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/lit/ - Literature

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15466168 No.15466168 [Reply] [Original]

Is it too late to become /lit/ at 25?
I've never been a huge reader bur consistently read a few books avery year since I'm a teenager.
What kind of literature would you recommend for someone who's not a great reader but who's also not an idiot?

>> No.15466180

>>15466168
>giving a shit about arbitrary timeframes and limits such as “late”
you could die tomorrow, and the “lateness” or beginning to read books would become a literal non-issue in the face of your imminent death, or you could end up living 125 years, and start reading books relatively early in your life. Either way you won’t know so stop giving a shit about the unanswerable and just fucking do it

>> No.15466183

Yes it's too late. People will make fun of you. Don't read ever again.

>> No.15466184

Its not too late too read good books and be more intellectually minded, but it certainly is too late if you ever had plans on being a great writer/academic/intellectual etc

>> No.15466190

>>15466168
I've read hundreds of books and can't really recommend anything in particular.
That's odd, no?
I guess it means I'm jaded.

>> No.15466193

>>15466184
Academia is dead.

>> No.15466195

@15466184
>but it certainly is too late if you ever had plans on being a great writer/academic/intellectual etc
bullshit, don’t listen to this guy OP

>> No.15466196

>>15466184
Don't listen to this faggot. There are plenty of writers who started writing later in their lives. In fact most writers start later in their lives.

>> No.15466201

>>15466168
That's when I did.

First: https://b-ok.cc/book/4787108/0d6163
Second: https://b-ok.cc/book/972026/c4727a
Third: https://b-ok.cc/book/858457/08657f
Fourth: https://b-ok.cc/book/1507553/778299

>> No.15466207
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15466207

>>15466180
dont let your dreams be dreams

>> No.15466219

>>15466184
>but it certainly is too late if you ever had plans on being a great writer/academic/intellectual etc
no

>> No.15466230

>>15466196
>>15466219
All good writers began reading and writing the classics at an early age. If you are starting at age 25, you are too late to be anything good. Average perhaps, but certainly not great. You are coping if you say otherwise.

>> No.15466243

>>15466230
That is dumber than mathematicians saying if you work after 40 you don't create anything great and less true.

>> No.15466274

>>15466168
25 is the typical age for people who like reading but hated school reading

follow your natural interests anon

>> No.15466289

I feel like as people get older people move from video games to books. So right now you are getting a head start on everyone else op

>> No.15466291

>>15466243
Name me one good writer who started his intellectual pursuits at the age of 25. You will not be able to.

>> No.15466337

>>15466291
S. Chunchunmaru and just fucking google it https://www.mentalfloss.com/article/63112/11-writers-who-started-late

>> No.15466349

Dude just read a fucking book

Why does everyone act like reading is some kind of epic transcendental lifestyle?
What do you want to read for? To be some epic intellectual reader or to just read a book? Cause the latter is pretty damn easy

>> No.15466359

>>15466291
off the top of my head joseph conrad

>> No.15466374

>>15466291
Jesus didn't start doing Jesus stuff until he was like 30

>> No.15466383

>>15466374
Jesus was either a literal God or some kind of 1 in a million charisma freak so either way not a great example

>> No.15466386

>>15466337
> S. Chunchunmaru
hahahhahahahahha

>> No.15466395

>>15466180
>>15466184
>>15466201
>>15466274
>>15466289
Thanks for encouraging me /lit/. I gues you're right I should just follow my interests. I'm curious about philosophy lately so I've ordered a few books on the subject.

>> No.15466402

>>15466359
> Apollo did his best to home-school Conrad. The boy's early reading introduced him to the two elements that later dominated his life: in Victor Hugo's Toilers of the Sea he encountered the sphere of activity to which he would devote his youth; Shakespeare brought him into the orbit of English literature. Most of all, though, he read Polish Romantic poetry.

He most certainly started reading very early in life. Writing came later of course, but that is not what I said. I said that if you aren't reading classics from the young age, you won't make it. Conrad just emphasizes what I said

>> No.15466414

>>15466402
Everyone starts reading early in life in school. If that's what you're arguing then I agree with you that literally every single 25 year old who's graduated from primary school meets your criteria.

>> No.15466423

>>15466414
I said reading the classics and having a passion for literature from a young age. You seem to have trouble with reading comprehension.

>> No.15466426

>>15466349
I honestly enjoy reading. I just wish my reading skills were better as I feel they are lacking compared to my general level of intelligence.

>> No.15466434
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15466434

>>15466395
Good luck anon. You cant do worse than me. I started with Nietzsche. It made no sense but I still kept reading.

>> No.15466439

>>15466386
You can laugh but he's the most influential philosopher in about a century

>> No.15466444

>>15466395
Ritalin helps

>> No.15466454

>>15466423
Yes, everyone I know had to read authors like Homer and shakespeare in primary school. Conrad was taught the classics in his adolescent education and then did nothing literary of note until his 30s.

>> No.15466469

Just fucking read. I've been reading for nearly a decade now (im 30 this year). Most of that is fantasy stuff. Recently, the past couple of years i have been reading more "literature". My advice is to read wide until you find a topic/author/country/whatever, if you get bored move on to another wide read until you find something else.
For what its worth it was trad shit that got me into reading "literature", Nasr, Guenon, etc and older writers like St. John of the Cross. Most recently i have been on a Greek phase reading Iliad, Odyssey, Histories.

