ecritdansleau Posted October 30, 2011 Share Posted October 30, 2011 Oh, and I also have a tough time with political commentary on consumerism in books because rarely do I find that the author (no matter how good they are at the act of writing) has a particularly nuanced view of the issue. This is interesting; I kind of think I know what you mean. What would be an example of a particularly nuanced view on it, I wonder? I don't know if I see that often. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TripWillis Posted October 30, 2011 Share Posted October 30, 2011 This is interesting; I kind of think I know what you mean. What would be an example of a particularly nuanced view on it, I wonder? I don't know if I see that often. I'll let you know when I find it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
perrykm2 Posted October 30, 2011 Share Posted October 30, 2011 I did my Master's thesis on trauma and DeLillo. I hope you didn't submit this as your writing sample. I did my undergraduate honors thesis on trauma and the Society of the Spectacle in White Noise, and I'm submitting it for my ws. We might have to fight to the death. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Two Espressos Posted October 30, 2011 Share Posted October 30, 2011 I found White Noise to be a very smarmy book, but the thing is, I think that's what people like about it. I just can't digest so much character scorn and pretentious humor over the course of a whole book. You are correct as far as concerns me personally: I adored the "smarmy" nature of the book and the "pretentious humor"--a professor of Hitler Studies who doesn't know German, faculty members teaching courses on cereal boxes (Cultural Studies, anyone? ), etc. I think I was enticed more by the humorous aspects of the novel than the serious ones. I can understand why someone wouldn't like the book for the very same reasons, however. But, I have some weird principles when it comes to my personal taste that everyone else should just ignore: I don't like to read about rich/aristocrat people, I don't like to read about writers, I don't like to read about the intelligentsia, I don't like overbearing amounts of pop culture references, I don't like an assumption of the reader's leftism (although I am left), and I don't like archetypal female characters. *phew* nice to get all that off my chest. Well, there goes two thirds of the "canon," lol. Oh, and I also have a tough time with political commentary on consumerism in books because rarely do I find that the author (no matter how good they are at the act of writing) has a particularly nuanced view of the issue. I believe I know the type of commentary you describe here as well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Two Espressos Posted October 30, 2011 Share Posted October 30, 2011 The Crying of Lot 49 is amazing. Also, if you like Pynchon, read David Foster Wallace! I tried reading The Crying of Lot 49 once; for some reason now lost to me, I didn't finish it. It's quite short, right? I'll have to reread it sometime soon. As for David Foster Wallace, Infinite Jest sounds wonderful, but I don't think I'll ever find time to read a book of that length. I wanted to read Atlas Shrugged too, but the length deterred me. Really though, I think what did that latter book in was the strong urge I had to slit my wrists after reading The Virtue of Selfishness. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
truckbasket Posted October 30, 2011 Share Posted October 30, 2011 I don't like to read about rich/aristocrat people, I don't like to read about writers, I don't like to read about the intelligentsia, I don't like overbearing amounts of pop culture references, I don't like an assumption of the reader's leftism (although I am left), and I don't like archetypal female characters. *phew* nice to get all that off my chest. These are pretty much all postmodernist thematics, so if you stay away from that genre's primary texts, you'll be fine! The thing is, these subjects are often brought up in Pomo texts as devices to break ontological boundaries. Brian McHale, in Postmodernist Fiction, does a great job of laying them all out, and Jameson is bomb for the cultural aspects of Pomo. I tried reading The Crying of Lot 49 once; for some reason now lost to me, I didn't finish it. It's quite short, right? Very. As for David Foster Wallace, Infinite Jest sounds wonderful, but I don't think I'll ever find time to read a book of that length. I wanted to read Atlas Shrugged too, but the length deterred me. Really though, I think what did that latter book in was the strong urge I had to slit my wrists after reading The Virtue of Selfishness. I'd skip Atlas Shrugged (not for its vile politics, but it just isn't really doing much), but IJ is worth the investment (although a considerably easier investment than, say, Moby Dick, Ulysses, Gravity's Rainbow etc). For DFW, his essays are very good, but I'd say Brief Interviews is his strongest work of fiction -- especially the story "Church Not Made with Hands." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TripWillis Posted October 30, 2011 Share Posted October 30, 2011 (edited) These are pretty much all postmodernist thematics, so if you stay away from that genre's primary texts, you'll be fine! The thing is, these subjects are often brought up in Pomo texts as devices to break ontological boundaries. Brian McHale, in Postmodernist Fiction, does a great job of laying them all out, and Jameson is bomb for the cultural aspects of Pomo. Very. I'd skip Atlas Shrugged (not for its vile politics, but it just isn't really doing much), but IJ is worth the investment (although a considerably easier investment than, say, Moby Dick, Ulysses, Gravity's Rainbow etc). For DFW, his essays are very good, but I'd say Brief Interviews is his strongest work of fiction -- especially the story "Church Not Made with Hands." I know exactly what you mean, but then there are other postmodern tropes I like and I LOVE postmodernism in film (Synecdoche, New York anyone?). I guess it's lucky for me that pomo is considered "dead" to a certain extent now (or at least some think so -- not that I'm an authority on this). It's not that I don't appreciate a good pomo text or two, but many of them irritate me. I think the toughest time I ever had with a hallmark pomo text was Gilbert Sorrentino's Imaginative Qualities of Actual Things. I felt like I was being made fun of for 200 pages. As far as Crying of Lot 49 goes, I like it in bits and pieces. I like when they go to the Jacobean revenge play in the middle and I also like the psychologist, what was his name [Dr. Hilarius]? Whatever it was, I always pictured Dr. Jacoby from Twin Peaks when I thought of his character. Huh. I wonder why? Edited October 30, 2011 by TripWillis Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Timshel Posted October 30, 2011 Share Posted October 30, 2011 I hope you didn't submit this as your writing sample. I did my undergraduate honors thesis on trauma and the Society of the Spectacle in White Noise, and I'm submitting it for my ws. We might have to fight to the death. No, I am not using it as my writing sample. I have changed focus a bit since then. Plus, mine was on trauma in Falling Man. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
truckbasket Posted October 30, 2011 Share Posted October 30, 2011 I also like the psychologist, what was his name? Dr. Hilarius! Although merely bit players, Lady Mnemosyne Gloobe and Sir Hannibal Grunt-Gobbinette from GR are probably my favorite character names from Pynchon (from the make-the-aristocrats-vomit scene). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Two Espressos Posted October 30, 2011 Share Posted October 30, 2011 (Synecdoche, New York anyone?). I love Synecdoche, New York; it's such a brilliant film. It's also one of the few films that makes me cry on a regular basis. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TripWillis Posted October 30, 2011 Share Posted October 30, 2011 I love Synecdoche, New York; it's such a brilliant film. It's also one of the few films that makes me cry on a regular basis. Yes. You rarely see something as thought provoking and formally complex as that, but also so affecting. Leave it to Charlie Kaufman. Two Espressos 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
user_name Posted October 30, 2011 Share Posted October 30, 2011 post-1945 literature, american literary and cultural studies, marxism and post-structuralism. Infinite Jest is so worth reading i read it twice...been meaning to do the same for GR. i don't think there is any Rand i'd recommend reading....and i've read quite a bit....but i see quite a bit of her in my future study of ideolgy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xfgdfrmgpo332 Posted October 31, 2011 Share Posted October 31, 2011 Yes. You rarely see something as thought provoking and formally complex as that, but also so affecting. Leave it to Charlie Kaufman. My favorite movie ever! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cread Posted November 3, 2011 Share Posted November 3, 2011 In reference to the original topic of the thread, I'm interested in book culture & intellectual history. Specifically, the people involved in works of literature: readers, authors, intellectuals, and educators. I'm also interested in the idea of "the canon" (see John Guillory). And I like PoMo. A lot. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TripWillis Posted November 4, 2011 Share Posted November 4, 2011 I like books. What with the words in them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JeremiahParadise Posted November 4, 2011 Share Posted November 4, 2011 Cool thread, OP -- I'm interested in Queer studies, Beat poetics, and book history. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lcm Posted November 14, 2011 Share Posted November 14, 2011 Children's/YA literature, queer theory, folktales/ancient literature. And a growing interest in Victorian lit. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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