/lit/ - Literature

[Anonymous No.15329596]

Anyone here actually use literature to earn a living? Anyone wealthy because of it?

I’ve heard all the arguments for lot on intellectual and spiritual grounds. Convince me on strictly material ones.

[Anonymous No.15329636]

>>15329596
Even Joyce had to beg, periodically sending letters asking benefactors for money

Don't expect to make money off of writing unless you decide to be the next Dan Brown, John Grisham, or Danielle Steel.

[Anonymous No.15329652]

>>15329596
Stephen King

[Anonymous No.15329688]

>>15329596
Publishers do

[Anonymous No.15329995]

>>15329596
i disagree with the very premise of this, since i think instrumentalizing literature is the wrong approach in general, but if you were to ask me what stands at the basis of my success, i would answer: Lear, Rhoda, Leverkuhn, Kurtz. somewhere there is a peregrine, as well.
that is: i attribute my success in large part to my insights, my insights to my worldview, my worldview to my education, and my education to its basis in literature.

i'm 30 and worth roughly $45 million. i say this only as an honest spokesperson from the standpoint of literature's value qua economic advantage. if you need convincing on those grounds, then let my experience be it. power is absolutely there if you know how to glean it.

[Anonymous No.15331033]

>>15329995
$45 million from published books would mean you’re one of the most celebrated writers of our time so what are these books that you’ve written?

[Anonymous No.15331054]

>>15331033
He didnt say he made it from publishing.

[Anonymous No.15331234]

>>15329596
is that melk abbey?

[Anonymous No.15331496]

>>15329652
Steven King does not write literature. Good b8 though.

[Anonymous No.15331499]

>>15329596

Kek. I make money off it but I wouldn't call it a living, just barely scraping by.

Stay in school kids.

[Anonymous No.15332184]

>>15329995
Nice LARP.

[Anonymous No.15332947]

>>15331033
>>15331054
I didn't make it from publishing.

>>15332184
I guess a claim like that requires some evidence.
I'm going to post this because I am truly tired of all the falsity on here, and i would like to genuinely advance proof that literature can be used to financial ends (again, i disagree with the purpose of the premise to begin with). BUT, here, i shot a little high with 45, currently around 43. give it some time and it will shoot back up.

also, was watching twitch with my ipad screen shot, sorry. bobbypoff is not the best streamer, kinda weird to be frank, but hey, so it goes.

[Anonymous No.15332954]

>>15332184
>>15332947
I blocked out my name and the distribution charts but i think you should probably get the point nonetheless.

i'd love to have a real discussion on the value on literature, how i see it as the basis of a lot of the financial success that surrounds me, etc.--if you'd like.

[Anonymous No.15333166]

>>15332954
Okay. How have you used literature to help you besides saying vague insights. What kind of stuff have you done to aquire this wealth exactly, your profession, basic manner, thought process etc.

[Anonymous No.15333550]

>>15332954
Have you ever heard of Bill Miller, the Philosophy PhD turned Hedge Fund Manager?

[Anonymous No.15334376]

>>15333166
i'm actually behind/heavily involved with two of the more successful political campaigns of the modern era (i truly dont mean to add undue mystery to that end, but i can't say much beyond this); i've worked in political and tech consulting; got heavily into investment; now i've retreated from it all into my own private library and no joke just read and write (nothing of any consequence) all day.
i studied literature at the undergrad level and politics at the grad level.

to answer your more significant question:
so many layers to unpack here, i will start with the two basic ones. literature gave form to the aspects of me that inform everything else: my love for the world, and my appreciation of understanding over knowledge (you might say: the reasonable over the right).

as to the first: i cannot stress this enough. you might find it lame, i do not care; it is love for this world that separates the great mass from its elite few for me. there is so much to say here that i depart from saying it: you get it if you get it, there is no convincing or persuading--you either feel the great grinning holy light of all things, the still-small voice, the Way the Path the Answer, etc.--the great mysterium tremendum et faascinans that foments from the depths of the dark up unto the human light: what can i say here? i was born into this world a stranger; literature helped welcome me, nurture me, draw me into the folds of this world in ever more subtle and distinct ways. simply: it showed me that care, love, sincerity, honesty, etc. were not arbitrary or ancillary to greatness, but its true prerequesite.

[Anonymous No.15334408]

>>15334376
I actually agree with you that literature does all of these things and more. There's a place for philosophy but I find literature and poetry much more profound since you have to interpret it the best you can and it offers a chance for true thinking. I don't want to say I feel better than others but I think I've gotten to the point where I don't understand people who don't appreciate literature. Muh STEM, muh philosophy, muh money etc. I think literature can open more doors than these things.Thank you for your answers though

[Anonymous No.15334588]

>>15333166
>>15334376
a second primary aspect is what i would call the reasonable over the right. literature helped develop a general appreciation for adaptability, a sensitivity toward the novel and contingent and unexpected, that has proven instrumental in my fields of work. what i mean is this: that literature has led me less to knowledge, e.g. standards/criterion of veridical judgment, and more to understanding--it's aim has always seemed to me to be the cultivation of attitudes rather than, strictly speaking, rationalisms and empiricisms. aristotle, guicciardini, machiavelli, cassirer--the whole trajectory of literature on "political prudence"--much of this can be collapsed into the sophoclean platitude that the same traits that lead to our success tend also to be the very traits that ensure our downfall--we are our own gravediggers. what vistas of self-revelation and self-creation open up if you take that lesson seriously! what struck me about literature was really how true everything was--what literature lies? there are lies in literature, for sure; but that's not what i'm after here.
through literature i came to see and appreciate the great plasticity of the world and of myself--as well as the overarching dialect that interlinked the two. to this end, it is sorta like weber's idea of the "right" kind of political attitude, or rawls' insistence on the right type of liberal agency: literature has brought me less to strict conclusions as it has opened me to the openness of the surrounding world; i know how to "keep the back door open," so to speak. i would say it is THE human "bullshit meter" but that's obviously to crudely reduce it.

>>15334408
thanks brosef, i got you, you seem alright. what do you do?

>>15333550
i've heard of him, don't know him though. his work interests you?

[Anonymous No.15334642]

>>15332947
>Total portfolio value $43.7M
>1 day's change ($57.67) is equal to 0.92%
Seems odd. $57.67 is 0.92% of $6,268.48. Maybe I'm not familiar with how your finances are being summarized?

[Anonymous No.15334688]

>>15333166
>>15334376
>>15334588
to give a specific example, if you are curious (again, not to be mysterious, just can't disclose TOO much).
stuart dybek's short story, "paper lanterns"--i read this and felt psychological goosebumps on my neck as the tractor trailer came closer to the vehicle. what is this sensation?
wittgenstein talks about completing a proof. you write: 2 + 2 = 5; wittgenstein jumps at the problem in the same way if you were to write "this is red" in green ink. what is this sensation, this jump?
kant and later schiller will talk about the feelings of pleasure involved in the "free play" of the faculties when you encounter beauty/the sublime. all you need is a "glance" and you are hit by the sensation. what is this sensation?
sorel talks about how syndacalist propaganda needs to hit below the registrar of language--a visual symbolism that hits at the brainstem, creating a sensation. what is this sensation?
bernays, ogilvy, ailes--all have statements concerning the immediate apprehension of symbolic form prior to reflection, a type of physiological control that operates at the level of the purely sensate. what are these sensations?

do you see what i'm getting at here? from reflecting on my experience with dybek and connecting it, drawing it out further--well, i will tell you that it afforded insights that have turned more than one campaign around.
i know how to link the physiological to the psychological to, on the one hand, the abstract, and, on the other, the real. i know how to convert a man "from the ground up," so to speak--i've tried to understand this problem at its most molecular level, and literature is a supreme microscope to that end. another way to put it: if you see my commercial, my campaign, it operates not at the level of your usual effort; i don't know jack shit about turning false things into "reality" or the spinning of illusions; i turn real things into sacred things, i know how to re-enchant the world, i know how to sell what actually matters.

[Anonymous No.15334700]

>>15334642

you're not familiar, and if you think i'm going to disclose a single shred of information more that will help familiarize you more, you're looney. not interested in going into any further detail about distributions, liquidities, etc. posted that as proof to enter a conversation of a different sort; you may engage in that conversation in some manner or are invited to move along.

[Anonymous No.15334721]

>>15334700
Touchy, touchy anon! Good luck to you regardless in your endeavors.

[Anonymous No.15334741]

>>15334700
if you are really so wealthy will you buy something off of my amazon wishlist for me?

[Anonymous No.15334844]

>>15334688
So you took people's gut reactions to the political reality and used that to establish what to focus on with the campaigns?

[Anonymous No.15334885]

>>15334376
>>15334588
>>15334688
So you're a pseud who lucked into obscene wealth through the backdoor of crooked politics? You might be rich, but you're still a faggot.

[Anonymous No.15334906]

>>15334741
Not him (I am >>15334642 who instantly inadvertantly triggered him I guess). But post your list, and I can see about getting you something. Bought a UK anon a copy of Moby Dick yesterday.

[Anonymous No.15334908]

>>15334588
Much like you once did, I study literature at the undergraduate level. I feel like I'm among "NPCs" as some people call them. Most people that study something in or related to literature I've noticed don't really appreciate it to begin with and they're just in it to become a high school teacher or work in publishing or something like that. I've met maybe 3 or 4 people on a similar thinking level as myself out of hundreds.

