Archived threads in /lit/ - Literature - 493. page
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PhD Candidate in Literature here, ask me anything!
So, I'm working on my PhD in phil...literature in the United States. Ask me anything about literature, books, the contemporary state of the field, individuals. Or about what it's like to do a PhD in the humanities, if you are curious.
>>8043448
Would you stick your tongue in my asshole for a million dollars?
>>8043448
nobody in my department takes sticking tongues into assholes seriously, it's very derivative
. I already have a PhD.
Books will you never understand the circlejerk over.
>>8043396
/r/books might be more your speed
>>8043396
Agreed but only particular to /lit/. It isn't typical meme fare
It's really short and the prose is straightforward as hell. I guess maybe it's the historical aspect of it?
My mom's really into reading fiction so I don't read fiction because I don't want to end up like her. I only read non-fiction. Am I wrong?
>>8043291
Yes
>>8043301
she does nothing with her life desu
>>8043291
>reading fiction
Unless she's a child, reading fiction is nothing to boast about. It's honestly quite pathetic to read fiction, because you put your brain in autopilot and does the same thing that you do when watching TV: you just absorb information and accept it. There's no critical thinking, no curious thoughts that leads to research and discovery. What does she do when she closes a book? She goes to sleep or just have daydreams about the fictional characters.
If...
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Just started this today. I'm about halfway through it. It's pretty great so far. Surprised it's not a meme here, to be honest.
To those of you that read it- did you like it? Anything similar you'd recommend?
finish the book first and we can discuss something.
GOD i hate so much these "just started today blah blah" threads
>>8043192
I hate so much your English, but you're right.
OP, you're a bigger-than-average faggot. Just go read the book.
>>8043175
I liked it, largely because of how uncomfortable it was. His sickliness really comes through in his increasingly pedantic and exhausting musings. It was one of the first "real" books I read after teenage years of YA shit, and honestly I don't think I was able to even close to fully appreciate it, but it still managed to give me some insight to my own hobbies/inclinations which I prosecute to nearly autistic extents, and helped me become a bit more forgiving for failing to measure up to my ideals.
I also think I would enjoy a second read much more than my first, if only since I am now infinitely more familiar with the ancient writers on whom des esseintes spends (I think) a whole chapter. It would be cool to have a brief accompaniment guide for the text, with blurbs about the droves of authors, pieces of art, and weird plants he catalogues.
I hope you finish the book soon and can comment on it more fully; I've only seen a handful of references to it in my last year on /lit/, and would like to know what you think of it.
PS does anyone have pictures of the extremely limited edition version of the text, with, I think, a leather binding and gold decorations? I remember stumbling on some appropriately decadent edition, long out of print, but can't find it anymore, don't have photos, and seemingly can't even remember anything specific about it which would help me google it.
Being happy or satisfied feels unnatural to a person. While they will gain some temporary elation, it is only a brief distraction.
The base, comfortable level of being is to be unhappy and dissatisfied. This is, paradoxically, where you will be the most satisfied.
You should not trust any ideology that attempts to increase levels of happiness or satisfaction.
Schopenhauer right?
>>8042977
This is very true, our brains are problem-solving machines and get confused when they don't have a problem to solve. However, if you continually remind yourself of the unimportance of the things you worry about, it's possible to train yourself to be more satisfied. It feels unnatural at first but the result is, in my opinion, worth the effort.
This is the result of toxic guilt usually caused by narcissistic parents rather than 'it's right to feel bad all the time'
Children are fragile, when you are raised with the destructive underlying, unarticulated subjective truths that you are given by your parents, you internalise them into later life and sense 'I ought to feel bad'
Schopenhauer (if this is him) and a host of others just had parenting issues rather than anything else most likely.
Post your favorite quotes
"Nothing has ever been more insupportable for a man and a human society than freedom." - The Grand Inquisitor, The Brothers Karamazov
"Bienheureux les oublieux car ils viendront même à bout de leur bêtise. " - Par-delà bien et mal
O God, I could be bounded in a nutshell and count myself a king of infinite space -- were it not that I have bad dreams.
"And the whole world opened up before me because I had no dreams."
Just got into this school based on a friend's recommendation. What do you guys think of the great books program? (the books we read are here: http://www.sjc.edu/academic-programs/undergraduate/liberal-arts/) Also, general University Thread.
>teaches le greeks
>teaches le continentals
>higher education still got their fingers in their ears screaming 'it's not true' even though they know Sam Harris has btfo them all
Go and get indoctrinated if you want bud.
