So I've just come to realize that I'm a total uncultured loser and I'm about to have a few months of free time on my hands. I came across pic related, what are /lit/'s opinions on it as a starting point? The only book on it that I've read is The Stranger (which I really enjoyed). I notice Joyce is on there, I thought his stuff was incomprehensible?
Thanks for any meaningful opinions (who am I kidding, this is still 4chan).
Only Ulysses and Finnegans wake are 'incomprehensible' for the general population.
That starter kit is actually pretty nice.
>>8191891
Pretty decent, it's all pretty accessible and if you enjoy it you might enjoy less accessible stuff.
> I notice Joyce is on there, I thought his stuff was incomprehensible?
Dubliners itself is pretty straight-forward. Though he has written some very dense and intimidating books none of it is incomprehensible.
All those books are good. If you read, liked and understood the stranger you should be able to read most of the books on this chart.
Dubliners is accessible, it is not nearly as difficult as Ulysses or Finnegans wake.
Tell me what you are interested in reading and I can recommend which of those books to read (I've read them all).
>>8191920
In addition to The Stranger, I recently read A Clockwork Orange, which I thought was pretty interesting once you get into it. Metamorphosis interests me quite a lot, although I don't really know why. I don't think I'm looking for anything specific from this project, I'm just hoping that if I read a selection of 'literary' books then I might get something out of it, seeing as I haven't tried to since GCSE Eng Lit.
>>8191891
yeah those are all pretty solid books and anyone into literature should get around to them eventually
>>8191891
That's a pretty good starter kit desu.
It depends on what you're really interested in but try Notes from the Underground if you liked Camus.
>>8192391
I kind of disagree with having to know about Ireland, it could have taken place anywhere with the same effect. His works explain the situation mostly anyway
>>8191950
No wonder you are intrigued by Kafka. Keep doing whatever you are doing, seems to me you're connecting the right ones together.
Read more from Kafka, Camus and Dostoyevsky. Camus has written harder stuff (the Myth of Sisyphus) which you can read, too. You could also try J. M. Coetzee The Lives of Animals and Foe for easy novels.
If you feel like getting into harder stuff, try reading Nietzsche, Foucault and perhaps Sartre. They have similar undertones to me.
>>8192422
Ireland at the time was pretty complex politically, culturally, and religiously, so some context is helpful for a few of the stories.
>>8192490
>Sartre
he was a hack who 1) could not keep up with poststructuralists
2) sacrificed his philosophy for le marxism
>>8191891
if you already have the starter kit theres no point to this fucking thread. whats next, do you need someone to tell you which page to start on?
>>8192515
is there anything in particular or can I just read through a wikipedia article on it?