way. Eliminate the easiest to read until you get to the big boys. Utilise that laziness to create order.

>> No.2588632

Since you posted DFW, I'm going to recommend The Trial.
Kafka was a big influence on him.

>> No.2588633

The Trial.

>> No.2588683

Life is too short to bother with Franzen

said David Foster Wallace from beyond the dead

>> No.2588685

>>2588632
Anyone think he intentionally left 'The Pale King' unfinished to emulate Kafka? (Which would mean it wasn't technically unfinished.)

>> No.2588688

>>2588683
>Life is too short

Considering where you're posting from, David, I understand your point.

>> No.2588692

Help me /lit/, I have a handful of unrelated books, more than half of which are actually not even good and I can't decide which to read

Please decide for me, because I cannot even make a decision this simple on my own

/lit/

>> No.2588865

>>2588692

>complaining about people asking for directions, opinions and recommendations in a discussion board about certain subject

Fuck you.

>> No.2588869
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2588869

>>2588688
lol

>> No.2588884

>>2588865
But that's all they do.

The actual discussion on a discussion forum of the literature itself is minimal.

>> No.2588885

>>2588692

>This guy doesn't think it's important for people well read on a subject (in this case, the novels listed) to give their opinion when asked
>This guy doesn't think that these sorts of threads are good for generating some minor discussion that would be helpful for the likes of OP
>This guy doesn't believe in being helpful
>This guy thinks actively seeking the opinion of others equates to being helpless

If you're this antisocial IRL, you can always retreat to the internet. But if you're this antisocial here, you'll get the same treatment you'll get out there: a polite request to get the fuck out and quit being a baby.

>> No.2588893

>>2588885
sorry people are uninterested in boring low-content threads that people constantly make

also fuck you for this:

>This guy doesn't think it's important for people well read on a subject (in this case, the novels listed) to give their opinion when asked
>This guy doesn't think that these sorts of threads are good for generating some minor discussion that would be helpful for the likes of

there's no obligation for knowledgeable people to help others (it's nice sometimes sure but saying that people are required to do so especially on 4chan dot org) and why should i give a shit whether the tiny amount of boring discussion these threads elicit interests the OP.

i actually do believe in being helpful and i try to be helpful most of the time but seriously fuck you, you're being incredibly presumptuous in assuming that every part of this board is and ought to be oriented around pleasing any given person who wanders in. IE that it ought to be oriented around pleasing you, specifically, alone.

>> No.2588898

I'd read the trial (didn't read it, but so many people recommended it, I'm going to read it soon)

>> No.2588911

>>2588893

>you're being incredibly presumptuous in assuming that every part of this board is and ought to be oriented around pleasing any given person

Where did I say that? Here's the thing: If you at all believed in being helpful, you could either
(A) Posted an answer to OP's post; or
(B) Ignored this thread.
Instead, you saged and bitched about it, because you're tired of seeing threads like this. Don't even pretend that you're not being selfish right now.

>there's no obligation for knowledgeable people to help others

I didn't say there was an obligation for this. But there at least ought to be an obligation to fucking ignore a thread if you hate the sight of other people helping eachother.

>and why should i give a shit

If you don't, then hide the damn thing.

Christ Jesus, dude.

>> No.2588912

Crime and Punishment is really, really good and is very engrossing. However, I would start with one of the shorter books to get some reading momentum going. Maybe start with Fight Club. That won't take long.

>> No.2588914

>>2588885
>>Should I read this? Picture related
>>Should I read Brave New World or 1984
>>Just bought these books, which should I read first?
>>Going to buy a few books, which of these do you recommend?
>>First post decides what I read

These make a substantial amount of the threads on /lit/, with little to no actual discussion of literature. If it is, it's always on the same small handful of books like 1984, Brave New World and that shit that I'm sick of seeing daily since /lit/ was created.

I'm not here to wipe other people's asses for them. It's not about being anti-social at all.

>> No.2588919

>>2588914
>I'm not here to wipe other people's asses for them.

Suppose other people are.

>> No.2588927

>>2588911
That guy wasn't me by the way.