[Anonymous No.15334910]

>>15334844
what exactly are you asking here? how a specific physiological reaction maps unto given political ends? how my version of marketing uses this?
i mean, it's a general framework/technology, not something that is absolute nor something that should provide hard criterion prior to actually entering into/engaging the real problem. for as many campaigns, so too as many potential strategies.
i'm not willing to disclose specific products or what not, as this would be revealing too much info, but if you have a more specific way of asking the question, or a way that would enable me to satisfy your curiosity without betraying too much privacy, then i am all game. i don't think i'm quite following yet.

[Anonymous No.15334912]

>>15334376
This is really inspiring anon. It's probably the "best" (most positively enlightening) thing I've read on here. I want a mentor like you.

[Anonymous No.15334915]

>>15331496

I don't like that pizza therefore it's not pizza.

[Anonymous No.15334934]

>>15334908

where do you study? what do you want to do?
like i said, i've retreated from the world and play a different game now--i connect the right kind of people to the right kind of resources.
tell me what kinda weltgeist you really are and maybe we can start a conversation, if you'd like. i'm deeply, deeply sympathetic to people with similar trajectories.

[Anonymous No.15334939]

>>15334376
Would you recommend poli.sci for grad school? Did you have political connections before grad school, or did you start to make them in grad?

[Anonymous No.15334944]

>>15332947
>>15334700
Nice demo portfolio bro. If you really had $1mm+ free capital for investment, then you would have it in such a shit broker dealer like that.

I'm cringing at your allocation bro.

[Anonymous No.15334980]

>>15334908
>I study literature at the undergraduate level
>I feel like I'm among "NPCs"
that's because you fucking are one. goddamn, I can't stand college kids

[Anonymous No.15335003]

>>15334912
hey thanks anon, that truly means a lot to me. i'm no mentor, though i am sure if i were, i would want a student like you.
what do you do, friendo? what are you interested in?

>>15334939
this is a tough question. i personally loved grad school, and had the opportunity to go to some really good places--but it is absolutely not for everyone.
as to the question of connections: both. connections helped get me in, and from there i met a lot of people and a lot of vested interests that would catalyze a great deal of my development. if you have more specific questions, i'll try to answer--this answer feels vague, even to me.

[Anonymous No.15335010]

>>15334934
It's a school in the northeast of america. It's taken a while for me to realize it and openly express it but I need to be a writer. I would've almost gone down a similar political path like you, but I really don't want that. Writing doesn't just make me happy, seeing people enjoy my writing makes me happy, and I don't want to waste a talent if I really do have the capability for it.
>>15334980
Nope

[Anonymous No.15335013]

>>15334915
>Anon points out that apple pie and pizza are different even though they have roughly the same shape
>No both are pies you don't get to discriminate!
Ok sorry.

[Anonymous No.15335043]

>>15335010
what kind of writing, anon? northeast school a recognizable one?
ever been published?

[Anonymous No.15335048]

>>15334688
>do you see what i'm getting at here?
Actually, I don't. You cite a mishmash of philosophers because you aren't able to verbalize the concepts yourself. For someone who reads all day and every day, you seem to have an astounding incapacity for le mot juste. Everything you've said sounds like neo-mysticism and marketing.

[Anonymous No.15335049]

>>15334906
anon your kindness alone is a gift enough for me <3

[Anonymous No.15335053]

>>15334688
>what is that sensation
It is satisfaction without gratification. It does not end, nor does it stem from a yearning, so that it is not led up to through seeking, nor does it cease on account of ingestion or relief. Proust describes a moment of just this kind in Swann's Way, looking upon the spire of a chapel, which for him leads to the first piece of his own writing which is not amateurish--it is so because aesthetic translated itself into utterance, in a way which is elusive to our instinctive natures. Such moments have no context within the narrative of our own lives--they are moments out of time, just because they are not connected with any motive or desire. I read this as Kantian disinterestedness. The more of these moments we have, the less our identity is connected with time, since they are all, as it were, unconnected to one another by any vehicle such as causality or thematic development.

[Anonymous No.15335059]

>>15335010
Post a sample. It's usually pretty simple to see whether someone has talent, or mere training.

[Anonymous No.15335067]

>>15334376
But have you ever snorted cocaine off a strippers ass cheek?

[Anonymous No.15335095]

>>15335043
A mix between poetry and prose, and I've dabbled in screenwriting. This summer I plan on starting and finishing a big project, and I have a few ideas in mind for a novel and a play.

[Anonymous No.15335108]

>>15335013
If anon had used an eloquent pie analogy, maybe they would have won me over.

[Anonymous No.15335110]

>>15335095
Let me ask you a real question. Why do you need to be a writer? Do you have something essential to say that has not already been voiced? I hope you don't write simply because you enjoy positive feedback. If that's your reason, you're engaging in a vanity project.

[Anonymous No.15335112]

>>15332947
You look like a massive incel and playing games that aren't 90s sims and historic city builders doesn't add to the image.

[Anonymous No.15335118]

>>15335095
Oh and I forgot to answer your other questions. You'd know it if you're from the northeast, otherwise probably not. And no, I've never tried yet mainly because I get distracted and don't complete things to my perfectionist taste

[Anonymous No.15335141]

>>15335095
>>15335118

you're beginning to lose me a little here, anon...feels a little pretentious
do you have work you can share?

>>15335053
this is lovely and interesting. are you an academic? what do you do?

[Anonymous No.15335162]

>>15335110
I write because I don't like where literature is today, and I want to hark back to the past as cliche as that sounds. And maybe you wouldn't understand but it's a strange feeling. It's like an urge to create something, kind of like a muse, and I really think at times I've tapped into something. I can't make it happen on command, but once it's there I write.

[Anonymous No.15335184]

>>15335003
Both of those comments were mine.

My undergraduate degree is in International Relations. By my last few years, though, I had grown tired of politics-- it seemed my degree had set me up to be a bureaucratic cog, and many of my classmates were fine with it. I sincerely wanted to do national/international level work, while many seemed to be interested in local and state level jobs.

I've wanted to be a novelist since I was a very little child, so I figured I would focus on that dream. Real inspiration isn't a faucet, though, and I don't think I've absorbed enough of the world yet to really begin to write what I need to. As such, I've collected many notes, but few publishable works.

Since my undergraduate ended, I've kept a reading regimen-- at least an hour every day. One year I was reading for three hours every day. I've considered this my "second education"-- reading from the great books and classics that my schooling didn't give or suggest to me... and yet contain much greater wisdom. Plato's works (especially Republic), Aurelius' Meditations, Tolstoy's War & Peace, Freud's Interpretation of Dreams, Jung's works, and Campbell's Hero with a Thousand Faces have had the most impact on me. The latter end of this series attracts me to psychiatry, but I'm not certain. I'm not sure what the limits of my interests are, as I've read on and enjoyed many different topics. I think like you wrote about before, someone should build an understanding of the overall "rules" of existence...what wisdom is.

Your life of having a solid bank account with maximum time to read and study seems ideal. It's more about the freedom than the money.

[Anonymous No.15335209]

>>15334376
>>15334408
>>15334588
>>15334688
This is some of the most based shit I’ve seen on this board. I want to know more:
>private library
What do you do now?
Didn’t think this bird actually had something like this, actually gives me hope

>>15334721
>>15334885
>>15334944
>>15335112
Pleb anons btfo

[Anonymous No.15335210]

>>15335141
Didn't mean to sound pretentious. And I'd like to share but I don't really think I have anything worthwhile yet.
>>15335184
I'm a lot like this anon actually. I've also wanted to get into the diplomatic side of politics, but recently just found myself. And I also want to read a lot more before I try to get something published

[Anonymous No.15335240]

>>15335141
As a side note, you remind me of an anon on another board.

[Anonymous No.15335283]

>>15335240
which one, out of curiosity?
i used to post as a tripcode on this board years ago. man, what a mistake...
have a family now, a wife. even with wealth, there ain't no undoing internet archives, i'll tell ya.

[Anonymous No.15335286]

>>15335209
flattering the rich won't get you through the gate; you too are plebeian

[Anonymous No.15335289]

>>15334910
Apologies for the vagueness, I currently have a baby crawling all over me. I guess I am just interested in how the 'reality' of a political campaign, so the real political motivations of a candidate, is transformed into what the public is sold. How do you take an idea such as universal liberty which I have an instant gut reaction to, and sell that to the voting masses who may all have differing reactions?

[Anonymous No.15335291]

>>15335283
Oh it's probably not you then. I'm thinking more recent.

[Anonymous No.15335325]

>>15335283
I only have one question for you, before I leave the thread. Hope you won't take it too personal. Do you feel that your wealth was earned justly? And no, I am not asking whether it was earned legally / with no shady business.

[Anonymous No.15335336]

>>15335325
no. though, for what it is worth, and i cannot be more honest or sincere: i intend to redeem it by using it justly.
where does that leave me, ethically? i do not know; i face that question daily. i leave it to you to judge with what info your given.

[Anonymous No.15335592]

>>15335289
when you say "universal liberty," describe to me the corresponding "gut reaction," please

[Anonymous No.15335635]

>>15335592
It's a tug, like a rope attached to my stomach is pulling my guts out and through my mouth, I want to scream with pleasure when I truly deeply think about true concepts of liberty.

