>transcends the good/bad dichotomy
>book is a tour de force
>>7610373
>book is a tour de France
>book is Pynchonesque, Lynchian, Dostoevskian, Homeric, Turmeric
>book is a work of art
>book is a daring poststructural synthesis of metamodernistic & neo-traditional lit
>book is a discerning eye and a warm heart towards zeitgeistic multicultural anxieties
>book is a page turner
what are the essential literary fantastical quests or journeys? so far i have
>odyssey
>aenid
>beowulf
>lord of the rings
>the hobbit
>bonus reading: hero with a thousand faces
a key feature of what i'm interested in is some sort of supernatural, divine, or magical influence or characters in the work. i'm sure there are some in eastern literature i'm unaware of. i'm also interested in expanding from past mythological settings to any that take place in the present, near-present or future.
The Alchemist
>>7607926
Lord of the rings
>>bonus reading: hero with a thousand faces
This one isn't specific to quests though
http://strawpoll.me/6613070
>>7614018
A great film and a great piece of music are better than a great book, but books generally tend to be of better quality than the average movie or song.
>>7614030
>found the virgin
>>7614030
we got a live one
Is this a good book?
define 'good'
define 'book'
>>7610080
Is it worth my time? Is it illuminating? Will it enrich my life?
I tried asking for suggestions on how to start with Voltaire on /his/ but didn't have luck. Can you help me, /lit/? I'm tired of him being mentioned in, for example, realist French works, and not knowing shit about him.
Where should I start? What do you recommend reading?
Also translations recommendations are appreciated.
Aight here's the deal
Voltaire is public domain so you can use google to read most of his works. This is really helpful when you're bored and want to find the odd letter or essay to peruse.
Of his major works, Candide is the most major of his fiction (though Micromegas and Zadig are worth the reads) and besides that I would recommend his Dictionnaire Philosophique -- 120 mean, pointed essays from ya boi Voltaire.
There's plenty of biography on him -- there's a good one in the public domain by John Morley -- and it's always a blast to read about his times.
I would check into his correspondence with Rousseau and Frederick of Prussia as well, if I were you.
Enjoy it m8 I wish I could read Voltaire for the first time again
>>7614066
Nice answer, appreciated. Any insight on translations?
I'm looking for physical books but it's nice that he's public domain for the reason you mentioned.
>>7614075
I've read Candides from translators Frame and Cuffe, both were good enough. My Dictionnaire Philosophique was translated by a Besterman
the translations come less into play with his letters, which are not to be slept on
Do you realize how many books you can read instead of browsing a Vietnamese bricklaying ePortal?
Pic related: I read it in one day
i read ulysses in a day
who cares
Isn't it like 150 pages double spaced or some shit. You could have at least tried to impress us.
I actually read War and Peace in a day.
let's talk about heartbreak
have you ever suffered heartbreak yourself? which books or poems do you relate to on the subject?
for me, Great Expectations is a classic. as I understand Dickens, I see that this was kind of his piece of middle-aged heartbreak/divorce writing to a certain extent, and I've noticed that people who read it too young or before their first major breakup related to it less
First Love by Turgenev is a beautiful little encapsulation of the travails of young love and heartbreak, La Vita Nuova by Dante is basically only about the author's lost love for Beatrice, and its highs are magnificent
how fares your broken literary heart?
>you will never be loved so your heart will never be broken
Muy bien!
It is too bad that the highs in Paradiso are so damn boring though.
(get it)->
What are some good Christian lit books similar to the Brothers Karamazov in theme?
>>7613904
Bump for interest
>>7613904
*tips fedora*
It's not a "Christian book". It's a Christian book in the same way As I Lay Dying was a "Christian band".
What is the point of putting a paper cover over the hard cover? It's annoying.
>>7613903
It's called a 'dust jacket.' Take that how you will
>>7613903
It's a dust jacket. You remove it once you own the book
What do you guys do with your dust jackets once you remove them? Throw them out? Store them? Are books without their dust jackets diminished in value if you, say, try to sell at a used bookstore?
whats /lit/'s opinions on drugs? Do they affect your ability to write/read and retain or experience the material differently?
>which drugs and why?
>SpongeBob needs answers people
>>7613856
DUDE
WEED
LMAO
Bad
There are books written while on drugs, they are not very good.
escapism is for the weak minded
do you agree with scaruffi?
http://www.scaruffi.com/writers/wallace.html
>reading a "review" of Infinite Jest that is as long as Infinite Jest
Scaruffi has even admitted to not reading/watching/listening to all the books/films/music he reviews. He is wrong about so many things - not just the subjective, but facts and common historical knowledge - that it's impossible for anyone to take him seriously. He is a textbook STEMtellectual.
>>7613848
his greatest contribution to culture is that beatles review copypasta
I am thinking about writing a book about this picture. Do you have any advice?
Make it from the perspective of the switch itself. Write things like "I hope that sociopath doesn't pull me anywhere!" or "I hate having all this power, GAHHH!!"
Don't
Books are for nerds
I have decided my point of view
haha, it'll change
Leu Feu Follet is a great film.
>>7613762
kek
sage
wtf OP
What is the greatest opening sentence in literature?
A screaming comes across the sky.
read new york trilogy, thought it was clever if a little amateurish
what else of his is worth reading?
at first glance he looks like a weird jewish will smith
>>7612923
i see it
or a handsome leper
>>7612908
This was pretty good I thought
![mil0sOq[1].png](https://i.imgur.com/M8vSNDj.png "mil0sOq[1]")
