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/lit/ - Literature

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2840568 No.2840568 [Reply] [Original]

Ok /lit/, pleb here. I'm 25 years old, and I've read two books in my life (Da Vinci Code & Marley & Me). I should be ashamed of myself and I am.

I recently had a panic attack when I thought of my life, so I've stopped smoking weed, taken up running and trying to really turn my life over. I was hoping you could recommend me something to read. Something quite entry-level would be nice to start with...

Favourite music:
Pink Floyd
Godspeed You! Black Emperor
Swans
Popol Vuh
Sunn O)))
Miles Davis
Awkward, I
Lee Perry
Death Grips
Neutral Milk Hotel
Hank Williams

Favourite films:
Synecdoche, New York
Requiem for a Dream
The Fountain
Irréversible
Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas

I've already checked the wiki but it's a little hard to just base what you're going to read on a cover alone.

>> No.2840580

Maybe you could read the Popol Vuh?

>> No.2840586

>>2840568
>Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas
Maybe start with the novel that Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas was based on, then.

>> No.2840593

>>2840586

That's a pretty good idea. Thanks.

>> No.2840592

Start with something you find interesting, I started with A Study in Scarlet without even asking around. Can't people think for themselves?

>> No.2840608
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2840608

>>2840568
>Requiem for a Dream
>Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas
These are based on books

>Irréversible
>Death Grips
Read Last Exit to Brooklyn or Naked Lunch
Look into Dennis Cooper, he is known for transgressive fiction and might be up your alley.

>Godspeed You! Black Emperor
Look into reading Cormac McCarthy. Start with his easy stuff like The Road or Child of God.

>Neutral Milk Hotel
Might like magical realism.

Also stop calling yourself a pleb. Fuck I hate that word so much now.

>> No.2840609

>>2840580
Just going to re-point out that Popol Vuh is also a book.

>> No.2840611

entry level /mu/tant detected

I can't really think of anything that hasn't already been said

>> No.2840613

>>2840608
Scratch Naked Lunch, it is maybe too experimental now but is something to look forward to in the future.

>> No.2840615

I know that feel bro. I had that sudden realization and threw away my bong at 16. You feel your youth just slipping away. Now I'm a lawyer. Feels good, man.

>> No.2840617

>>2840608
>Also stop calling yourself a pleb. Fuck I hate that word so much now.
pleb detected

>> No.2840630

>>2840615
wat

>> No.2840642

Was Marley and Me any good? I was thinking of getting it for my mother-in-law's birthday present.

Anyway, if you like Irréversible and all that nasty stuff, try Dennis Cooper as someone mentioned, or Matthew Stokoe. There was a link to a copy of it in the share thread.

Based on nothing else but gut feeling I also suggest:

Chuck Plahniuk - Rant or Fight Club or maybe Survivor (inb4 palahniuk hate). He's easy to read, occasionally surprising and thought provoking and pretty cinematic.

China Mieville - The City and the City because it's pretty mindbending.

Paul Auster's New York Trilogy is really enjoyable, as well as being "serious" literature, man.

Borges' work is short and sweet.

Iain Banks - The Wasp Factory and also his Culture books.

>> No.2840658

>>2840568
Here are some books that you can read to have a solid foundation for the Western canon.
1. The Iliad by Homer
2. The Odyssey by Homer

>> No.2840660

>>2840658
3. The Republic by Plato
4. The Symposium by Plato
5. The Laws by Plato

>> No.2840665

>>2840660
6. Politics - Aristotle
7. Poetics - Aristotle
8. Oedipus Rex - Sophocles
9. Oedipus at Colonus- Sophocles
10. Antigone- Sophocles

>> No.2840666

>>2840642

Seconding Borges. It will blow your mind, OP

>> No.2840670

>>2840658
>>2840660

>I've literally only read two books in my life

/lit/ recommends greek classics that will bore the arse off a professor.

fuck you /lit/. you're the kind of people who make others hate reading. i hope you never breed, because your kids will never read a book you don't force them to.

cunts.

>> No.2840671

>>2840665
11. Prometheus Bound - Aeschylus
12. The Suppliant Maidens- Aeschylus
13. Agamemnon - Aeschylus
14. The Libation Bearers- Aeschylus
15. The Eumenides- Aeschylus

>> No.2840677

>>2840670
>I have ADHD and autism so I can't understand why people can do all this shit which isn't boring but that I don't have the attention span for

>> No.2840679

>>2840671
16. The Inferno- Dante Alighieri
17. The Purgatorio- Dante Alighieri
18. The Paradiso - Dante Alighieri
19. The Convivio- Dante Alighieri
20. La Vita Nuova- Dante Alighieri

>> No.2840681

>>2840608
Listen to this guy.
He's evidently less retarded than the rest of /lit/

>> No.2840683

>>2840679
21. The Eclogues - Virgil
22. The Georgics - Virgil
23. The Aeneid - Virgil
24. The Complete Works - Sappho
25. The Complete Works - Pindar

>> No.2840688

>>2840670
but my kids will have good genes that will prevent them from being retards, so they will enjoy reading boring shit anyway. checkmate.

