What are you currently reading?
- Thread starter Ħēłłø
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charlie
Real Bebopper
I’ve been studying the history of Eastern Orthodoxy, so I’ve been reading mostly historical theological books.
I asked some dude about the orthodox notion of “State-Church” and he just pointed me to this book. It’s been really interesting, and cool to learn more medieval history and Russian history especially (tartar invasions and Byzantium). Almost done and I’m glad I’ve started it.
I’m also kind of reading The Brothers Karamazov. I’ve started it twice and keep getting stuck at the elder portion. I think my newfound understanding of Russian orthodoxy will give me a good foundation to get a lot out of the story.
And I’m kind of a Russiaboo so I picked up some Nabokov books.
Pale Fire is split into a commentary and a poem. The introduction suggested reading the commentary first then the poem. I think I just read the poem and I’m not gonna read the commentary,,, kind of a meh read but it’s quoted in Blade Runner so it’s kino. Haven’t started Lolita yet
I asked some dude about the orthodox notion of “State-Church” and he just pointed me to this book. It’s been really interesting, and cool to learn more medieval history and Russian history especially (tartar invasions and Byzantium). Almost done and I’m glad I’ve started it.
I’m also kind of reading The Brothers Karamazov. I’ve started it twice and keep getting stuck at the elder portion. I think my newfound understanding of Russian orthodoxy will give me a good foundation to get a lot out of the story.
And I’m kind of a Russiaboo so I picked up some Nabokov books.
Pale Fire is split into a commentary and a poem. The introduction suggested reading the commentary first then the poem. I think I just read the poem and I’m not gonna read the commentary,,, kind of a meh read but it’s quoted in Blade Runner so it’s kino. Haven’t started Lolita yet
John Edelweiss
Real Bebopper
I haven't read in a while but I've been thinking to go back to it. I bought "2001 Space Odyssey" by Arthur Clarke and it still waits for me to start it
Neither_0r
Musician
I've been relatively slowly going through The Sound and the Fury by William Faulkner, a notoriously messily complicated and difficult novel that goes over a decades long decline of a upper class deep South family as told from the perspective of several individuals within the household. I just finished the first chapter that was from the perspective of a severely mentally disabled man who has no real linear concept of time or even object permanence or a proper grasp of language. The experimental ideas are presented to capture the guys perspective and they make the narrative told essentially out of order, and certain things the guy tries to explain not only can come across like something else entirely, but sometimes the description the guy gives defies any visualization you could use in your mind like novels normally do.
As a bizarre literary puzzle there's something enjoyable about trying to decipher what certain phrases or scenes mean, or when exactly certain scenes are taking place in relation to other ones; eventually putting all these details together is immensely satisfying, as there's a huge amount of effort given specifically to making the narrative as confusing as possible. However, given the complicated list of both the family and their related servant family members, and the fact you aren't fully told where they live until close to 100 pages in, or close to the beginning of the second chapter, initially I felt more overwhelmed and confused. Of course this is the point. The story fills itself in as you piece it all together.
I'm about 90 pages in and have just started the second character's part, which isn't completely changed style wise, but there are notable differences I have to get used to, which isn't something every book makes me feel. I can confidently say I enjoy my time with Faulkner, but rarely feel emotionally connected to the narrative, even when I relate to what's going on. He's too deep into his stream of consciousness or experimental puzzle-like literary style to the point you spend too much time trying to figure out rudimentary parts of the story. He's definitely a genius, but I think if he were a bit more straightforward than he actually is, the emotional parts might resonate a bit more.
Also racism. Gamer word. They say it quite a bit and do the huckleberry finn thing of having black people and white people talk like.. well y'know. A lot of the racial stuff seems to be further explored in the second chapter so if people here like my /lit/ sperging maybe I'll talk about that one later. (The chapters in these book are sometimes absurdly long, and differ in difficulty and tone, which is why so much of this post is dedicated towards the first exclusively)
As a bizarre literary puzzle there's something enjoyable about trying to decipher what certain phrases or scenes mean, or when exactly certain scenes are taking place in relation to other ones; eventually putting all these details together is immensely satisfying, as there's a huge amount of effort given specifically to making the narrative as confusing as possible. However, given the complicated list of both the family and their related servant family members, and the fact you aren't fully told where they live until close to 100 pages in, or close to the beginning of the second chapter, initially I felt more overwhelmed and confused. Of course this is the point. The story fills itself in as you piece it all together.
I'm about 90 pages in and have just started the second character's part, which isn't completely changed style wise, but there are notable differences I have to get used to, which isn't something every book makes me feel. I can confidently say I enjoy my time with Faulkner, but rarely feel emotionally connected to the narrative, even when I relate to what's going on. He's too deep into his stream of consciousness or experimental puzzle-like literary style to the point you spend too much time trying to figure out rudimentary parts of the story. He's definitely a genius, but I think if he were a bit more straightforward than he actually is, the emotional parts might resonate a bit more.
Also racism. Gamer word. They say it quite a bit and do the huckleberry finn thing of having black people and white people talk like.. well y'know. A lot of the racial stuff seems to be further explored in the second chapter so if people here like my /lit/ sperging maybe I'll talk about that one later. (The chapters in these book are sometimes absurdly long, and differ in difficulty and tone, which is why so much of this post is dedicated towards the first exclusively)
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bathwater
Musician
Nice, I've actually got Great American Cities on my shelf, waiting for when I finally have time to read anything but my phone.
MAGENTA
Musician
I have noticed that Orthodoxy has been generating a lot of interest/gaining popularity along with Catholicism, I would be curious to learn more Orthodoxy. I known enough about Catholicism having done CCD and getting confirmed.I’ve been studying the history of Eastern Orthodoxy, so I’ve been reading mostly historical theological books.
I asked some dude about the orthodox notion of “State-Church” and he just pointed me to this book. It’s been really interesting, and cool to learn more medieval history and Russian history especially (tartar invasions and Byzantium). Almost done and I’m glad I’ve started it.
I’m also kind of reading The Brothers Karamazov. I’ve started it twice and keep getting stuck at the elder portion. I think my newfound understanding of Russian orthodoxy will give me a good foundation to get a lot out of the story.
And I’m kind of a Russiaboo so I picked up some Nabokov books.
Pale Fire is split into a commentary and a poem. The introduction suggested reading the commentary first then the poem. I think I just read the poem and I’m not gonna read the commentary,,, kind of a meh read but it’s quoted in Blade Runner so it’s kino. Haven’t started Lolita yet
Currently reading: The Hangman and his Wife
Its deals with two topics: The motivations and life of Reinhard Heydrich because not much is directly known about him as he did not keep a diary and was assassinated in 1942. He has a (deserved) brutal reputation as having a "heart of iron" because of his policies of suppressing and killing the Polish and Czech people, because his wife managed to live until the 1980s was willing to be interviewed, the book tried to use this a window into what made him tick.
The other topic that it touches on is how figures like him had their images "rehabilitated" or softened after the war.
Very good book so far.
