/lit/ - Literature

[Anonymous No.3408854]

Who is Tao Lin and why is he so universally reviled on /lit/? I had never heard of him before coming here and have no idea why he is considered to be down there with Ayn Rand.

[Anonymous No.3408857]

>>3408854
>can someone tell me wtf alt lit is even
"It's a buzzword to describe Thai Lynne and his minions. He's described as 'alternative literature,' because he and the fuckwitt neckbeards who enjoy his drivel want to set himself aside from every other form of the written word. There is a deluded belief that his autismal mewling is genre defining, and that being a socially inept, xanax-addicted, dead-pan sperger who writes in a monotone first-person sincerity that ironically parodies itself is new and edgy enough to demand recognition.

They tried with new-autism, that didn't stick. Then came new-sincerity, stolen from the music scene, that didn't stick either. Now 'alt lit' is the flavour of the month, and these insufferable cretins believe they are part of a literature revolution that rivals the beats or realism, because the popularity of social media means they can masturbate to his twitter feeds while convincing themselves that King Sperger himself is relevant."

[Anonymous No.3408860]

>>3408854
I read Richard Yates and it wasn't the worst thing I've read. Some parts were good but overall it was a boring read. I don't hate him though, it's just a joke on /lit/, most people here have never read anything by him and hate him because he is trendy.

[Anonymous No.3408862]

>>3408857
>Then came new-sincerity, stolen from the music scene
New sincerity was a literary movement first

[Anonymous No.3408869]

>>3408862
>New sincerity was a literary movement first
""New Sincerity" was used as a collective name for a loose group of alternative rock bands, centered in Austin, Texas in the years from about 1985 to 1990, who were perceived as reacting to the ironic outlook of then-prominent music movements like punk rock and New Wave. The use of "New Sincerity" in connection with these bands began with an off-handed comment by Austin punk rocker/author Jesse Sublett to his friend, local music writer Margaret Moser. According to author Barry Shank, Sublett said: "All those new sincerity bands, they're crap.""

-http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_ncerity

[Anonymous No.3408872]

Wonder what his face looks like when he’s having sex, masturbating, and taking a shit.

[Anonymous No.3408878]

He reminds me a lot of Bukowski's younger years, when nobody would publish Bukowski, only Tao Lin is far more talented and fresh. His freshness makes him unforgettable. His freshness makes him relevant to the youth of today like no other artist has or can be.

[Anonymous No.3408882]

do you have favorite muumuu house pieces?

[Anonymous No.3408895]

>>3408854
He isn't. There are at least six people, including myself, who sincerely appreciate his writing. He writes about contemporary life without any attempt to make it seem more cool or dramatic or romantic. This is precisely what makes it special. His writing is like disposable camera shots without flattering lighting. It's glorious.

[Anonymous No.3408901]

>>3408872
>OK, what's your most memorable sex experience in life?
>Probably on mushrooms—I was doing 69 with Megan, and I felt like I was coming, but it felt like peeing and it just kept going, like a continuous pee-orgasm. And then I was, like, having my fingers in her asshole. But it all felt really clean and peaceful.
>yfw hfw

[Anonymous No.3408909]

>>3408895
Same, bro. But, if anyone asks, don't tell them I said so. I can't have them knowing Anonymous likes Tao Lin.

[Anonymous No.3408924]

He isn't universally reviled. All those "haters" is one pathetic samefag.

[Anonymous No.3408939]

They react to his image more than his writing.

Proof: there was a "Write like Tao Lin" thread a month or two ago; everyone wrote without proper punctuation and capitalization, about "random" objects like pineapples, and incorporated social media.

I like his writing, but I'm not afraid to admit he's a great distance from other contemporary lit like Morrison or Chabon. His style is pitch-perfect, he just needs to get over his existential crisis and get some substance into his work. Yeah yeah, blah blah blah "the point is the very lack of substance" but Bret Easton Ellis already did that in a much more horrifying and effective way. Okay, eee eeeee eeee is more believable than American Psycho, but I read Lin's book in two hours. I'm looking forward to Taipei. /lit/ is going to collectively shit itself like /mu/ when MPP or Crack the Skye came out.

[Anonymous No.3408953]

>>3408939
If /lit/ were ever to collectively shit itself it would probably be for Pynchon (since Wallace is dead n'all) Lin's book will just lead to around three annoying threads

[Anonymous No.3408959]

>>3408854

/lit/ hates Ayn Rand? Now why in the world would you guys do that?

[Anonymous No.3408969]

GO THE FUCK TO SLEEP TAO LIN

[Anonymous No.3409006]

Why did Tao Lin do this ironic Nick Cage bullshit to his facebook page?

/kmartrealism

[Anonymous No.3409009]

>>3408959
Group inclusion. It is easier to define the identity of a group by the EXCLUSION of individuals, ideologies, etc. than it is to bring together the disparate elements of the group through the INCLUSION of everyone's random likes/dislikes/ideas