>> No.15466481

>>15466289
This is me. When bored now 9/10 times i'll pick up a book instead of playing a game or opening netflix.

>> No.15466512

>>15466434
I started with Epictetus and I liked it so I ordered a few other books about stoics among others.
I was into Nietzsche when I used to watch a lot of youtube videos on philosophy but his Ideas (or at least what I know of them) are kinda boring to me right now. Maybe I should try actually reading it though.

>> No.15466612

>>15466454
I just said "have a passion for literature" in my past reply. You really cannot read an you. You think every primary school student has a passion for that? hahaha

>> No.15466821

>>15466612
If he had a passion for literature he would not have waited 2 decades to start writing, anon. His dad was clearly passionate about literature but he didn't take to it until much later. The 25 year old poster here, assuming he grew up somewhere in a developed country, has just as much of an education as Conrad and a few years on him. If he has a talent for it like Conrad there's nothing to say he couldn't follow a similar path.

>> No.15466906

>>15466184
"Q u i e t F r u i t f u l n e s s . — The born aristocrats of the mind are not in too much of a hurry; their creations appear and fall from the tree on some quiet autumn evening, without being rashly desired, instigated, or pushed aside by newmatter. The unceasing desire to create is vulgar, and betrays envy, jealousy, and ambition. If a man is something, it is not really necessary for him to do anything— and yet he does a great deal. There is a human species higher even than the “ productive ” man."

>> No.15466965

read the fucking sticky you retard

>> No.15467072

I don't want to create a new thread so I'll ask here.
I haven't read in years, want to start again and would like to read about American history.
I don't really know more about the country than it's involvement in WW2 in a very superficial way, which is a bit embarassing honestly.
Anybody know a few good books I can get started with?

>> No.15467103

>>15466291
Schopenhauer didn't enter university till 24.
Kissinger was 25 when he started Harvard.
Both are undisputed geniuses in their fields.

>> No.15467134

>>15466423
Retroactively, every successful person was brilliant in their youth only because young people tend to be brilliant and show lots of potential. If I ever make it big I'll pretend I taught myself latin when I was twelve, because I taught it to myself in my early twenties and have lived a private and obscure enough life that nobody would call me out on it.

>> No.15467185

omg, I'm the same as OP but with 28. I wasted a precious decade in law school. I don't know if I should even try.

>> No.15467195

>>15467185
Confucius said, a man's life is not wasted who takes his last breath the day he hears of the way.

>> No.15467196
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15467196

>>15466168
If you have focused on the river of life, before text than yes. If you are a pure fool like Parzival; but if you have wasted your life up to this point in both action and thought then you have small chance.

Just start now and I'm sure you'll be fine.

>> No.15467207
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15467207

>>15466196
>In fact most writers start later in their lives.

>> No.15467222
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15467222

>>15466906
Bro it would literally take three decades to copy every musical score Bach wrote.

>> No.15467239
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15467239

>>15466906
>>15467222
And Tezuka drew ten panels per day

>> No.15468930

>>15466168
My man i'm 26 and only recently i decided to stop being a brainlet and started with the greeks
the books i recommend :
Stoner
The master and margarita
Invitation to a beheading
those are both my favorite and the most approachable books i've read so far
dig in!!!!!!

>> No.15468974

>>15466274
My own personal experience supports this notion. I started reading in earnest at about 24.

>> No.15468985

Ever since I was a teenager I used to just research enough about lit philosophers so I could namedrop them in order to prove my points, but I'm not reading walls of text by some ancient incel lol

>> No.15468993

>>15468985
cope harder brainlet

>> No.15469000

>>15466168
I’m in a similar position, finished reading deep work and your brain on porn and reading through Man’s Search for Meaning, Blood Meridian and Iliad. I plan to read some philosophy after, probably going to start with the Greeks

>> No.15469001

>>15468993
I only read until I understand the point being made, so much of philosophy is just endless marathons around a simple concept. Obviously I read things if they're enjoyable, but most philosophy is boring to read.

>> No.15469003

>>15468930
the master and margarita is a terrible recommendation for a beginner, and if you've chosen it as a starter for russin lit then you've missed swathes of meaning behind it. if it's the plot you enjoyed then good for you but i personally wouldn't recommend it to a beginner.

>> No.15469026

>>15469003
my man sure , you won't get all the references but is it necessary to get them tho ?
the book is about the judge and a posse lead by a smartass cat , it's the most fun i've had reading russian lit
i would have recommended dead souls but the english translation was shit , i read it in arabic and had a blast

>> No.15469095

>>15469001
dude you know you can just skim through any wikipedia page or any of the popscience book that will make it easy for you
i realized i was a brainlet when i thought i could refute most of Nietzsche's point and i've only read half a book of his , then it hit me i only memorized stuff and didn't really get it
so i went back to the greeks
is it boring ? fuck yeah
will it make me smart ? fuck yeah

>> No.15469270

>>15466168
Dostoevsky

>> No.15469943

>>15466434
>started with Nietzsche
>read some of my own conclusions in his words
heh, nothin' personnel kiddos

>> No.15470458

>>15466168
its always too late, why let it stop you now?

>> No.15471460
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15471460

>>15466434
same except it made complete sense.

>> No.15471864

>>15466168

No. Start w/ the classics.