>> No.2840691

>>2840683
26. The Canterbury Tales- Geoffrey Chaucer
27. The House of Fame- Geoffrey Chaucer
28. The Legend of Good Women- Geoffrey Chaucer
29. The Book of the Duchess- Geoffrey Chaucer
30. Troilus and Criseyde- Geoffrey Chaucer

>> No.2840696

>>2840691
31. Les Misreables - Victor Hugo
32. La Legende de siecles - Victor Hugo
33. Le Rhin - Victor Hugo
34. Ruy Blas - Victor Hugo
35. Les Orientales - Victor Hugo

>> No.2840700

>>2840696
36. The Decameron - Boccaccio
37. On Famous Women- Bocccaccio
38. Secretum- Petrarch
39. City of God- St. Augustine
40. The Confessions- St. Augustine

>> No.2840703

>>2840700
41. Don Quixote- Miguel de Cervantes
42. Novelas ejemplares- Miguel de Cervantes
43. Viaje del Parnaso- Miguel de Cervantes
44. Los Trabajos de Persiles y Sigismunda- Miguel de Cervantes
45. La Galatea- Miguel de Cervantes

>> No.2840708

>>2840703
46. El maestro de danzar - Lope de Vega
47. El acero de Madrid - Lope de Vega
48. El perro del Hortelano - Lope de Vega
49. El anzuelo de Fenisa- Lope de Vega
50. El caballero de Olmedo- Lope de Vega

>> No.2840711

Every older individual new to reading should start with anything Kurt Vonnegut Jr. He is easy to read, keeps your attention, and are thought provoking.

>> No.2840712

>>2840708
51. Amor, honor y poder - Pedro Calderon
52. El sitio de Breda - Pedro Calderon
53. La vida es sueño - Pedro Calderon
54. La devoción de la Cruz - Pedro Calderon
55. El Gran Teatro del mundo - Pedro Calderon

>> No.2840717

>>2840708
>>2840703
>>2840700

What the beep do you think you're doing.

Read some non-fiction OP,

carl sagan - cosmos

>> No.2840718
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2840718

>>2840658
>>2840660
>>2840665
>>2840671
>>2840679
>>2840683
>>2840691
>>2840696
>>2840703
>>2840708
Thanks for the input but let's talk baby steps here.

I suggest that OP read something more entry level like Treasure Island, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, 1984, or Moby Dick. Stuff like that.

>> No.2840720

>>2840712
56. Astrophel and Stella - Sir Phillip Sidney
57. The Defense of Poesy - Sir Phillip Sidney
58. The Countess of Pembroke's Arcadia- Sir Phillip Sidney
59. The Lady of May- Sir Phillip Sidney
60. The Consolation of philosophy- Boethius

>> No.2840722

OP, the majority of the works suggested in that list are boring as fuck and will scare you away from reading forever. Trust me, start with Kurt Vonnegut Jr., Joe R. Landsdale, Christopher Moore, or Neil Gaiman. Also, most Alan Moore comics are very high level reading and quite entertaining.

>> No.2840724

>>2840720
Ok >>2840718 Orwell first.
61. 1984 - George Orwell
62. Animal Farm - George Orwell
63. Homage to Catalonia - George Orwell
64. Down and Out in Paris and London- George Orwell
65. Burmese Days - George Orwell

>> No.2840726

>>2840724
66. Treasure Island- Robert Louis Stevenson
67. The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr.Hyde- Robert Louis Stevenson
68. Kidnapped- Robert Louis Stevenson
69. Prince Otto- Robert Louis Stevenson
70. The Master of Ballantae- Robert Louis Stevenson

>> No.2840728
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2840728

Dude, don't stop smoking weed.
You can read, take life seriously AND smoke.

>> No.2840729

>>2840726
71. The Adventures of Tom Sawyer - Mark Twain
72. Adventures of Huckleberry Finn- Mark Twain
73. The Prince and the Pauper- Mark Twain
74. The Mysterious Stranger- Mark Twain
75. A Literary Nightmare- Mark Twain

>> No.2840731

>>2840728
It can be psychologically addictive. OP's choice may be for the best.

>> No.2840733

>>2840729
76. Moby Dick- Herman Melville
77. Billy Budd- Herman Melville
78. Bartleby the Scrivener- Herman Melville
79. Omoo- Herman Melville
80. Pierre- Herman Melville

>> No.2840738

>>2840733
81. Infinite Jest- David Foster Wallace
82. Brief Interviews with hideous men- David Foster Wallace
83. Consider the Lobster- David Foster Wallace
84. The Pale King- David Foster Wallace
85. Oblivion- David Foster Wallace

>> No.2840743

>>2840738
86. V- Thomas Pynchon
87. The Crying of Lot 49- Thomas Pynchon
88. Mason & Dixon- Thomas Pynchon
89. Against the Day- Thomas Pynchon
90. Inherent Vice- Thomas Pynchon

>> No.2840744
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2840744

Be sure to read The Hobbit if you have any intention of seeing the movies OP. It's an easy book.

