Why is fantasy frowned upon here?
/lit/ only reads to impress and you can't impress people with fantasy
It is?
>>8260737
What about reading for fun?
I'm about to start reading Paradise Lost for an english course and I wanted to ask: is there any background reading/guides to reading that i should use?
The ~600 pages of dense poetry is fairly daunting, and I'm worried that I won't 'get' it or something.
>>8260703
Assuming your course is good, no. All extra readings should be provided by the teacher. Hopefully they'll touch on his other works, which is all you need to really -get- Paradise Lost.
That said, actually reading the poem is only really daunting at first. Once you get used to the language and his rhythm it's a breeze and highly rewarding.
I'd read some of his other poetry and prose first.
In my course we read Comus, Lycidas, On The Church Doctrine of Reason, Aeropagitica, Various Sonnets (When I Consider how my light is spent).
Good luck senpai.
I suppose you're talking about Paradife Loft, right?
Will reading Aurelius make me a better person?
No. Read Evola, Guenon, and Spengler.
The Art of Worldly Wisdom
>>8260693
It will make you more well-read on Aurelius, and possibly Stoicism if you haven't read much about it previously.
Suggestions for a poignant suicide note?
>I wasn't good enough for myself and I only think this because I have a high opinion of what I think because I'm always right. Look what you did, world, you made a genius kill himself.
>kiss my ass, cocksuckers
>>8260704
how can they kiss your ass if they're sucking cock?
Hey /lit/, how do I start writing about Fantasy? I've been thinking about for a couple of weeks now.
>>8260643
>weeks
just write it.
>>8260651
Okay thanks. Any good tips though?
>>8260643
You must read and write everyday if you wish to write adequately.
You should read fantasy books that you enjoy and that will help you imagine your imaginary world, magics and concepts. You should also read classic novels to understand what good writing is.
If you have trouble expressing your worlds or fantasy concepts, draw them, web them, plot them.
This will make it easier.
Also, have fun, try your best to finish it, and dont fucking think about making money with it. That will just distract...
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Is culture more important than knowledge?
Knowledge is temporary and ever changing, aesthetics are forever
Hellenes used to think volcanoes were from angry gods but they're still immortal
knowledge IS culture
>>8260630
No.
What does /lit think about Thomas Harris and his novels?
Are they better or worse than the films + other thoughts
Much worse. Maybe it's the fact that I saw the films first (minus Hannibal) and they were predictable, but I didn't enjoy much about them at all. They read as pretty run-of-the-mill crime thrillers, but Hannibal's even more of an unbelievable, and thus cartoonish, villain in them. The writing's pretty bland too.
They translate really well to film though.
>>8260625
Thanks a lot for the answer
TV series is great, books are okay.
Is reading the cannon of world literature good enough to learn to write and be considered a cultured person?
No, you will only be cultured in one medium and you'll probably just write in bad imitations.
>>8260618
name something good in literature that isn't from the cannon.
>inb4 pleb shit or fiction
>>8260627
Culture is more than literature. If you know the literature canon (not cannon) but you fail at identifying Bach and Gauguin, you can hardly call yourself cultured.
What are the essential works of Russian literature?
Anna Karenina and Brothers Karamazov. You can read only these two, the rest does not even come close.
>>8260582
>dissing Gogol's The Carriage
>Lermontov
>Pushkin's entire oeuvre
>>8260573
all of them are essential from the 19th century, desu.
Just finished Siddhartha. What does /lit/ think of Siddhartha? Also what editions of it do you prefer? What was your favorite part of the book?
The scene at the end between Govinda and Siddhartha was very powerful to me. Despite Siddhartha claiming that wisdom isn't communicable, he sure does attempt to drop some wisdom bombs that really provoke one to wonder
>>8260532
not enough gay sex for all that gay tension. Govinda should have sucked the poo in loo out of Siddhartha's turgid prick.
Probably one of Hesse's more overrated works. Read steppenwolfe and demian
>>8261353
I fail to see how this is valid criticism against the work itself.
Judge my taste.
I think this is the best book ever written.
pedophile.
>>8260521
not even the best book nabokov wrote
>>8260521
Mid-to-Upper-level Pedestrian. Depends on if you can answer why you like the book.
I'm thinking of reading Critique on Pure Reason but I'm pretty new to philosophy so what I should read and understand first in order to really appreciate and understand it?
I don't mind if I need to read a ton of philosophy before him, I really want to do this.
>>8260444
pls go. you know not what you do.
>>8260444
K, what you need to do is read the entire body of western philosophy before Kant. Start with the greeks, i.e. pre-socratics.
start with what is englightment by kant. it's short and to the point.
>Hey guys, what if we embraced the absurd? It will be good! Trust me, I'm French!
>>8260436
Damn.
didn't "absurd" used to have a thoroughly negative connontation? Its kind of like saying "embrace the stupid". shakingmyheadtobehonestfamily
>>8260446
I thought it was meant as a sort of reconciliation, or rather remedy to existential nihilism.
Thoughts on this? Was it better than Lolita? Was it all a meme, or was he really the king? Why did Nabokov make him so gay and so religious?
I bought this like 4 years ago and forgot all about it
>>8260419
There was no king. Zembla wasn't a real place
>>8260552
Yes it's a real place even if it never had a king.
Lit, I showed my mom all my books when she visited me and I pulled out my jene jenet and sade novels by mistake. I feel like I'm going to be sick, please hold me.
>>8260384
>tfw mom finds your sade and other works about cynical and twisted sex as a teen
>'anon you're going to do fine in life'
>....
i can't even name this feel
The only books my mom ever recommended were Anne of Green Gables, Little House on the Prarie, and, most forcefully, The Holy Bible.
If she saw Sade or Victorian pornographic literature on my shelf, she wouldn't make the distinction.
>>8260492
She knew who sade was, she said "you know that's where the word sadism comes from?" I honestly don't think she gives a single fuck. she's very well read and probably knows both authors, and she's very into theater and a very open minded liberal person. So... yeah I don't think it will be a problem, to be honest though I am most embarrassed about having homosexual literature and having my mom see it.
It's weird that I feel embarrassed about sexuality, especially with my...
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