[Anonymous No.15335691]

>>15335635

what image/images in your mind probably best represent this?
first tell me your immediate reaction, what the image is that hits you initially and hardest; then take some time to reflect, imagine what the ideal image is, what it would look like.
how much does it differ from your initial reaction?

[Anonymous No.15335870]

>>15334376
This is really impressive, anon. I’ve liked your answers; I see you as the antithesis to a lot of the stupid guenon and Deleuze and bookclub/Q threads here

What do you do now? Where are you from?

[Anonymous No.15335894]

>>15335691
This may be difficult for me as I have Aphantasia, my thoughts begin with an overwhelwing sense of freedom, leading to happiness and cohesion. A sense of true fulfillment for me, my loved ones and society in general.
Running through a field of tall grass, sun rays beating on my neck, throbbing with the heat. I take shade in a thicket of tall oaks, my family runs to meet me in the coolness, we fall on the ground and listen to the trees rustle in the wind.

[Anonymous No.15336035]

>>15335003
are you the anon who was posting in the university thread about doing your undergrad at Princeton? He used the same image.

Good on you for extracting something out of what is generally a bleak field, i'm not at all meaning to imply you didn't earn it, but it would be wrong and not in OP's interest to think that this is norm and not the exception. If he is actually looking for life advice and not just interested in other anons, he should not expect material wealth if he centres his life around literature, nor should material wealth be his WtP if he is going choose that path.

[Anonymous No.15336069]

>>15335894
beautiful, anon--your honesty is truly inspiring.
let me ask you, before i go any further: are you a religious man?
how close does your image of universal liberty parallel your image of--eden? heaven?

>>15335870
thanks, brosef. i was born in washington, DC and have lived all over the place. currently residing in the boston metro area. absolutely love it here.
i run a private reading/seminar group, where i basically nab top students from harvard/MIT to join a private discussion forum and then send them along to whatever outlet they desire. very bourdieu and "state nobility" crap and all that, but i encounter some truly gifted minds, and have benefited enormously as a result.
i run/own/use a private library i've been collecting for over a decade. i once posted under the trip "rapture"; i've dreamed of opening up the library publicly and digitizing/sharing its contents forever now, but to no avail. /lit is sorta a dickish place.

>>15335162
i can and do respect that. you really don't have anything you'd be willing to share?

>>15335184
you sound interesting, too. what do you do, now? are you still a student? whereabouts?
and let me also say that everything comes with an odd cosmic cost. solid bank account? check. maximum time? quasi-check. diagnosed with cancer in 2016, hence why i pulled back from the world. very much on borrowed time at this point. freedom here is a double-edged sword.

[Anonymous No.15336113]

>>15336035
actually i am, good call.

i also agree with what you said about norm/exception; i wanted to offer OP merely one way of "convincing on strictly material [grounds]"
but i think you are generally correct.

[not interested in BS No.15336159]

>>15329995
So far you have not disclosed what you actually do to make money.

[Anonymous No.15336194]

>>15336113
I have a sperg tendency to remember random things, sorry. I skimmed the thread so i didn't see your post >>15329995 here where you basically said the exact same thing I did/was thinking.

[Anonymous No.15336275]

>>15336069
IR anon here.

Sorry to hear about the cancer. Though, I expect you have a "greater purpose" in life... and you may have a better chance of surviving because of that.

I graduated in 2017. I taught English in South Korea for some time to get more travel experience. I applied to the United States Foreign Service and passed the initial FSO Test, but was not selected to move on in a later evaluation panel.

Grad school has always been a likely route for me, but I want to consider where I go carefully. My undergrad was a smaller school, though I had the grades to go somewhere much more well known-- my priorities were different at the time, that is to say I was not aware of my priorities.

Your post hints at my worry, too. Your private reading group sounds wonderful... but it's only open to Harvard/MIT graduates. These kind of hints make me afraid that if I don't go to a top tier school for my grad school (my second chance, so-to-speak), I'm going to be much more likely to be stuck around "NPCs" or otherwise uninspiring people.

[Anonymous No.15336360]

>>15336069
Here's something I quickly scribbled down not long ago. I was experimenting with going against the conventions I usually like and felt a lot of nostalgia while writing. You can critique if you'd like, haven't edited it. I usually just share poetry with people I like and myself. I don't plan on going to those particular schools after my undergrad since I'd rather stay a little closer to home (without doxxing myself lol)

[Anonymous No.15336401]

>>15336275
what type of grad school are you considering?
lemme clarify a little, too: that i recruit from harvard/MIT is a function far more of my relative proximity to both (i live in cambridge, MA most of the time, and live smack dab between the two campuses) than it is any stringent faith in their inherent competencies at this point (for what its worth, MIT is far, far > harvard). i simply want the best and the brightest and the deepest--hard qualifications at any school. i have colleagues at harvard/MIT who send me exactly that, and it works really well, so i'm satisfied, but i take whoever is sent my way trusted sources, i take whoever is genuinely and sincerely committed to something higher or deeper, etc.
my vision is a type of modified and improved bayreuth, a real artistic community that might counteract some of the more indecent forces of modernity. slowly i collect souls like other men collect pearls.
if you're interested in this reading group, let me know; you seem interesting enough to begin a real conversation with.

tell me more about your interests now: given free time, what type of project would you most likely pursue? what do you want most out of this world?

[Anonymous No.15336533]

>>15336401
I would definitely be interested in the reading group. It sounds like what I first came to /lit/ to find, rather than racism and circular squabbles.

I've been considering medical (psychiatry), law, political science, or a more solid STEM-type degree. My considerations at this time are largely based around meeting more and more excellent people, or at least people I relate to more, rather than a certain field of study. These would be the people, as you talk about, who are striving for something higher, or for the best this world has to offer. These words might not even get the exact point across... it is that feeling of higher potential radiating off of certain people.

Regarding free time: I continue my readings. It is hard to say where it is leading... it is an intuitive thing, though I continue to select the "great books" that my public education didn't provide me. Now, for instance, I am reading through the full Bible for the first time, Plutarch's Parallel Lives, and several of Freud's most important works. If pressed I would say at this point that my readings, besides rounding out my sense of the world, are making me a better writer and thinker... I want to create excellent stories that capture the psychological truth... It's hard to say exactly. Intuition leads, the ego follows, etc.

Basically, the creation of great stories is my purpose in life. But I cannot survive alone on pursuing writing, and if I am to write what captures the far reaches of life, I will need money to accomplish certain things-- To live in great cities, to travel, to be able to meet certain people. There is a joy and excitement that comes when I feel I am closely following that path. To follow that path then is what I want most.

[Anonymous No.15336572]

>>15336069
I have only recently begun my journey into religion. For why it's worth I do believe in God in an infinite eternal sense. For me the unknown or the limit of human knowledge is where God resides. I am unsure as to whether God is an intelligent creator or something entirely other, either way the belief in the unknown has led me to think that our true purpose as a society is to strive towards universal truth. As you can tell I am still working out my ideas.
To try and answer your questions a little, universal liberty to me is an ultimate goal for mankind to strive towards, to no longer have obligations towards those who hold power and force as a constant threat above our heads is pretty close to heaven on earth as far as I understand it.

[Anonymous No.15336575]

>>15329596
A rich artist ceases to be an artist.

[Anonymous No.15336611]

>>15336533
i like your answers, you seem like you have your heart in the right place, a real spark, the potential of a weltgeist; sorry if i asked you this previously, hard to keep track of who is who here, but have you published anything/have any samples? is this anon >>15336360 you?
what part of the country are you currently residing in?

>>15336572
your answers are like daydreams--i really love them. tell me, anon: this image you describe, of tall grass and oaks and your family--what colors do you see? what objects, however trivial or small, begin to enter the frame when you concentrate harder? what are you wearing?
most importantly: when was the last time that reality offered an analogous or parallel FEELING that this image births in you? can you pinpoint an experience that shared the same aesthetic root?
you strike me as a deep man, anon. where are you from?

[Anonymous No.15336699]

>>15336611
First anon you're quoting. I'm not the guy who posted the poem, no.

I currently live in Michigan, but I'm going elsewhere once the quarantine ends. I'm either going to travel abroad for another year of teaching, or I will move to one of the big cities in the US to start making broader connections. Chicago or New York are of most interest to me.

[Anonymous No.15336750]

>>15336611
As I said I find it hard to picture things in my minds eye, I am pretty sure it's almost non existent in me. However when I imagined that 'image' I could feel the warmth of the sun lapping at the back of my neck, the deep radiant green and brightness of a summers walk in the country, the smell and sounds that eminate from a forest like a beating heart drum of the earth.

The most recent experience I have felt this joy was holding my son in my attic room looking out at the stars and gently rocking him to sleep, I gazed into his sea blue eyes and felt the eternal look back through my soul, I cried for happiness.

I live in the UK.

[Anonymous No.15336774]

>>15336575

Yeah Rembrandt, Tolstoy and Michelangelo were total frauds.

[Anonymous No.15336784]

>>15336611
This is the anon that wrote that poem.>>15334408 Northeast US.

To answer your previous question a bit more. There are two main things I'd like to write about critically having to do with the aesthetics of fantasy, fairy tales, legends, myths, etc. and also how language affects it. I've always had a love of philology and I was originally going to study linguistics or history but opted for english in the end since it satisfied a lot of what I really wanted to do.

