Who here has read William Maxwell? Specifically So Long, See You Tomorrow. So far it's my favorite novel, and I feel like he's severely underrated. I've never seen him mentioned on this board before, so I'd like to know /lit/'s opinion on him. He is really famous by any means.
He ain't got shit on James Clerk Maxwell
>>7608176
>impligyn
i've read so long..., the chateau, the folded leaf, time will darken it and they came like swallows and all are great.
I've never read any McCarthy and want to give him a shot as I've heard nothing but unanimous praise of his writing and have loved every film adaptation of his work I've seen. What's the best place to start? (Not necessarily his best work, but the best place to start.)
I've read plenty of classic literature and am no stranger to literary fiction, just haven't read any of his stuff. I have Blood Meridian and have half a mind to just start there.
Child of God, The Road and No Country for Old Men are the lightest reads.
Blood Meridian is the best and you might as well just read it, but it's dense and a lot of people have false starts with it.
I'd start with Outer Dark desu. It's far from his most praised but it's a good foundation for his style, themes and erection for Faulkner.
>>7608166
yoooo
border trilogy
So, what makes a good story /lit/?
What makes a bad story?
Can we agree that execution > concept?
What would you say are the fundamentals to bear in mind when attempting to write a story?
How do you write a good hook? And I mean a really good one?
>>7608132
IF YOUR BOOK HAS A FUCKING VILLAIN I IT IS FUCKING GARBAGE, GET WITH THE TIMES YOU FUCKING COMIC BOOK READING ANIME WATCHING SCUMBAG PLEB ANUS SNIFFING SLAVE MORALIZED FAGGOT.
>>7608132
YOU EVEN MISUNDERSTOOD FUCKING HANNIBAL, JESUS FUCKING HIS MOTHER.
>>7608132
Let's try and redeem OP incompetence.
GR's Blicero: too comical to be taken seriously? Or sinister and convincing?
Think of his treatment of Franz, sinister right?
But then his introduction, balls deep in Gottfried, pretty blatant right?
Which author was the first to really pull you in and why?
I'm not talking about the first story you liked, I mean the one that made you so hungry for more that you eventually ended up on /lit/
Pic related; A lot of his works are unnecessarily drawn out, but I happened to catch "The White Ship" by happy accident and was so caught up in the beautiful fantasticality of it all that I almost thought I had woken up from the story itself when I was done.
Letters on England by Voltaire :^)
>>7608000
depends
> novels
Mishima: Confessions of a Mask. Got it square-on with the conflict of one's disgust when faced with being a fag. I'd know too. Also well written.
> poetry
let's not kid ourselves. Everyone's answer is Yeats/Eliot/Shakespeare
>>7608048
> poetry
Nelligan tbqh.
Any good novels with utilitarianism as a theme?
Excluding BNW.
Benjamin Franklin looking suave af in that pic my man
>>7607954
Utilitarianism isn't exactly its theme but if you have not read Island yet which is also by Huxley I would recommend it.
>>7607967
Thanks.
Dubliners is my favorite book. I love the theme of inaction and paralysis.
Does anyone have a recommendation for books that have a similar message?
my diary desu
also in-coincidentally the novella I've been working on and unable to finish for two years
just kill me desu senpai
>>7607947
why would you post borderline pornography on /lit/ like that.
Stoner amusingly enough though the ending is mich more optimistic.
Did I seriously fuck up hard getting into Pynchon?
Five years ago I only had picked up Lot49 on a whim, thought less than three shits about him, then I checked Inherent Vice at the library, and how I have five of his novels and have only not read Gravity's Rainbow and Vineland, and I guess Slow Learner.
Im glad he only has so many, I feel I am spinning out of control in Pynchon. I am close to being a glutton for punishment and going through Against the Day for the third time.
Is Pynchon a drug for you guys too?
p.s. thoughts on pic related? I just finished it the other day and thought it was very comfy.
Reminder that the Font sisters are a couple of disgusting skanks and you will never get to drink mezcal los suicidas with amadeo, ulises and arturo.
Yes. I've read each of his books (except ATD) at least twice. Every time I start reading something serious and 'good for me', I just feel like cracking V. or Lot 49 back open.
He is just all too exactly the writer for a certain sort of young man. Slogging through a Henry James, I feel my mind wander to the jolly Sailors of Pynchon's world and the beautiful musings on the mysteries of existence made in it.
I can only hope in a way, that I eventually grow out of it.
What are the most difficult books to read?
I want something that will really challenge me. I just finished this book and thought it was quite easy.
finnegans wake
the voynich manuscript
>>7607845
depends on what you consider difficult.
probably McElroy
I thought Tristram Shandy was difficult but mostly because Sterne is a douche.
good/bad?
genres?
specific songs?
links?
pic unrelated
https://youtu.be/wzjWIxXBs_s
>>7607792
isn't music but we're off to an okay start
https://youtu.be/2zFoOe__eb4
So /lit/ what are some top tier nonfiction books to read? I wanna strengthen my reasoning skills and such and decided to take a break from fiction for a while. Any recommendations?
>>7607740
Freakonomics
>>7607740
One Nation by Ben Carson
Yes, I'm serious.
Any good books on dreams/lucid dreams/sleep paralysis?
>>7607727
finnegans wake
>>7607727
I plan to write a book on advanced lucid dreaming. I see a real lack of in depth information out there.
>>7607729
Sorry, nonfiction I mean
>2016
>hasn't read Menexenus yet
Why not? It's Plato's best dialogue.
>>7607666
stop this gtfo
So it has been overlooked for Republic for the last 2400 years.
What changed?
>>7607692
Kek. What faggot thinks Republic is the best
Tell if this premise works for a story, or is too cheesy: an Orthodox girl is very close friends with this gay guy in high school, and basically he's drawn toward the Church after talking with her, but he ultimately rejects it because he thinks it's wrong to for God to make some people oriented one way and say that sex for them is okay, but orient others the other way and say they can't have sex because of it. So the girl makes a promise to him that she will never have sex to share his burden, if he will consider getting baptized, which he finally does. And basically, the story is about the two of them growing very close and struggling with that for the rest of their lives.
>>7607530
I've been the gay man in this story, and while not too common, I know of three other people doing the same thing. Write it, by all means.
>>7607530
boring as shit. would not read.
>>7607530
Seems good enough to me. What really matters is how you develop the characters and where you take the story.
Get writing OP. I think the premise has the potential.
I'm looking for books that take place in a small town, modern times and maybe crime related. What do you have for me /lit/?
>>7607474
A Casual Vacancy - Rowling
What qualifies as modern? Read Breece Pancake. He only had 10 stories published, it wont take you long.
>>7607477
I actually have that book on my shelf. I'll give it a go after I finish For Whom The Bell Tolls.
Just finished Part I and am pretty blown away.
General discussion thread?inb4 spoilers
>>7607264
One thing I can say is that this book suffers in retrospect, and is much more enjoyable whilst you are actually reading it. A year on and I couldnt really give a shit.
>>7607278
Yup, pretty much. But one thing i've noticed is if you pick it up casually for a few pages, it's very hard not to like it again.
>>7607285
For that reason only I am going to hit Savage Detectives.
![gaddis[1].jpg](https://i.imgur.com/uqPRrE0.jpg "gaddis[1]")