>> No.2840748

Here's a tip. Classics are the best.

It's not like movies, where 'classics' were good in their day but aged and barely watchable today. The classics of literature are truly ageless.

If it's a classic, it merely means it's stood the test of time, and is so well written it's popular still even today. Not that it's boring and whatever else we associate with the word classic. So just try a classic.

If you don't wanna jump in at the deep end into adult literature, if you really haven't read your entire life, maybe start with teen fiction to ease yourself in.

>> No.2840750

>>2840743
91. The Recognitions- William Gaddis
92. J R- William Gaddis
93. A frolic of his own - William Gaddis
94. Agape Agape - William Gaddis
95. The Rush for Second Place- William Gaddis

>> No.2840755

>>2840748
I've never found classic cinema to be barely watchable. Anything that has me invested in the story keeps my interest.

>> No.2840756

>>2840750
96. The Hobbit - J.R.R. Tolkien
97. The Fellowship of the Ring- J.R.R. Tolkien
98. The Two Towers- J.R.R. Tolkien
99. The Return of the King- J.R.R. Tolkien
100. The Silmarillion - J.R.R. Tolkien

>> No.2840765
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2840765

Now throw some John Steinbeck in there, list-anon.

OP should read Of Mice and Men and whatnot.

OP, don't disregard these lists because the early stuff is mostly stuff that only grad students will touch. The more recent stuff is pretty accessible.

>> No.2840766

>>2840756
101. Hamlet- William Shakespeare
102. King Lear- William Shakespeare
103. Othello- William Shakespeare
104. Romeo and Juliet- William Shakespeare
105. Julius Caesar- William Shakespeare
106. The Tempest- William Shakespeare
107. Twelfth Night- William Shakespeare
108. A Midsummer Night's Dream - William Shakespeare
109. The Tragedy of King Richard III - William Shakespeare
110. The Winter's Tale- William Shakespeare

>> No.2840768
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2840768

>>2840748

>If it's a classic, it merely means it's stood the test of time, and is so well written it's popular still even today.

this is what naive children actually believe.

>> No.2840769

A Pynchon list with no Gravity's Rainbow? Blasphemy!

>> No.2840774
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2840774

>>2840748
>movies, where 'classics' were good in their day but aged and barely watchable today.

>> No.2840781

>>2840766
111. Gravity's Rainbow- Thomas Pynchon
112. For Whom the Bell Tolls- Ernest Hemingway
113. The Sun Also Rises- Ernest Hemingway
114. The Old Man and the Sea- Ernest Hemingway
115. The Garden of Eden- Ernest Hemingway

>> No.2840789

>>2840781
116. Lolita- Vladimir Nabokov
117. Pale Fire- Vladimir Nabokov
118. Ada or Ardor- Vladimir Nabokov
119. Nine Stories- Vladimir Nabokov
120. Bend Sinister- Vladimir Nabokov

>> No.2840795

Oh man, OP here. Appreciate the answers! I'm gonna start off with Dennis Cooper's Closer and see how it goes. If for some reason I find it difficult I'll just move on to another book instead of giving up like I used to do. I saved the replies that were noteworthy so I have a list for the future. Feels good man.

>> No.2840804

>>2840789
121. Cyrano de Bergerac - Edmond Rostrand
122. Le Gant Rouge- Edmond Rostrand
123. Les Musardises- Edmond Rostrand
124. Les Deux Pierrots, Ou Le Souper Blanc- Edmond Rostrand
125. La Princesse Lointaine- Edmond Rostrand
126. La Samaritaine - Edmond Rostrand
127. L'Aiglon: A Play in Six Acts- Edmond Rostrand
128. Chantecler: A Play in Four Acts- Edmond Rostrand
129. Le Cantique de L'Aile - Edmond Rostrand
130. Le Vol de la Marseillaise- Edmond Rostrand

>> No.2840808

>>2840795
Good to hear OP. I'm the anon that made the list y the way. Have fun reading, and remember that it's the adventure of a lifetime!

>> No.2840982

>>2840795
I am happy that you chose to read Dennis Cooper. I think you will really like him he is a wonderful writer and his prose are surprisingly good. Forgot to mention in my post (>>2840608) you might also like to read Micheal Gira, from Swans, book the Consumer. It takes transgressive fiction to the extreme. The only problem is the Consumer is out of print and really rare.

>> No.2840986

Don Quixote.

Just skip all the others and get to the best one.

>> No.2841015

>>2840804
You are a beautiful human being, listguy!