And as for my own writing, there is one story that is not my own which I need to tell. It comes from a close family member of mine and it's a story worth telling is really all I can say. I think anons here would like it. Other than that, my main focus is on nature, transcendentalism, romanticism, and more traditional things in the Shakespearean and medievalist fields. There are a few other things I like as well, but these sum it up well enough.

[not interested in BS No.15336796]

>>15329995
Bullshit... So far you've not said anything about your way of making money. You're just a narcissist who wants attention. GTFO

[Anonymous No.15336928]

>>15336796
Eh, it's decent larp at the least.

t. bitcoin nigger in the 9 digits

[Anonymous No.15336963]

>>15336796
Well following the larp
>born in DC
>grad school for "politics"
>"behind" two highly successfully political campaigns
>tech consultant
>investing
I believe the proper term is "insider trading" anon. I for one hope this professional propagandist, thieving scumbag succumbs to his cancer experiencing pure agony.

[Anonymous No.15337095]

>>15336699
bro you should consider boston. the energy here is absolutely peak; less the tic-tic-tic of new york (lived there for a bit) and more a concentrated intellectual energy bordering on the frankensteinish

>>15336750
i really like how you think and write. what do you do for a living, anon? how old are you?

>>15336784
what sources have you found/pursued for your fantasy/philology interest? what did you end up concentrating in viz. english?

[Anonymous No.15337149]

>>15337095
(IR guy) I visited Boston once and did love the sense I got from it. My focus on Chicago and New York is based on populations-- cities with larger populations tending to produce more works of art and science. Chicago also I plain love from living there a short time.

If I give you an email, can we keep in some sort of contact?

[Anonymous No.15337150]

>>15336750
another question: if i were to ask you to describe your childhood in a similar visual fashion, how would you respond?

if i said: your love for your son, represent it to me--what image(s) would you choose?

[Anonymous No.15337154]

>>15337095
I appreciate your compliments but I don't feel like I deserve them. In fact I'm coming to terms with my mediocrity day by day. I work in an auction house, its mostly manual labour with some customer interaction, it pays the bills but doesn't exactly feel right for me. I'm 24.

[Anonymous No.15337206]

>>15337095
I go straight for the source. I've read a lot of Chaucer just for the fact that I like the Middle English and how it connects to past words and then later you'll see the words in things like Shakespeare and finally the modern thing. My brain works weirdly with this since I can almost always determine the origin and usage of a word intuitively this way and I think it has to do with my limited knowledge of German and love of language growing up.

As for scholarly sources on the subjects I'd cite Tolkien as an inspiration. His work on English philology and Beowulf is still felt. Tolkien scholars like Shippey are also interesting to read for me since it's opened the Lotr up a lot more at least as a historical text and tool of philology. Tolkien was fascinated with names and language and I've always been too. Shippey's work JRR Tolkien Author of the Century is a good read if you want something to take from this.

[Anonymous No.15337228]

>>15337149
sure, cool, this is what i do and what i love to do in lieu of teaching: if you've got the real goods, i'd love to hook you up with the right resources/people. not guaranteeing anything but seems like some potential here.

i'll save you the trouble of a throw-away email: https://pykewater.com/

this is my private library-system; i've been ping-ponging between an estate in the berkshires (my main library location named Pykewater) and cambridge during the pandemic. it's also where i host extended seminars.
send me an email indicating who you are in the subject and we can move from there. you seem pretty interesting.

>>15337154
you're interesting as hell. see my response to the anon above; i'd invite you into further conversation over email just generally speaking.

[Anonymous No.15337235]

>>15336069
>i run a private reading/seminar group, where i basically nab top students from harvard/MIT to join a private discussion forum and then send them along to whatever outlet they desire. very bourdieu and "state nobility" crap and all that, but i encounter some truly gifted minds, and have benefited enormously as a result.
Anon, I go to an Ivy League school. How do I get invited to this? I'm about to graduate

[Anonymous No.15337252]

>>15337150
I swim in the warmth of my parents pool, love envelops me with a blinding darkness until the light blinds me and the water gives way to the mud of the earth.

My love for my son is deeper than I have words for. It's like a thread of endless joy has bound me and intertwined with the infinite. For the rest of my days he will be a constant source of happiness, my son and wife are the reasons I have for wading through the resistant bands of times passage.

[Anonymous No.15337266]

>>15337095
What does it mean when all the images that you have posted aside from >>15335003 and >>15336611 fill me with disgust?

[Anonymous No.15337270]

>>15329596
If you're a somewhat decent writer and willing to put a year or two into grinding on welfare you can make really nice money self-publishing erotica on Amazon.

[Anonymous No.15337301]

>>15337235
>i live in cambridge, MA most of the time
I just moved into the Cambridge area last month (>>15337235)

>slowly i collect souls like other men collect pearls.
You sound like you want to collect and corrupt the youth's souls and then end up drinking hemlock in your library as a last triumph against the material world :)

[Anonymous No.15337302]

>>15337228
(IR) Thank you.

[Anonymous No.15337318]

>>15337266
it means i have questions and its time for you to reflect on why that is the case.
which image has disgusted you the most?
what about those two redeemed themselves?

>>15337252
anon you have terrifying and fierce depth--absolutely my kinda guy. do you write? do you keep a journal?
you really intrigue me, forgive the interrogation. i really, really enjoy encountering truly radiant souls. they are simply close to the center of things.

[Anonymous No.15337323]

>>15337228
>gmail

[Anonymous No.15337350]

Holy shit what a LARP thread. Anon comes in posting shitty pngs and saying he's an eclectic supergenius and everyone else is just intellectually masturbating so that png guy can make them feel special.

[Anonymous No.15337353]

>>15337318
Judging by your reaction, you seem to be a big fan of romanticism? Seems to me the guy is just writing out how he feels.

[Anonymous No.15337367]

>>15337228
What's with the Napoleon reading list? What peaked your focus in it?

[Anonymous No.15337416]

>>15337353
good call, i am a fan. its not just the feels i like, nor just the clarity of their illustration--its his honesty, it's that he is clearly sincere with himself, that he does not mind bearing something genuine. a cursory glance at the rest of this board/our culture indicates that that alone is something special.
do you like romanticism?

>>15337367
no joke, a british diplomat asked for that. i like napoleon just fine, would highly recommend Chandler's "the campaigns of napoleon"; but i have no personal vested interest there specifically. interested more generally in strategy, etc. but that's obviously a much broader range. those reading lists are examples of requested topics.

if you are looking for something special in terms of a reading list times are a little, you know, slow right now, so i could probably hook you up. don't have a staff currently but fuck it, i have time.

[Anonymous No.15337481]

>>15337318
I don't write as much as I should, in fact my responses to your questions have been the most I've written in a long time.
I'm a bit reticent in the face of your enthusiasm, but I'm glad that I have piqued your interest in some way. Your 'interrogation' has been most welcome if I were to tell the truth. Allow me to collect my thoughts and I'm sure we could have an interesting conversation via your email.

[Anonymous No.15337482]

>>15337416
>if you are looking for something special in terms of a reading list times are a little, you know, slow right now, so i could probably hook you up. don't have a staff currently but fuck it, i have time.
I really enjoyed the epidemiology list. I'm more curious, how do you go about compiling such lists? What techniques and resources do you utilize?

[Anonymous No.15337498]

>>15337228
This is truly inspiring anon. I went to Harvard and live in Boston- I’m going to shoot you an email.

>>15337350
Even if that was the case, best thread in a while around here. Seems true enough at this point and anon actually seems like a decent guy. Want to see where this goes.

[Anonymous No.15337506]

>>15337416
Hello, fantasy philo guy here. Maybe a weird request, but could you make me a reading list based on Ivanhoe? Similar novels and stories and maybe some scholarly work surrounding it. It doesn't have to be extensive either, just a few novels would be more than enough for me.

[Anonymous No.15337551]

>>15337318
The most disgusting one is clearly >>15334910.

[Anonymous No.15337567]

>>15337498
Yeah. Even if the guy's faking it, his "faking" is better than most people's legitimacy here.

[Anonymous No.15337665]

>>15337482
good question. each request is addressed ad hoc and usually requires fishing from different sources. you want to know about the history of electoral campaigns in alabama from 1900-2000? well, i know an academic at stanford, another at uchicago, etc. who can send me rough bibliographies. from there one can root through primary and secondary sources rather quickly to find the most pertinent material--it's sorta a funneling/bottlenecking system that aims at distilling just the "right" amount the client wants/needs.
ask about something to do with medicine, i turn to doctors, etc. it is all about turning to and extrapolating from real sources of expertise. the worst thing i could ever offer is a "faux" or incomplete list; everything is back by major voices in respective fields.
my own expertise covers politics, so i honestly rely on my own acquired knowledge for much of that, though i certainly enlist a lot of feedback from colleagues who teach in the field real-time, as well as some more well-read politicians i know (e.g. washington power poliitcs)
cosma shalizi at carnegie mellon also offers some exceptional reading lists i've collaborated with: http://bactra.org/notebooks/
check out some of my external links for more general lists that are also worthwhile.
but, in general: it depends on the project in question, how much material there is, how much time involved, what the client wants, etc.

