/lit/ - Literature

Well, anon, the question is: did he really have that bad of a life? He never felt sorry for himself and was always stoic when he faced hardships. I don't think he would have considered his own life a bad one.

>>13163377
Is the moral of the story to stop complaining about life?

No the moral of the story is that cripples are bad people.

I'm just starting it. Kinda bothers me that the fact he kills himself is spoiled at the beginning.

>>13164454
Retard

>>13163412
>>13164451
No the moral is the story is that women are bad people

>>13162364
Why did you find it depressing? Why the regret?
Like >>13163377 said, was his life depressing and filled with regrets?

From the very start he went against the wave and followed his heart, even if he seemed to regret it later, he has comfort in that he did what he thought was right and was true to himself. His life, in the grand scheme of things, was a good life and largely for the reason above.

Ask yourself, was Stoner happy? If he wasn't, why wouldn't he be? And if he was, where did he find this happiness?

Don't regret reading to the end of a book, you will learn something from it. I think here, you have some more space to reflect on in regards to Stoners life. Maybe even something you can add to your own.

>>13162364
The only thing in Stoner that made me sad was Edith taking Grace away from Stoner and Stoner's death. I think he lived a good life. He decided to follow his passion for literature instead of studying agriculture and he became a good professor. I don't think Stoner is a depressing book, I actually found it inspiring

>>13164626
>>13163377
>>13165782
Very genuine responses, I think I can see it now after sleeping on it and not dwelling so much on the "dont be sad it's over, be glad it happened" mindset. perhaps im just looking at the worst sort of problems in his life that just kept being a perpetual state of disappointment to his life, and in some ways makes me realise how painful it is to dwell so much on the bad things.

>>13164454
Get a load of this autistic baby

>>13164601
but that's the moral of every story

>>13166965
Do you have a perpetual state of disappointment in your life? Do you think your life will be any better than Stoners?

>>13167467
I don't really know if my life is better than Stoner's, I feel too young and naive to look at myself and reflect this deeply when I have barely made any decisions worth making or pivotal to having a stoic life. I don't know if my life will be better than Stoner's and even if it was on the same level as Stoner's way of life I would probably live in my head a way where I feel like I would have it better than Stoner. I don't honestly know, the aura of the book got very depressing toward the end, in a very nihilistic manner. But like I said, the points in this thread are pretty good.

>>1316750
I had the opposite feeling, i felt that as the book went on it became more and more hopeful and content. I was left feeling like stoner lived a truly great life, always true to himself and uncompromising in what he believed.

The Book of Disquiet will cheer you up

>>13168026
>i felt that as the book went on it became more and more hopeful and content. I was left feeling like stoner lived a truly great life, always true to himself and uncompromising in what he believed.
based. every other interpretation is wrong. his life was bittersweet

>>13164454
he doesn't kill himself you absolute shell of a human being. Seriously what even are you? I despise you and your pathetic beliefs. You are but an earthworm under my soles, you stupid buffoon. I hope you don't ever reproduce nor make such abhorrent contributions to discussions like the one we are having right now. You know what? I am pretty sure that if I by some sheer chance saw you in real life, I'd swing at you without any second thoughts or hesitations. I would smack your ugly, greasy, chinless mug and I would continue beating you even after you fall senseless on the ground. You''d beg for forgiveness, spitting blood mixed with saliva. I honestly do not know what to add. Just know that my dissapointment with you is immeasurable and my day is ruined thanks to your meaningless and insulting reply

>>13168040
Unironically this. I don’t know why people claim it’s depressing.

FUCK WALKER
FUCK LOMAX

>>13168888
ABSOLUTELY BASED

>>13167506
You don't need to have lived a full life to reflect on the decisions you have made as a young man, the decisions you make now will shape you for the rest of your life, just like Stoner. Depending on how young you are, why don't you feel like any decision you have made is "worthy" or "pivotal"? Of course you have, perhaps you have just not judged them, reflected on them, to place a stoic frame upon them.

Stoner is so highly reviewed because it is a story worth telling, a beautiful story of a seemingly unremarkable life. Yet it is moving, full of meaning and emotion. How can someone so insignificant be so? Even in the end Stoner is happy, why? He realises that no matter what, this was probably the best way life was to turn out for him. A condition of himself and those around him. You will feel like you have lived a life better than Stoner because you will see what you have, not what you do not.

Personally, I think nihilistic is not what I would describe the book or the end to be. Of course it is your interpretation. I believe it is existential. I believe the book was the opposite of depressing, it was uplifting. You asked for an uplifting book but I think you just read one. Are you a new reader? Do you re-read or take notes? These are great ways for you to revisit ideas such as these, in your current mindset and revisit at a later date when things may have changed for you. Novels like this are great soul food, and you will want to remember the taste.

Perhaps you should look at The Stranger by Camus.

>>13164456
My fucking sides, this made me laugh anon, cheers

>>13164454
Reddit, go there, that’s where you belong you fucking faggot

>>13168040
The Tartar Steppe is much much merrier

Augustus is better than Stoner.

>>13171362
I've not read Stoner to compare it to, but it's much less likely to make you depressed. I have a feeling Stoner is probably of more artistic merit but Augustus is extremely enjoyable.

>>13162364
I found the ending to be inspiring. Stoner didn't achieve exactly what he wanted but was content with the life he lived. We'd all be lucky if we come to the end satisfied.

>>13168888
holy BASED

>>13170598
I feel like it is depressing in a "made your bed now lie in it" aspect, a kind of situation where it seems impossible or feels impossible to change your nature or escape an uneven life. Perhaps society has told me i can make my life whatever i want of it, but in a sense it would be fighting your own nature or feeling. I dont really know, the books feels an emphasis of inevitably accepting that life will always be mediocre and somewhat meaningless. Thats how i felt, especially when he kept saying to himself on his death bed, "what did you expect?"

>>13171362
butchers crossing is best

>>13172772
brainlet

>>13170598
I agree except for one thing. you say it's the best life he could have lived. no. that's not the case at all. he made several mistakes: He married too early. He noticed trouble too late. He got caught cheating and caused a young woman trouble. His life could have been easier, if he chose another woman to marry or marry later in life. But here's the thing: Caution does not protect you from trouble. Stoner lives with his mistakes and makes the best with it according to his principles and the ones of society.

Tl;dr: His life could have been better or worse. Stoner is a stoic that makes the best of what results from his actions, be it mistakes or unlucky decisions.

>>13162364
It was fucking retarded.

If his marriage was so awful, he should have ended it. If Lomax was being a prick, he should have moved. What a fucking moron.

>>13173355
That's the absolute beta way of thinking about it. You'd flee, abandon your beloved daughter, betray the better part of your character, and risk your career?

>>13173410
>That's the absolute beta way of thinking about it.
No, it's the rational way of thinking about it.
>You'd flee, abandon your beloved daughter
I wouldn't put a baby in a woman who was clearly fucked in the head and didn't like me.
>betray the better part of your character
By what? By not hanging around some cunt my whole life just because we're married? Get fucked.
>and risk your career?
His career would survive a divorce, no one would give a fuck.

>>13173432
>I wouldn't put a baby in a woman
stopped reading there and I'll leave it at that

>>13162364
I refuse to read this. I hate dude weed lmao humor

>>13168818
>quoting Adam Sander

>>13172776
No.