/lit/ - Literature

>>11034846
sure. it kind of depends on what you're interested in. and note also that my main area of interest is mostly late-19C/20C postmodern stuff, marx and everything after. but i can recommend a couple of good books.

the first is pic rel, which is a pretty great one-volume survey designed for the general reader. it will familiarize you with a lot of big names and is written in a very accessible style. you will get a sense for all of the ups and downs of the whole thing, from plato to NATO.

a second good one would be jacques barzun's book, From Dawn to Decadence. it's western philosophy only from the 15C to 20C. starts with martin luther, ends with bill clinton, but it's a really excellent book written by a master. again, general survey stuff, but gives you a sense of scope for the big picture.

the third one is a little bit more specific. it's called heidegger's encounter with modernity, by michael zimmermann. i recommend this one a lot not only because i'm a big heidegger fan, but also because heidegger is a megabrain thinking at arguably the most crucial decade of the 20C, and one that has affected all subsequent thinkers. really, really important to understand heidegger and also the milieu that produced him, as well as europe, really. it's also good if you want to understand heidegger himself without reading his often difficult own books (but you should read those too, of course).

so those are three pretty solid ones. but if you have more specific interests or other questions i'lll be happy to share what i can. just not tonight, as it's getting late over here.