>>15337506
send an email, please--i'd be happy to help but i am honestly not going to keep track from this thread.

[Anonymous No.15337686]

>>15329995
8/10 bait

[Anonymous No.15337694]

>>15332947
you got this from /biz/

[Anonymous No.15337725]

>>15334588
>i've heard of him, don't know him though. his work interests you?
I used to work in investment banking and was interested in hedge funds when I was younger. I just think he’s interesting considering he credits his study of philosophy to informing his investment strategies. I still find it a bit bizarre that someone who deeply studied philosophy would dedicate themselves to trading.

[Anonymous No.15337749]

>>15337725
> I still find it a bit bizarre that someone who deeply studied philosophy would dedicate themselves to trading.

Why? Seems very natural to me.

t. different guy

[Anonymous No.15337776]

>>15337749
How come?

[Anonymous No.15337835]

>>15337749
>>15337749
I probably think it’s bizarre because I did the opposite but I just find it a bit strange that someone would use such a pursuit to basically just make money.

[Anonymous No.15337849]

>>15337323
The domain name was only registered on 7-May-2020 as well. This is probably some next-level alternate-reality-game larping. Especially given the so-called Pykewater Forum lectures referenced in anon/rapture's post that have supposedly been sponsored, but of which there is no trace online.

It grows less believable every post desu. A few weeks ago I didn't doubt that some reclusive rich anon was collecting various books. But any evidence presented continues to be debunked.

Anyways, I guess it is nice for /lit/ to have a mystery on its hands.

[Anonymous No.15337861]

>>15337228
Holy...fucking...based

I live near Boston, what do I have to do to join? Seriously anon this is exactly what I’ve been looking for, I literally fantasize about this. If this is real it’s incredible.

[Anonymous No.15337910]

>>15337861
>the reddit fantasy

[Anonymous No.15338058]

>>15337849
Good catch. As someone who has actually been in a billioinaire's cult, it's just not very believable. If I wasn't lazy, I'd search for the images of the bookshelves, at least a few of them seemed to be from /lit/

It's a great white collar psycopath impression though.

[Anonymous No.15338081]

>>15337849
>The domain name was only registered on 7-May-2020
how did you find this

[Anonymous No.15338137]

>>15338081
ICANN whois registry (https://lookup.icann.org/lookup; search for pykewater.com).

(Also, if anon/rapture can somehow get that entry changed, I'll start believing he has more pull than I had thought).

[Anonymous No.15338141]

>>15337228
Can you recommend me some books for investing? If you don't wanna talk about how exactly did you make your money is ok, but at least give me some leads anon

[Anonymous No.15338179]

>>15337551
Why? Is it its artificiality? The color? The perspective?

>>15337725
I actually know several people who work in applied PR/communications/investing and who have degrees in the humanities or philosophy, even PhDs; best PR guy i know is an English PhD from Stanford. You should check out some place like ReD Consulting for a type of dedicated firm that recruits high-end humanities degrees. Great place.
Another good resource: http://dailynous.com/2020/05/01/directory-philosophers-industry/
a lot of educated people out there doing so cool stuff

>>15337861
What do you do?

[Anonymous No.15338197]

>>15338137
A institution that "supplies expert policy-makers with access to a range of academic titles, reading lists and summaries" uses squarespace and doesn't have a real email.

[Anonymous No.15338326]

>>15338179
Why did you just create the site 4 days ago?

[Anonymous No.15338332]

>>15338326
Probably got done watching "Dispatches from Elsewhere" and decided that he wanted to do something similar for /lit/ desu senpai.

[Anonymous No.15338458]

>>15335283
oh, so it’s rapture. you inherited all your wealth and you know it. dubs and i post his contact info.

[Anonymous No.15338467]

>>15338458
roll

[Anonymous No.15338471]

>>15338197
All the reading lists on rapture's pykewater site all say they are from "The Pennington Library" which is a public library in New Jersey. Rapture, are you a librarian there?

[Anonymous No.15338475]

>>15338458
roll

[Anonymous No.15338485]

>>15338458
rollerino

[Anonymous No.15338488]

>>15338471
he’s not. he doesnt have to work aside from obvious academic jobs. his family is extremely wealthy. also he had cancer.

[Anonymous No.15338499]

>>15338471
Pennington is his last name obviously

[Anonymous No.15338505]

>>15338488
How do you respond to the allegations that he is larping that have been brought up here and in other threads? Is there any evidence he is real that has not been debunked?

[Anonymous No.15338509]

>>15338488
wait, so anon is legit wealthy and not a LARP?

[Anonymous No.15338517]

>>15338488
>>15338499
also sorry boys these were both me >>15338458 so checked. not gonna fuck a nigga over that easy.

[Anonymous No.15338529]

>>15338517>>15338458
how did you figure out his info?

[Anonymous No.15338540]

>>15338505
He’s not larping, he’s just being disingenuous about how much money he comes from. His figures make absolute sense given his connections and startup capital. You can find all of this in the archives. He was unfairly mobbed out like two or three years ago, mostly because edgelords dislike his nicety/ability to balance maturity and solid intellectual advice (obviously thats the kind of tone this site lives to shit on), and occassionally posts now.

[Anonymous No.15338541]

>>15338458
rollerino

[Anonymous No.15338544]

>>15338540
I've been coming to /lit/ for years and don't recall anything from/about him until a month ago or so.

[Anonymous No.15338548]

>>15338540
so why are you gonna dox him then anon? /lit/ needs her patron

[Anonymous No.15338549]

>>15338529
He literally posted so much info back in the day it was relatively easy. He posted his irl email at one point. I’m at work though so I won’t be able to keep verifying/colluding rn but he’s a pretty chill guy all in all. If you do find his email play fair and keep rolling. I’ll come through later tonight if someone gets dubs.

[Anonymous No.15338555]

>>15338544
Also, check those dubs. Post your info, anon.

[Anonymous No.15338561]

>>15338549
>>15338544
>>15338458
what if you are rapture and this is a 5D chess move to catapult you to 4chan legend status

[Anonymous No.15338564]

>>15338517
......rolling

[Anonymous No.15338568]

>>15338548
He literally doxxed himself years ago. I’ll give him adequate opportunity to express whether he’s chill with this or not, though I’m not the only one with the ability to doxx him so whatever.

>>15338541
His angle wasnt really “hey im rich guys” but like “hey look at all these books in my university carousel” so maybe you missed him that way? Idk dude i didnt know shit about Deep&Edgy and Ive been here since 2013. It happens, that’s the point of an anon site.

[Anonymous No.15338571]

>>15338555
Wow, dubs followed by trips.

[Anonymous No.15338573]

>>15338555
>>15338544
ITS HAPPENING

[Anonymous No.15338595]

>>15329995
That's cute. I'm 25 and worth 60 million

[Anonymous No.15338604]

>>15338458
>rapture
Damn you right, all the photos in the archive match his style ITT

[Anonymous No.15338636]

>>15338604
He already said it was him ITT retard.
>>15336069

[Anonymous No.15338640]

>>15338458
Kek is this catiling conspiracy dude? Don't dox him pls

[Anonymous No.15338659]

>>15338458
Pony up.
>>15338544
>>15338555

[rapture1 No.15338703]

>>15338568

yeah, im not ok with being doxed. maybe years ago when i was an idiot and didnt have a wife and cancer and real stakes, etc., but whatever, you win. not sure what you've won, but you've won. i'll stop posting now, i guess?

well, /lit, i tried once again. sorry it didnt work out. i would truly, truly love to one day open up my library to you all.

catch you all again in a few years. would love now if a mod could kill this thread.

take care, all who had something to share/were really interested!

[Anonymous No.15338743]

>>15338703
will you still respond to email friend?

[Anonymous No.15338783]

>>15338703
good riddance

[Anonymous No.15338790]

>>15338703
There's no need to defend me. I have come to peace with my destiny. I only returned to share the rarefied collection I have had the good fortune to be privy to. Bare it all to /lit/, my forever home. Greener pastures await me.

[Anonymous No.15338808]

>>15338703
>>15338790
w-who's jewing me

im confused

pls dont leave rapture

[Anonymous No.15338818]

>>15338743
Certainly my friend.

[rapture1 No.15338823]

>>15338743
If you are honest in your pursuit and genuine in your talent for it, my door is always open. A serious and respectful email will always receive a serious and respectful response.

But until then, i really have to ask again for the thread to die. I’m not sure what >>15338549 anon wants, and that is a scary thing.

Take care, friendo!

[rapture1 No.15338863]

>>15338783
>>15338790
>>15338808
>>15338818
..and here come the impersonations. Man, this is a tired act.

Tread lightly, i remember bannings occurring for people claiming to be me before.

ANYTHING FROM HERE ON DOWN AINT RAPTURE, NOR IS IT SANCTIONED INFORMATION

[Anonymous No.15338886]

>>15338863
ARE YOU GOING TO RESPOND TO MY EMAIL ANON


I FEEL LIKE IM IN MADHOUSE

[Janny No.15338888]

You heard rapture1 folks. This thread is now officially dead. Please do not respond or I will be forced to issue a temporary ban. Thank you for your cooperation.

[rapture1 No.15338895]

>>15338863
>>15338823
>>15338863
fuck off niggers

[Anonymous No.15338901]

>>15338888

[Janny No.15338921]

>>15338895
>>15338901
Gentlemen. I will not ask again!