Or you could do something objectively worthwhile...
Going to UoA this fall
>>8042670
Looks great. Think some /lit/ posters go there
http://lithub.com/men-explain-lolita-to-me/
Patriarchy is often the cause of illiteracy... just look at Afghanistan
>But seriously, you know who can’t take a joke? White guys. Not if it implicates them and their universe, and when you see the rage, the pettiness, the meltdowns and fountains of male tears of fury, you’re seeing people who really expected to get their own way and be told they’re wonderful all through the days.
That's pretty spot on to be fair
>>8042725
Have you seen people get all salty when they hear some nonsense about white cooking being bland? God above
Are you living your life alone because of a conscious decision or are you alone because you can't change the current situation, /his/?
I see people all the time both online and in real life that are unhappy about not having a romantic relationship but it's rare to come across someone who simply doesn't want one. Why does society consider lifes final endgame to be getting married and settling down?
Of course i post in the wrong board, sorry boys.
While im here though, are there any books that touch upon this subject?
I think for me it's a conscious decision, to be alone, but i'm not that happy about it. It's very hard for me to really connect with someone without it feeling artificial and superficial, partly because i'm constantly analyzing my thoughts, and i quickly lose 'respect' for a person if he doesn't match my """""intellectual""""" standards. of course all this happens inside my head and on the outside i'm a nice and considerate person which makes it even worse.
What do you /lit/eral plebs think of this book?
there's no audiobook version so i never listened to it but "the everything store" about jeff bezos is rad as fuck if u want some inspiration to get into the retail game
I've wondered about this too. Seems like a good read if you're into business.
call me a pleb again and i will fucking end you. got it, chief?
Translation
>>8042468
Pevear and Volohkonsky are always the way to go
>>8042468
>translation
>>8042493
https://www.commentarymagazine.com/articles/the-pevearsion-of-russian-literature/
PhD Candidate in Philosophy here, ask me anything!
So, I'm working on my PhD in philosophy in the United States. Ask me anything about philosophy, academia, the contemporary state of the field, individuals. Or about what it's like to do a PhD in the humanities, if you are curious.
Can you explain Plato's Forms?
What was Nietzsche's problem with Christianity?
>>8042280
analytic or continental
>>8042280
Why are you wasting your one life?
I'm about 100 pages into pic related and about to give up.
I'm not sure what it is, BM just seems kind of repetitive and hollow. Maybe it's me.
Anyone else had an experience like this? I mean, I thoroughly enjoyed No Country For Old Men but this just seems to lack the tension/pacing and characterisation.
>enjoyed no country for old men
>doesnt like blood meridian
We know your type, trolololol
>>8042282
The type that doesn't enjoy bland and uninteresting prose?
>>8042286
So NCFOM has good prose but BM doesn't??
ARE YOU KIDDING ME??
I want to know more about you guys?
How old are you?
Do you write for a living or you do something else?
How is life going?
>>8042262
I'm 25.
I'm a STEM major. Machining and welding and the like. I write, but I write scripts for comics. Not for money or anything. I write a bit of prose, but I think that's just a byproduct of reading so much.
Life could be better. I had my own apartment, but I'm staying with my parents while recovering from a really bad car accident.
What about you, anon?
I'm twenty this month.
Going through generals in college, then doing some tech classes to help me transfer over to a tech school to do computer engineering.
Wanna try and make videogames, but fallback position would obviously be IT something.
I came on this board ever since my college Brit Lit class and the RWBY general in /co/ got axed.
I regret this decision entirely, because now I'm addicted to the anger this board gives me over the absolutely assinine vitriol I come across and the baseless, dated philosophy that people spew off as facts.
>>8042262
I'm 22.
I'm a CS major, junior year. I have a book idea based on my experiences with being born and raised a cult and the idea is very interesting, and fleshed out. I have 20 pages written. Maybe after I'm done with the first draft I'll post it here since I shared parts of my idea here and people said they liked it.
Besides computer science and writing, I have a parttime job for this semester making music. It might be for summer too, hopefully. The grant ends in summer so that's...
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Im 70 pages into IJ and have no idea wtf is going on except some tennis boys and drugs. Honest advice, how far should i keep pushing before i seen enough to know whether ill keep going or put it down?
It never gets better.
>>8042114
is this your first post-modern novel?
i dunno why don't make the umpteenth IJ thread to find out, huh?
