sadmanbarty

Well-known member
i'm never going to be someone who reads books, but i can definitely be someone who reads about them.

what are the best essays and books and lectures about particular novels or oeavres or literary movements, comparative literatures even widespread studies of themes or symbols, etc?
 

thirdform

pass the sick bucket
‘I’m not mad at you.’ He walked to the window and stood there, looking out. With his back to Vivaldo, he said, ‘You didn’t really like my book much, did you?’

‘So that’s it.’

‘What?’ Richard turned, the sunlight full on his face, revealing the lines in his forehead, around and under his eyes, and around his mouth and chin. The face was full of lines; it was a tough face, a good face, and Vivaldo had loved it for a long time. Yet, the face lacked something, he could not have said what the something was, and he knew his helpless judgment was unjust.

He felt tears spring to his eyes. ‘Richard, we talked about the book and I told you what I thought, I told you that it was a brilliant idea and wonderfully organised and beautifully written and –’ He stopped. He had not liked the book. He could not take it seriously. It was an able, intelligent, mildly perceptive tour de force and it would never mean anything to anyone. In the place in Vivaldo’s mind in which books lived, whether they were great, mangled, mutilated, or mad, Richard’s book did not exist.

death to middle of the road centrism is the first lesson of literary criticism. the 2nd is reading smut or skinhead novels is better than reading ian mcewan even if ian mcewan has more literary merit because he's so pedestrian and middle of the road. hate that cunt.
 

Corpsey

bandz ahoy

luka

Well-known member
Hugh Kenner is the most fun. I might have a spare pound era, I'll look around.
 
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Corpsey

bandz ahoy
I'm addicted to litcrit it's a terrible affliction

Because I'm pigeon livered lack gall and need somebody to tell me what stuff to like
 

sadmanbarty

Well-known member
i'm too cleaver for novels. they're for people with sedate minds. my brain works too fast for that agonisingly slow drip feed of information.
 

luka

Well-known member
He was wearing a greatcoat of brushed felt as black as coal and it clung to him like a inconsolable seal pup. It had bright buttons of burnished gold, 12 to be exact, and each button winked in the inconstant candlelight. His boots were etc etc etc
 

Corpsey

bandz ahoy
James Joyce wasn't too clever for novels, so I doubt that's true.

I know you're just being provocative of course and as usual I'm falling for it.
 

sadmanbarty

Well-known member
James Joyce wasn't too clever for novels, so I doubt that's true.

I know you're just being provocative of course and as usual I'm falling for it.

But he had to wack all sorts of cleaver numerical systems in it and all that to make it stimulating. He had to turn it into algebra.
 

Corpsey

bandz ahoy
I love a good yarn.

Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde. That's a great book. More pleasure in it than the collected works of Michel Foucault.

The pleasure principle.
 
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