Look at OP's selection of books. The same fucking shit. /lit/'s selection of readings as a group as worse than the average high school literature curriculum.

All the people who make actual threads on discussion, especially on books other than the same shit name-dropped daily have pretty much left or lurk. This is because people spend time in threads like these, where you'll end up seeing at times 3/4 recommendation threads on page 0.

Not exactly healthy for the board.

>> No.2588930
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2588930

Hi, I'm the OP.

I'm not helpless, and plenty capable of making decisions.

I enjoy the discussion on this board, however, and have had very good luck in taking recommendations from its posters. As a result I thought it would be interesting to make a thread about the books I was considering beginning next to see what /lit/ had to say about each one, hoping I'd read some discussion that would catch my eye and think "Oh wow, that book does sound more appealing." or perhaps even just be swayed by a recommendation alone.

In no way shape or form is my posting on this image board me thinking knowledgeable people are obligated to assist me, as much as it is my assumption that by browsing a literature forum you are in fact interested in talking about literature (and yes, that does include recommendations and little bits of discussion regardless of how that discussion came to be).

If my humble request for "Thoughts?" offends you, and makes you feel used or upset; I encourage you to lock yourself in a closet with your most conveniently accessible weapon and take your own life.

Thank you,
-The OP

>> No.2588940

>>2588930
Yes but 'thoughts' threads account for something like 20% of the threads, without any input at all by the author.

It's funny how people say it was tripfags like D&E, Brownbear and whatnot that fucked up /lit/, but it's useless threads like this by anonymous that did it.

>> No.2588949

>>2588930
>In no way shape or form is my posting on this image board me thinking knowledgeable people are obligated to assist me, as much as it is my assumption that by browsing a literature forum you are in fact interested in talking about literature (and yes, that does include recommendations and little bits of discussion regardless of how that discussion came to be).

The problem is that this isn't actually an INTERESTING discussion about literature. It's A discussion about literature, but not one anyone really cares about. Even if it becomes a conversation about literature, I don't find "/lit/ talks about Dosteoevsky / Kafka / Palahniuk / Franzen / DFW" that interesting, because /lit/ actually kind of sucks at talking about all those authors.

anyway I guess I'd recommend you read the Trial next because uh well Fight Club is not a great book, I don't really rate Jonathan Franzen, Crime and Punishment is mad long, and Kafka is probably somewhat better than DFW.

>> No.2588952

>>2588949
Crime and Punishment really isn't that long.

>> No.2588961

>>2588940
20% of threads are "Thoughts" threads
80% of threads are not.

Instead of posting in the 80% of threads that are not, you choose to waste your time bitching in the ones that are, putting them back on the first page by inciting arguments.

YOU SIR ARE A MASTER OF LOGIC, AND SAVIOR OF THE INTERNET

>> No.2588975

>>2588940
>>2588949

I suppose this is fair, but I should add that these threads are sincere in their approach and, even if they're generic, they're not offensive the same way the other clutter on this board is. Request threads like this aren't the worst thing in the world.

Not OP, by the way. I'm the guy who ranted at you. Sorry about that.

>> No.2588981

>>2588961
Did I say what the remainder of the 80% of the threads consisted of?

>>What e-reader should I buy?
>>Help me find a pirated version of this book please
>>What are your thoughts on: generic homework/essay question
>>How do I pick up girls using books?

The list goes on.

See how not many have to deal with the discussion of literature?

>> No.2589062

such a weird question
just read any of them

>> No.2589316

>>2588981

There is not a single board on 4chan, and I daresay, on the internet, that'll have purely topics discussing the title-subject.

That's because there is so much to talk about concerning a subject as broad as "Literature", or "Travel" or whatever board you visit.

The problem is not the board per se - it is the fact that not every thread fits in your perspective of a good thread. But it does fit on the perspective of others.

I advise you to focus your reading and posting on threads you enjoy, that way you'll have a good time and will contribute for the board.

Thank you,
-Not the OP

>> No.2589447

>>2589316
This

Thank you,
-The OP