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FoolyCharged posted:Shoot, I'm thinking about trying that one person's Cormac McCarthy solution of listening to them on tape. Audio books rule and make my commute something other than a living hell. If I were recommending cormack McCarthy to somebody who was turned off by his style I think I’d suggest no country for old men. It reads very much like a screenplay (it origins was and then obviously got adapted) and I think it’s his most accessible work. Once you get the hang of his style he’s lovely to read
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Apr 14, 2023 23:04
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For those meaning to read The Brothers Karamazov, I highly recommend the audiobook read by Constantine Gregory. “The Devil: Ivan’s Nightmare”, and “The Grand Inquisitor” are my favorite chapters in the book and perhaps in any piece of literature.
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Apr 15, 2023 14:34
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Seriously though I have entire parts of the Canon I never touched.
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Apr 15, 2023 15:37
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You need to work around the base more to be a true pro It’s impossible to say what is or isn’t canon anymore, and whether the canon should exist, or if it’s -it’s or whatever. My take is that it’s the foundational pieces of thought that formed our civilization, so an educated person should be familiar with it. Greek/Roman, some of the Christian thinkers, up through your classic English Lit Canon and then the 19th century novels. By the 20th century the concept falls apart so whatever. But it’s insane how many educated scholars with PhDs in liberal arts have never, for instance, read the Bible, one of the foundational texts of multiple major cultures. Or who’ve never seen Goku go super Sayin for the first time 
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Apr 15, 2023 19:42
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poisonpill posted:It’s impossible to say what is or isn’t canon anymore, and whether the canon should exist, or if it’s -it’s or whatever. My take is that it’s the foundational pieces of thought that formed our civilization, so an educated person should be familiar with it. Greek/Roman, some of the Christian thinkers, up through your classic English Lit Canon and then the 19th century novels. By the 20th century the concept falls apart so whatever. But it’s insane how many educated scholars with PhDs in liberal arts have never, for instance, read the Bible, one of the foundational texts of multiple major cultures. Or who’ve never seen Goku go super Sayin for the first time I like Terry Eagleton's position on this in Introduction to Literary Theory (I haven't read any of the follow-ups though), which is that the selection of works to be part of a canon is an ideological exercise, reflecting on some level the preferences of the cultural institutions that promote these works. That doesn't make the selection arbitrary, just a matter of knowing what you're getting into. I agree with the above position: the works are important context, regardless of the precise membership of the "canon."
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Apr 16, 2023 02:35
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I've never read past the first chapter of any Tolstoy or Dostoevsky. I quit trying to read a book that so far has bored me to tears, and have gotten further into Notes From Underground. Dostoevsky's command of tone has always impressed the hell out of me from what little I've read, though.
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Apr 20, 2023 04:02
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badguyfromthegame posted:I've never read past the first chapter of any Tolstoy or Dostoevsky. I quit trying to read a book that so far has bored me to tears, and have gotten further into Notes From Underground. Dostoevsky's command of tone has always impressed the hell out of me from what little I've read, though. you should get to the second half of Notes if you haven't yet. please...
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Apr 20, 2023 07:35
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Mentioning it makes me want to reread it. It's so good.
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Apr 20, 2023 07:37
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I took a class on Dostoevsky in college and we read all his major works and Notes From Underground is the only one I would in good conscience say someone should read because the length isn't bad. I don't know that it really gives the full D experience because of that, though.
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Apr 20, 2023 12:24
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A Strange Aeon posted:I took a class on Dostoevsky in college and we read all his major works and Notes From Underground is the only one I would in good conscience say someone should read because the length isn't bad. I don't know that it really gives the full D experience because of that, though. Someone please make a thread on Russian literature called "The Full D Experience"
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Apr 20, 2023 13:13
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I think if you can acclimate yourself to his style his big four are all essential reads. Really one of the greatest to ever do it. More thoughts: there's already a Bible thread but it does feel a little weird that I've never read it. Never read Dracula. Haven't read any Toni Morrison, Bronte, or Rushdie. Still need to finish Moby Dick, a source of slight genuine personal shame as I do enjoy cracking wise about it
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Apr 20, 2023 14:30
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I read Brothers Karamazov last year and I agree that it didn't necessarily floor me, but it is very, very good and worth reading. I personally went with the Pevear and Volokhonsky translation, which I know translation nerds can be love or hate with them but I personally find they make Dostoevsky in particular very accessible and readable. Also, it's broken up very nicely into short chapters! It's actually super easy to just read a seven-page chapter here or there, put it down, pick it back up and read another quick chapter, etc. I did it with a book club over the summer and I'm glad I did it. No regrets.
