/lit/ - Literature

[Anonymous No.992596]

i'm new to literature. im 18 and ive only read a few books in my life. is there any must-read books for an absolute newbie? thanks

pic unrelated

[Anonymous No.992599]

The BIble
The tragedies of Shakespeare
1984 by George Orwell
Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand
Some French stuff

And you might want to check http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_best-selling_books

[Anonymous No.992597]

Ulysses

[Anonymous No.992637]

Read books that are entertaining and compelling but not too childish. I highly recommend the following.

Catcher in the Rye
Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas
Rum Diaries
Master and Margarita
Storm of Steel
Les Miserables

[Anonymous No.992644]

>>992597

Ignore this jackass.

[Anonymous No.992646]

There are no must reads.

It really depends on what you like.

I don't think, if you don't read that much, that starting out with classics is an especially good idea.

Rather, first tell me.

What are your favourite movies/video games/tv shows?

[R.M. Silva No.992653]

For the newfriend:

American Literature:

-Catcher in the Rye
-Fight Club (obligatory)
-Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas
-On the Road
-Slaughterhouse-Five [a must-read]
-Adventures of Huckleberry Finn
-The Great Gatsby
-A Farewell to Arms
-Catch-22
-Gravity's Rainbow (if you like BIG books)
-Naked Lunch

That should be a good start

[Anonymous No.992656]

>>992597
Fuck off.

You'd probably do best to read a few high school entry-level/required reading to start off.

Catcher in the Rye (or better yet Franny & Zooey)
1984
Brave New World
To Kill a Mockingbird
Lord of the Flies
If you're not into those, try Palanuik or early Stephen King novels like The Shining/The Stand. Even though /lit/ hates both of those authors they are enjoyable.

[I'll Morosco No.992657]

Oedipus

[Anonymous No.992661]

>>992646
favorite films: inception (saw it yesterday, was blown away), zodiac, memento, a clockwork orange, shutter island, goodfellas. anything from scorsese, nolan or fincher really. longterm plan to benefit from reading: to become a smarter perosn in general and so that i can write something on my own, perhaps a script for a shortfilm to shoot.

>>992637
>>992653
>>992656
>>992657
thanks

[Anonymous No.992688]

>>992661
Memento, Inception, Shutter Island and Zodiac are all intricate, multi-layered films. I suggest you take a look at House of Leaves by Mark Z. Danielewski. It's about this guy that finds this academic criticism about this non-existing FILM written by a blind, old mann. As Truant, this guy, edits this book, adding footnotes about his personal life that oftentimes go several pages, he is driven insane by the text he is reading. The film itself is about a couple that moves into a house and discovers that the house is larger inside than it is outside.

It's first and foremostly a pretty creepy horror story, there's also a love story at the core, and it is also a satire of academical texts. Often there will be footnotes where the old man says for example this and that guy said this and that, but that is wrong, it's like this and that.

There are parts that will confuse you, and parts you will not understand, but if you can stomach these, it's a great experience. About 70~ pages in, there is a part that a lot of people give up, where the old man writes about the physics of echoes. If you know what he is talking about, I have no idea, it's hilarious, but if not, then I can understand many finding it tedious as this chapter is instantly followed by a like three to four pages long footnote where the guy who finds the book, in a grammarless, intoxicated state writes about his crush.

Most of it is just fun, but as you're new to books and will probably easier give up, just realize that even though you don't understand something, just keep going-- as the books dedication says, "[that part] is not for you."

Pic of a random page from the book for you to see and go, damn, that's neat, I want to read this shit.

[Anonymous No.992697]

>>992688
Also. There are parts of the book written in something similar to a script. You're bound to dig that shit.

[Anonymous No.992704]

>>992661
Why not read A Clockwork Orange then?

[Anonymous No.992740]

as im not american/english/australian, i dont feel confident enough to read in english just yet. so i might not find most of the books mentioned in my native language anyway.

>>992688
>>992697
this is really interesting, ill try to find the book. ty

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