[Anonymous No.15338922]

>>15338790
>>15338823
>>15338863
>capital letters
>rapture

[Anonymous No.15338945]

>>15338703
>well, /lit, i tried once again. sorry it didnt work out. i would truly, truly love to one day open up my library to you all.
What is stopping you? If you are really that reliant on 4chan (the armpit of the internet) to get the... motivation? knowhow? I don't know? to digitize your collection, I don't know what to say.

Look, if you are really worth $40+ million, you can hire an actual archivist (or team of archivists) to digitize your library for you. It would hardly cost even a fraction of your self-professed net worth.

/lit/ is a fine site for discussion, but relying on it for anything besides shitposts and the occasional interesting thread is misguided, and the equivalent of a fool's errand.

I wish you well regardless, rapture.

[Anonymous No.15338957]

>>15338703
Dude I didn’t want you to not post lol I was mostly just fucking with you, but just like last time you fail to realize the weird grandstanding tone of this and >>15338790 make me want to do it just to fulfill your pseudo-tragic narrative. No one on here is going to fuck with you that hard. Mostly, they want advice, insight, and mentorship all of which you have in spades (despite your inability to acknowledge your privilege, but hey i even forgive you of that because your cancer thing). You should always post. Just dont be so ready to out yourself. However, I stand by the fact that even if you did what you did back in the day and post your uni, email, name, etc. no one on here is “The Infamous Hacker 4chan” and will like ruin your life. At most, you may have to get a new email. Congrats on the kid btw didnt know that.
also sorry boys still at work[/spoiler

[Anonymous No.15338965]

>>15338888
Fuck that’s a get

[Anonymous No.15339018]

>>15338568
>>15338957
You stupid fucking cunt, what the fuck is your problem?
Of course you’re going to scare him off.
Fuck. Rapture is probably the most interesting part of this whole fucking board, actually seems like a nice guy, actually seems like he’s willing to help. Why, anon? Just tell me why?
Fuck I hate you and I hate this board. Have fun with guenon and bookclub jacking off homeless dudes. Fucking pleb.

[Anonymous No.15339110]

>>15339018
The irony here is this screams newfag, so you don’t really qualify to talk about “the best part of the board.” You’re just a faggot tourist who thinks a bunch of strangers on the internet can guide you to the right books to fix your life or something. There’s a reason why rapture runs away every six months, there’s a reason why he was one of the lower tier tripfags in the first place. You’d know this if you got off your ass and checked the archives for yourself rather than whining like a little bitch. Like holy shit do you know how much like a fucking child you sound? Also again i cant stress he does this every time. See you in a year faggot. Hope that cozy Cornell degree worked out for you.

[Anonymous No.15339134]

i'm not interested in writing novels, I try to put on 10min, one act plays mostly for free but get some return from them. Which I then use to fund and film my shorts. I'm still in school, so money isn't terribly an issue for me but I'd like to think I've got a bit of a headstart and may have a career later on who knows.

[Anonymous No.15339202]

>>15338179
>I actually know several people who work in applied PR/communications/investing and who have degrees in the humanities or philosophy, even PhDs; best PR guy i know is an English PhD from Stanford. You should check out some place like ReD Consulting for a type of dedicated firm that recruits high-end humanities degrees.
I have to completely disagree with this based on my experience.

[Anonymous No.15339217]

>>15339110
This so much.

[Anonymous No.15339234]

>>15339110
Anon the real irony is that even if rapture was one hundred percent fake, and i really don’t think that is true, then he still comes across as a thousand times kinder and more approachable than you. Looking at his responses, looking at how he actually asks people questions, I believe him when he said here >>15334376 that he loves the world. I would not believe you if you said the same. He seems to have a soft spirit. You seem cruel.
Anon the irony is that even as a lie, i would follow rapture any day before i followed you.

[Anonymous No.15339237]

>>15338595
Story?

[rapture1 No.15339239]

>>15339018
>>15339110
shut up edgelords

[Anonymous No.15339296]

>>15339234
Who cares?

[Anonymous No.15339301]

>>15339239
fuck off william

[Janny No.15339366]

>>15339234
I'm not the anon you're responding to, but you are wrong to cite irony. You're just easily manipulated. Rapture appeals to the teenage and sophomoric. One unfounded (unless you trust a .png on 4chan) claim of monstrous wealth sistered with verbiose responses name-dropping philosophers and the tantalizing hint of a chance to join some elite book club is all it takes. You eat out of his hand and sing his praises. Just read lol. Nigger.

[Anonymous No.15339380]

>>15339366
A based janny... could the legends be true....

[Anonymous No.15339419]

Please come back rapture, please don’t leave us with
>>15339366
>>15339110
Please.

[Anonymous No.15339427]

>>15339419
Don't worry, he'll be back.

[Anonymous No.15339515]

>>15339380
no brother... he does it for free...
>>15339419
By the time that loser shows his face around here again you'll be just as jaded as the rest of us.

[Anonymous No.15339558]

>>15339515
>loser
Anon why do you say that. He seems nice. I emailed the website and he's already gotten back to me, seems pretty real.
What do you have against him, anon? Am I missing something?

[Anonymous No.15339560]

>>15339558
Read the archive.

[Anonymous No.15339573]

>>15339560
i'm not going to read a whole archive anon. If you can't tell me yourself why you dislike him so much then I'm going to automatically assume that you are probably just a loser yourself.

[Anonymous No.15339590]

>>15339573
>i'm not going to read a whole archive anon
you do know you can search by username. im not going to spoonfeed you.

[Anonymous No.15339603]

>>15339573
Understand that you are voicing the minority opinion here.

[Anonymous No.15339607]

Stop this idol worship

[Anonymous No.15339617]

>>15339590
OK I'm done, I was on your side but seriously you come across horribly.
I don't care at all about rapture, I just wanted to know your beef with him, but I can really see why others would want him over you.
Don't "spoonfeed me," then, and answer this directly: has rapture done anything to you personally that would justify your retaliation like this? Can you answer that, at least?

[Anonymous No.15339655]

>>15339234
>newfag falls for tripfaggery
Nothing new under the sun

[Anonymous No.15339665]

>>15339603
Look; on the whole rapture is a nice enough anon, but you can't really deny that in all his posts he is putting on airs. Even when he is paying compliments to others, he does it in a way that makes him seem to be the arbiter of what is and is not wortwhile and valuable. That rubs some people the wrong way; that's just human nature being what it is, and trying to change that is trying to slay a windmill with a lance.

Adding to that, while Rapture is clearly educated and fairly well spoken, his consistent attempts to 'prove' his material well being often seem sketchy, as you can see on this thread. And he often gets defensive when other anons mention this.

So we have a relatively nice and intelligent but somewhat thin-skinned anon, who also posts about how well off he is and seems to condescend to others. And he's posting on 4chan, where other anons are considered polite if they avoid calling someone a faggot. It's a combustible mix, which is why you see this play out the same way over and over and over again.

[Anonymous No.15339667]

>>15339617
Beat it rappy. Come back after you've cooled off. Next year? Think you can survive the "cancer" that long?

[Anonymous No.15339668]

>>15339617
Dude you come across as pathetic. I’m sorry but people will keep fucking with you. Rapture does/did too. Even when I gave the dude the benefit of the doubt he just disappointed me in how he dealt with other people. Grow up and stop searching for someone to guide you in life.

[Anonymous No.15339673]

>>15339617
You do realize that you've been talking to like three different people. What the fuck is even my retaliation?

[Anonymous No.15339796]

>>15338945
His “library” is a carousel at one of Cornell’s many libraries and his personal collection is a typical asston of secondary sources and canonical standards he’s amassed by either having the money to just buy shit as he needs it (literally imagine a child buying the entire bibliography attached to a paper he used for an essay) or havi big inherited it from his family. He has nothing that isn’t available at a large research university.

[Anonymous No.15339806]

>>15339573
>whole archive
>what is searching by username
kek

[rapture1 No.15339837]

>>15339665
ok this is actually insightful enough to warrant a response. i'm interested here for obvious reasons: does it really come down to the "airs" i "put on"?
"arbiter of what is and is not worthwhile"--agreed. source of why people seem to either absolutely love or absolutely hate me. hard to get around that; play it down, would you say? "slay a windmill with a lance"--say more here. what is it you mean--just that those airs contribute to a sense of my quixotism?
less a focus on materialism seems part of it for you. or maybe just the relationship to that materialism?
what would sell it to you personally?

asking for a friend. hook me up with some feedback here.

[Anonymous No.15339928]

>>15339837
>ok this is actually insightful enough to warrant a response
Okay dude just pause and ask yourself how this opener sounds on a site full of people (yes, people, not people potentially below you or above you but just plain people). I know you think we’re all dumber than you or more desperate or whatever save me the faux child of god i love everyone and am open to my own ignorance bullshit because dude you went to cornell but like no really you read books and shit and make an effort to understand the world like we get it but you’re setting yourself up to be called a stupid nigger.

[Anonymous No.15339941]

>>15339837
You’re probably the most self-centered tripfag we’ve had on this board while also somehow managing to be the least self-aware (probably attributable to your age), and that’s saying something given the veritable host of personalities to grace our presence.

[rapture1 No.15339983]

>>15339928
>>15339941
i'm just gonna assume that's the most articulate y'all get with your insights and say "thanks for the feedback."