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Apr 20, 2023 15:04
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I read the OT and NT over lockdown and it took a few months but it was worth it. I found a version with lots of cultural and historical footnotes that provided some context on stuff that was useful. The OT I liked a hundred times more than the NT, in terms of richness of language and story telling. If you like mythology and history at all, it's quite interesting. There's a hill made out of human foreskins to look forward to! I tend to draw a line in the margin of books next to passages I like and want to find again quickly, since highlighting requires a lot more precision for the same result and I didn't in the Bible for some reason but I wish I had, because there's stuff I remember really liking but it's a pretty big effort to track it down now. The NT beyond the gospels and revelation is primarily a bunch of letters from Paul, which I didn't find that interesting. Acts covers the early years following the crucifixion which was decent, actually now that I think about it. But nothing really beats Jeremiah or the other prophets denouncing their corrupt society or the ineffable wisdom in Job or Ecclesiastes or the fun adventures of the early judges. The typical stuff about Moses and Abraham is probably familiar to you already but after that is where the OT got really good in my opinion.
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Apr 20, 2023 15:18
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I've wanted to read Dream of the Red Chamber for the longest time, a surrealistic psychological romance/drama about a decadent noble family seems like it would own
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Apr 20, 2023 15:33
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Sir Mat of Dickie posted:Mentioning it makes me want to reread it. It's so good. it was the first classic I ever read that I "got" on a deeper level. opened my eyes to the transcendent possibilities of a work of literature. I remember trying to explain to people I knew just how funny and perfect it was but it was near impossible to convey. I should email my high school teacher and thank him. that was a life changing curriculum choice.
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Apr 20, 2023 15:51
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Harold Fjord posted:reading the same small part over and over is like reading the book Works for most people and the Bible so I don't see why any other book deserves better.
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Apr 20, 2023 16:29
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AFancyQuestionMark posted:I've wanted to read Dream of the Red Chamber for the longest time, a surrealistic psychological romance/drama about a decadent noble family seems like it would own It's pretty interesting but it's a commitment, since the version I read was 5 average novels in length. It would make a great prestige TV series and I'm sure there's probably already versions of it in Chinese, but the material probably isn't popular enough for the English market. Lots of people spit in each other's faces, it happens so often it lost the shocking reaction it had originally for me. Also it provides a lot of incidental insight into a time and place that no longer exists as far as I know.
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Apr 20, 2023 18:01
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Another embarrassing confession: I've never read any Edgar Allen Poe even though I bought a compendium of his works (partly for Harry Clarke's inimitable illustrations)
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Apr 20, 2023 21:30
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Don Quixote is important, but it isn't very good. It was not intended to be taken as a piece of serious literature. It originally debuted in serial format, much like modern day comic books. Every couple of months the print shop would get a new manuscript in and everyone would come in and grab a chapter. It was always fine if you missed a couple because of the episodic format. Reading it all in one go is a bit like picking up the first four hundred issues of golden age Batman or something and committing to pounding through it. The novelty wears off quickly, even for fans. One thing that does rule about it is reading a funny scene and realizing that very little has changed about humanity in five hundred years.
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Apr 20, 2023 22:09
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I purchase a copy of The Stranger. I tell myself this time I'm gonna read The Stranger. I put The Stranger on my bookshelf. four months later, I see The Stranger at the used book sale and remember I haven't read it. I now own two copies of The Stranger. Repeat.
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Apr 20, 2023 23:47
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Sir Mat of Dickie posted:Another embarrassing confession: I've never read any Edgar Allen Poe even though I bought a compendium of his works (partly for Harry Clarke's inimitable illustrations) Oh gently caress, I've hardly read any Poe either. And my rear end pretends to be alternative.
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Apr 21, 2023 01:00
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worm girl posted:Don Quixote is important, but it isn't very good. It was not intended to be taken as a piece of serious literature. It originally debuted in serial format, much like modern day comic books. Every couple of months the print shop would get a new manuscript in and everyone would come in and grab a chapter. It was always fine if you missed a couple because of the episodic format. I think I got through the first book and it was a major slog so I can see where you're coming from. Is it maybe better in Spanish? Borges obviously loved it very much and I was surprised at how little I got out of it.
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Apr 21, 2023 04:12
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I love East of Eden but every time i try to get into Grapes of Wrath i find something else to read pretty quickly 
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Apr 23, 2023 00:01
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I can't blame you, works about the dustbowl are really dry reading.
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Apr 23, 2023 01:12
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don quixote rules
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Apr 24, 2023 15:33
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I was never assigned Grapes of Wrath in school, but I read it on my own in university and really loved it. I was also never assigned Great Gatsby or Brave New World and those are probably my biggest most relevant gaps. The Russian stuff is more of an 'eh, maybe someday' thing to me.
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Apr 24, 2023 23:06
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