[Anonymous No.15340025]

>>15339983
Oh go fuck yourself asshole. This is an imageboard. Let me hop on desktop real quick and doxx your ass. You should’ve really stuck to uploading books and making the occasional post in the “what’s academia REALLY like?” threads. The thing I’ll never understand about you is you always bitch about us, never contribute anything other than some vague sophomore-inspiring hints at your own personality, yet you’re fluent in the American political landscape and worldwide historical cycles. Like you could, yknow, make an actual insightful post every once in a while instead of always leaving it to this. Not gonna even delve into the irony of accusing me of lacking “articulation” when that sort of smugness is the undertone type shit that got you here. See you in a couple of years, Will.

[rapture1 No.15340078]

>>15340025
bro i really don't understand what you don't understand
i said i was rapture way before you started on this.
my name is william pennington.
i am not associated with any institution.
i own a massive library.
i am very wealthy.
i live in cambridge, mass.
i run a seminar/book club for harvard/MIT students.
i have no social media.
i've attended princeton, NYU, stanford and cornell at different times.
i've worked for several tech and PR companies.
i have pancreatic cancer.
you don't like me.

anything i can save you time on? everything i said and present is real. i just wanted your feedback as to why it isn't being sold as such.

seriously, help me right whatever part of the myth doesn't satisfy you: why do you think i have something to hide?

bro your insecurities both fascinate and terrify me, seriously. you seem like the kind that doesn't so much doxx as they do show up with an AK and a 30-clip.

just assure me you won't fucking kill me, and i couldn't care less. i do think i'm better than you, if you want to know. not hard to.

[Anonymous No.15340087]

>>15340078
Seethe

[Anonymous No.15340100]

>>15340078
>i do think i'm better than you, if you want to know.
arent you christian bro?

[rapture1 No.15340105]

>>15340087
yeah, chemo is a bitch. gemzar-abraxane tomorrow. i have hair now, but it's falling out again, if you need to know.

[Anonymous No.15340120]

>>15340105
No one said anything about your hair. Bro your insecurities both fascinate and terrify me, seriously.

[rapture1 No.15340140]

>>15340100
>>15340120
just tell me you wont kill me or my family. seriously. you truly disgust me and i have nothing to say to you beyond that.
assure me of that so i can sleep, have all the fun you want with my cancer, etc., just tell me that you are just an asshole and not a fucking psychopath. seriously, we're at a point where all jokes aside i need some assurance here.

[Anonymous No.15340165]

>>15340087
not nice anon :(

[Anonymous No.15340182]

>>15340140
Dude you’re either not mentally well or you’ve had some past experience you haven’t shared with the group yet. But why would you self doxx of you actually thought any of us would fuck with you? Also literally one asshole in this thread made fun of your cancer (and he’s probably still in high school so I wouldn’t take it too personally). Idk why you feel so attacked when you historically do this to yourself dude, quite literally this time. It shows a weird connection with your IRL that screams “I don’t know how to interact with strangers online,” which has been apart of the public education curriculum for some time.

[Anonymous No.15340187]

>>15340078
Lol I legitimately enjoy bullying you. You are a fucking insufferable cunt and have not matured one bit since you started posting here, what, seven years ago? You terrified for your life? Why? Pancreatic cancer is a legitimate death sentence. But you talk talk about taking a break here for a couple years? You're lying one or the other.

[Anonymous No.15340196]

>>15340187
Eh I doubt he’s lying dude. Cancer can be a lifelong battle, especially if you have the resources to keep fighting it.

[Anonymous No.15340210]

>>15340140
Yo I just heard anon's brother broke out of Walpole and is coming to dump your ass in the charle's. Can't confirm, but look out kehd

[Anonymous No.15340214]

>>15340087
>>15340120
>>15340182
>>15340187
Anon I hate rapture too but this was way too far
I lost my mom to cancer.
You’re not a good person, anon. Makes me sorta feel for rapture desu.

[Anonymous No.15340218]

>>15340196
Not pancreatic cancer.

[Anonymous No.15340229]

>>15340214
Literally haven’t said shit about his cancer dude other that he has it. His pic has other implications you faggots are just missing the obvious memeworthiness .

[Anonymous No.15340230]

HOLY SHIT

what a fucking TRAIN WRECK of a thread

has there ever been a worst one?

[Anonymous No.15340231]

What's going on in this thread?

[Anonymous No.15340235]

>>15340230
You should’ve seen the last rapture outting thread. He was calling for jannies to ban imitators.

[Anonymous No.15340236]

>>15340229
enlighten us dipshit

[Anonymous No.15340244]

>>15340236
How is this not the first thing that comes to your mind lil zoomer?

[Anonymous No.15340245]

>>15340229
Anon please stop...you had the upper hand but now you're beginning to lose it...quit when you are ahead...

[Anonymous No.15340253]

>>15340245
He doxxed himself there’s no upperhand. Just me calling you all faggots before I go to sleep as always.

[Anonymous No.15340270]

>>15340196
Pic related.
>>15340235
He's been doing that for almost a decade.

[Anonymous No.15340273]

>>15340253
Anon that's not the point...you lost all credibility...
Why did you post the cancer pic...have you ever experienced cancer?

[Anonymous No.15340274]

>>15340253
>>15340235
Is he a legit millionaire connected man or not?

[Anonymous No.15340278]

>>15340244
because im not a boomer like you

>>15340270
he's young and wealthy, he has a better shot than any other fag

[Anonymous No.15340281]

>>15339837
This is >>15339665. Ultimately, I think the aversion others have for you comes down to the three things I already mentioned: your sense of superiority, your claims of substantial wealth, and the reaction that you have to attacks. All these paint a target on you: call it envy or schadenfreude or resentment or what have you, but some people are going to be inclined to dislike someone who sees himself as better than others and who is materially better off than they are, and when you respond to their posts the way you do (insisting they are wrong instead of just laughing it off and letting it roll off your back) I don't think their 'attacks' are surprising. I don't think you yourself are particularly quixotic, but trying to change the reaction of your detractors is a quixotic quest - theirs is the human nature I refer to.

I have no particular bone in this fight; just offering some observations.

[Anonymous No.15340297]

>>15340273
That’s not his cancer pic dipshit. There are no implications that scream “hahaha look he has cancer woah.” That’s simply the only pic of him available online. The fact that it’s taken from a cancer related event is sheer chance lmao.

>you lost all credibility
Oh woest me, how will I, poor anon, ever recover. I am you faggot and you are me. Now, rapture, that’s a different story.

[Anonymous No.15340305]

>>15340274
Look it up. It’s all public info.

>>15340278
>not a boomer
fair enough. I need to get off this site. I swear I won’t live to see another rapture fit again.

[Anonymous No.15340311]

>>15340278
When's the last time you heard of someone paying off a pancreas? It's one of the worst ways to die and I don't believe for a second rappy has it.

[Anonymous No.15340315]

>>15340281
tl;dr you’re one of us rapture, pretend like you’re not all you want. and as one of us you get treated like one of us, something you’re sorely prepared for, as time has told.

[Anonymous No.15340333]

>>15340281
Oh, and for what it is worth, I am the bureaucrat anon who has chatted with you in other threads; if you ever find yourself in the San Diego area, throw up a post. I'd be happy to buy you a drink and discuss literature or philosophy or politics or random shit from other anons.

(This holds true for other anons too for that matter. As ridiculous as it sounds, my life has been enriched by the nuggets of value found in all the shit posts here. And enriched by the shit itself too for that matter, desu.)

[Anonymous No.15340337]

>>15340078
New rapture copypasta unlocked. Eternally btfo.

[Anonymous No.15340341]

>>15340297
Anon you embarrass yourself and are weak...i pray that you never encounter cancer...goodnight

[Anonymous No.15340346]

>>15340315
Fair enough summary. Thank you for your economy anon.

[Anonymous No.15340351]

>>15340341
I’ll for you too anon...goodnight...

[Anonymous No.15340353]

>>15340297
hehehe

you are the underground man

hehehehe

[Anonymous No.15340366]

>>15338573
>>15340078
Today, anon was...sort of a faggot?

[Anonymous No.15340467]

>>15338790
>>15339366
Bullyposter here. I can't wait to laugh when this this soft skinned faggot goes in the ground. My white working class family was pushed out of Boston by his kind. I might just have a high school education and swing a hammer for a living (in new hampshire now) but I'll still be reading literature after your dead bitch. Writing too. I've argued with you and shit on you here for years. I will have the last laugh.

[Janny No.15340484]

Billy rich on the left.

[Anonymous No.15340500]

>>15340484
Floortje a cutie!

[Janny No.15340577]

>>15340484
Ol' Rapture was truly the end of the line for the WASPs. Brawl? Heated words? A tan? No, he couldn't even win a fight on 4chan.

[Anonymous No.15340593]

>>15340577
This makes me want to go back and watch Stillman's 'doomed bourgeois in love' trilogy again.

[Anonymous No.15340659]

I prefer this Rapture.

[Anonymous No.15340747]

>>15340467
>white working class
>high school education
Top kek anon, you done goofed. Explains everything now. Rapture is obviously just some LARPfag but wholly shit, you really are full of real ressentiment.
Not even that rich, but richer than your retarded ass. Have fun swinging dat ol hammer rest of your redneck drunk-ass days, you fucking cuck.
God and I thought rapture was insecure...
This is gold.

[Anonymous No.15340781]

>>15340747
Not him, but there is something to the old adage about dirty hands making clean money.

[Janny No.15340815]

>>15340747
I am full of real resentment. For being priced out of my home. I am not insecure. Ya I am a redneck, I'm proud of that. How much did you pay to have people tell you what books to read when you could have borrowed them from the library or got them online for free? Did you get a special one-on-one with your professor? Did that make all those thousands worth it?

[Anonymous No.15340822]

>>15340815
Also, do you like apples?

[Janny No.15340831]

>>15340822
Only when I'm beating up vietnam-fucking-shits

[Anonymous No.15340839]

>>15340078
>PR
Any tips on going into this field. I'm starting a post-bachelor program in PR starting in the fall. Nothing fancy.

[Anonymous No.15340843]

>>15340815
Holy shit this is fucking platinum levels
You really seem like a regular Will Hunting
Is that really how you imagine yourself? How long before you lose more than your trailer park house, you filth?
God I wouldn’t have my dog piss on you just to keep him clean
I didn’t think people like you existed outside of overacted indies

[Anonymous No.15340844]

>>15340822
>In a Boston pissing contest, we witness a janitor of /lit/ who also works a manual labor job giving shit to an ivy leaguer while talking about the value of an education paid for at elite universities as opposed to an education from books at the local library

Please stop I have already seen this exact movie.

[Anonymous No.15340850]

The behavior in this thread showcases why you scummy morons will never rise above your stations. Enjoy reading Harry Potter and flipping burgers for the rest of your lives.

[Anonymous No.15340853]

>>15340815
I hope you and rapture have sweaty, gay sex and then you choke on rapture's chemo-induced vomit after he barfs into your mouth and die from WRIDS like the disgusting faggot you are

[Anonymous No.15340862]

>>15340815
>>15340822
>>15340831
>>15340843
>>15340844
>>15340850
>>15340853
Oh my fucking sides. Shit like this is why I can't stop coming to this shitty board.

[Anonymous No.15340863]

>>15340843
>>15340844
HAHAHAHHAHAHA
best thread eva :)

[Gook Moot No.15340883]

>>15340843
>>15340844
You kids really didn't know /lit/ was winter hill territory? Don't worry, I already sent Mickey to take care of your dog

[Anonymous No.15340901]

>>15340850
Thanks for chiming in baudrillard.

[Anonymous No.15340919]

>>15340815
>>15340822
>>15340843
>>15340844
>>15340862
what the literal fuck is this shithole thread, we got multimilliondollar ivy leaguers, hammer-swinging pot belly heroin addicts, El Chapo's bureaucrat San Diego cousin, and probably a lurking nigger at this point

all pretending they're capable of erudite discussion on an ecuadorian toothpaste repair forum

[rapture1 No.15340929]

>>15340467
Oh sweetie, I’m just a little tired. This thread is too clogged. Gonna start a brand new one tomorrow; don’t worry, I’ll start out with all my own doxxing just for you. Transparency is a friend of mine, I have nothing to hide. That is: hold your breath for that last laugh, at least another day.
Also, turns out you’re a puppy dog. Know that I will never think of you with any weight or consequence again.

>>15340839
Email the website I provided or wait until tomorrow and find my thread and we can talk more. Would love to help.

>>15340863
Ya know, for how they’ve gone in the past, I’d say either a par for the course or slightly better than expected. We’re learning, boys.

[Anonymous No.15340943]

>>15340815
goddamn the people on this site are pathetic

my fucking sides

[Anonymous No.15340952]

>>15340929
<3 you rapture (no homo)

[Anonymous No.15340959]

>>15340815
Okay. But have you read a book?

[Anonymous No.15340968]

>>15340929
Shine on

[Anonymous No.15340971]

>>15340929
>Know that I will never think of you with any weight or consequence again.
Careful now, you're already dangerously thin. I don't how I would celebrate if you died on my account.

[Anonymous No.15340976]

>>15340971
reported to FBI for death threats

[Anonymous No.15340987]

>>15340959
Myself? Of course not. I go and hear a bit at St. Mary's every Sunday. Don't you?

[Anonymous No.15341001]

>>15340976
Reported to harold bloom's widow for challenging the western canon

[Anonymous No.15341006]

>>15340987
Is that a band?

[Anonymous No.15341025]

>>15341006
Our parish has a full ensemble actually. It really is quite lovely, you should stop by some time.

[Anonymous No.15341031]

>>15341025
gib address

[rapture1 No.15341036]

>>15340971
Reported. Didn’t take much to draw that one outta ya, huh anon?
You know what? I need to write a short story about you. You also know what? Ive never written a short story in my life. I have no creative talent whatsoever. Ive deemed you that worthy of artistic representation. Only then will i be done thinking of you, but only in that capacity will i think of you. You’re welcome.
But, you know, have fun with the FBI and all.

>>15340333
This was great, thanks. Are you the bureaucrat who posts their shelves? If so, nice collection. You seem chill and insightful, would love to chill. Let me know if you ever find yourself boston-ways.

>>15340952
>>15340968
Amoraeternus!

[Anonymous No.15341042]

>>15341036
loan me $2500. My business is stuck.

[Anonymous No.15341055]

>>15341025
Depends. Are the other "Christians" there like you?

[Anonymous No.15341056]

>>15341031
Well we if meet at the old north church (193 Salem st) rappy can take the t and meet us there.

[Anonymous No.15341101]

>>15341036
>Reported.
Oh no! What was it this time? Quoting you!? Calling you skinny? Wait. Who's knocking on my door? The FBI already? I swear I didn't know he was a healthy weight officer! What do you mean he's not? Oh yeah, he's a sickly cancerous fuck. Why do you think there's always someone coming to save you? Cause you never stood up for youself?

>>15341055
Oh just wait til you the other catholics kid

[Anonymous No.15341118]

>>15341101
anon....it's not your fault

[Anonymous No.15341123]

>>15341101
So when you never graduated high school and lost your house and cant make it beyond the life of a handyman and post self-admitted resentment online thinking that will make up for utter existential and material worthlessness
You want to say more about any of that, anon?

>>15340929
Looking forward to it.

[Anonymous No.15341183]

>>15341101
Lol
Anon we believed you when you said you were underclass—classless—before
You didn’t have to go full fucking retard to prove it

[Anonymous No.15341190]

>>15341123
Reading comprehension anon. This is /lit/. I clearly stated I graduated high school (though it was unnecessary), my parents left our ancestral home (after the riots to keep niggers out of our schools failed), and I became a self-employed contractor. I do fine up here but I do resent not growing up in the same neighborhood as my grandfathers. It does make me angry.

[Anonymous No.15341194]

>>15341190
those niggers are doing more with their lives than you shitposting here

[Anonymous No.15341205]

>>15341194
What more crack?

[Anonymous No.15341219]

>>15341194
They shoot each other lot more too I guess, and all in section 8 housing

[Anonymous No.15341226]

>>15341219
But our multi-millionare friend from Cambridge pays for that now.

[rapture1 No.15341234]

>>15341190
oh god this gets better
so screw the short story commitment, long past that now.
here me out:
i'm going to buy your "ancestral home" (i literally can't believe you even call it that, i'm sure it was a real buckingham) and give it, for free, to a deserving underprivleged black family.
but here's the catch. your name will forever be on the property.
THUS i will gift you the preservation of your "grandfathers" namesake into the halls of eternity--but only through the black family that really we all know stole it from you.
this is what the greeks called justice. or something.

oh anon, now i'm just dicking around with you.
truth be told i pity you. i know you don't want my pity, but damn man, losing your house? sounds rough.

cool down and email me sometime. if you're willing to sublimate that rage into something more constructive, if you're willing to bite the fucking ego bullet and stand in the presence of another (who will not thereby judge you)--then, i dunno, i do have a lot of funds, believe it or not. times seem unnecessarily rough. maybe we can talk.
not trying to be better or a dick. i do and always think i am better than you--but not because of any cash value. that can change hands and we can still hate each other and even make something of a sport of it.

but seriously you really are like a Weberian ideal-type of an asshole.

[Anonymous No.15341334]

>>15341234
Just an old triple-decker in savin hill, you're too late already. I've walked by it, fit for burning now with the lack of upkeep. But I never claimed to be from high stock, and that small peak was robbed away. Like I said before, I found my place in the north country. You live in cambridge? Walk down there after midnight, roxbury, or mattapan. If you make it back I'd sure love to hear about those "under-privilidged black families".

[Anonymous No.15341352]

>>15341334
As an addendum, are you really attempting to bribe me to stop making fun of you? You're even more of a bitch than I thought you were. And trust me, that's saying a lot. Fuck you cunt

[rapture1 No.15341379]

>>15341334
Then let me help you build something new.
Either way your writing is better than expected when you seem to flex it even a little. You got any more of that?
Keep the intransigent irascibility, whatever, seems in your blood, just send more worthwhile stuff along with it, at least.

[Anonymous No.15341437]

>>15341379
>Then let me help you build something new.
No. Fuck off fruitcake.

[rapture1 No.15341454]

>>15341437
Yawn. Ok. Bedtime for bonzos.
Change your mind, consider emailing me.
Goodnight you weird, implacable, angry little white man.