CONFESS

[Anonymous No.18949978]

I read on Kindle and afterwards buy the book to put on my shelf if I liked it enough.
What's your confession?

[Anonymous No.18949985]

>>18949978
I just read torrented books on a regular phone.

[Anonymous No.18949995]

>>18949978
When I read books with speech I speak out loud, doing different voices for characters. Sometimes I even stand up and act them out.

[Anonymous No.18950265]

>>18949978
I'll stop reading a book in the middle of it if I lose interest. Its the reason why I couldn't Finnish east of Eden even.

[Anonymous No.18950277]

>>18949978
I recommend books unrelated to the discussion I haven't read.

[Anonymous No.18950297]

>>18950277
That's 90% of /lit/.

[Anonymous No.18950439]

>>18949995
PATRICIAN

[Anonymous No.18950449]

>>18949978
>>18949985
I do both of these.
>download book for free, read it on my phone
>if I enjoy it enough, buy it for real
I think it's the best way to do it without wasting a ton of money and space on shit I don't want to read again

[Anonymous No.18950474]

>>18949995
you're cool

[Anonymous No.18950823]

>>18950449
me too

[Anonymous No.18950859]

>>18949978
>>18950449
>>18950823
I do the same. By doing so I first of all only populate my bookshelf with books I can “stand behind”, and secondly I avoid the problem of having a bookshelf full of books I have yet to read (which is kind of pseud-y if you ask me). Better to have hundreds of unread books on my e-reader instead.

Also, it makes visits to second hand bookshops extra fun because you always have a list of books that you know you can buy if the price is right.

[Anonymous No.18951972]

>>18949978
I pretend that I don't care when people are impressed with how many books I have, but it does secretly please me. I'm also definitely a pseudo-intellectual who will soon have a PhD in literature. My dissertation probably contributes nothing.

[Anonymous No.18951986]

>>18951972
what's it about? (use generalities if you're scared of le doxx)

[Anonymous No.18952016]

>>18951986
Atmospheres and fictional worlds in speculative fiction. I'm arguing that critical readings, such as feminism and post-colonial readings etc etc, are limited and that we should try to expand on how we analyze literature and how we think about literature. This line of thinking is part of postcritique.

[Anonymous No.18952044]

>>18950859
>which is kind of pseud-y if you ask me
I have a crippling addiction of buying 5 used books whenever I go to the book store, most of which I never read. I own about 500 books, 40 are legal reference, but out of the rest I've only read about 60.

[Anonymous No.18952080]

>>18949995
That's based

[Anonymous No.18952103]

>>18949995
I read out loud and acted out the entire court scene in The Brother Karamozov, it was fun.

[Anonymous No.18952126]

>>18952016
Based long march crypto fascist.

[Anonymous No.18952137]

I only buy second hand books, to disguise how few of them I have read

[Anonymous No.18952184]

>>18950859
>having a library of books you’ve read
What’s the point?

[Anonymous No.18952193]

>>18952184
rereading

[Anonymous No.18952196]

>>18952016
>how we analyze literature and how we think about literature.
the world need this. obviously an academic dissertation will change anything but this kind of things is what people need to enjoy literature again. what exactly are your propositions?

[Anonymous No.18952205]

>>18952196
>if it just wasn't for all the critical theory people would read books
delusional

[Anonymous No.18952235]

>>18952196
It's all academic and probably not interesting outside the ivory tower. I'm just tired of ideological interpretations where certain ways of thinking are imposed on a novel. It diminishes our ability to both see and appreciate what the novel is trying to do. For example, if you write a dissertation with a typical Marxist/feminist/po-co/whatever perspective, then your understanding of the book as well as your interpretation will be severely impacted by your theoretical and idelogical starting point. Many books are unlocked in very interesting ways by using these ideological readings but I think it fucking sucks that it has become the only way books are analyzed. I am more interested in how a book is present, what potential knowledge is at play, what kind of potential experiences readers might encounter, how a novel's atmosphere impacts immersion, how immersion even comes about, what kind of moments produce particularly evocative atmosphere... stuff like that.

I think both types of readings can exist though. I mean, good luck reading Orwell without thinking politics and ideology, but what about novels like Gormenghast? I don't think you can explain such a book particularly well from a Marxist/feminist/whatever ideology perspective and lots of books are like that.

[Anonymous No.18952371]

I read the first few pages and give up because I'm retarded and have adhd.

[Anonymous No.18952386]

>>18952371
sonnets man

[Anonymous No.18952394]

>>18950449
>>18949978
>>18950859
Are you guys brave enough to admit the only reason you buy the physical book after all ready having read them is to socially signify your self as someone who is well read and intellectual?

[Anonymous No.18952468]

>>18952235
Sounds rad anon. Do you have any book recommendations regarding ways to approach literature and “unlock” books like you mentioned?

[Anonymous No.18952495]

>>18949978
War and Peace bores me (I've neve had this issue with any other classic I've read, be it novel, poem (be it a lyrical anthology or epic poem), play, short story, or work of history or philosophy)

[Anonymous No.18952588]

>>18952394
Yes I admit it, but nobody ever sees the inside of my bedroom except for me and my mother. So it's not like I actually have anyone to impress. Maybe someday...

[Anonymous No.18952658]

>>18952394
It is not the only reason, but certainly one of them. I have thought about this before, and I arrived at the conclusion that it is not really about direct external validation but rather a form of pleasure derived the feeling that other people *could* be impressed by something you do/own. If I have a friend over and they compliment my bookshelf or the art on my walls etc, I basically go “thanks, I guess” and don’t feel much at all. But when I find a nice Don Quijote copy at a second hand book store or buy a nice print from a museum shop that I picture that an art hoe would comment on, I can practically feel the endorphins pulsating throughout my body. You might argue that these are just your typical consumption induced feelings, but I think there is more to it. One thing I like to do is to pretend that someone asks me about a particular book or piece of decoration in my apartment, to which I have to come up with a succinct response phrased in a laid-back way, preferably with an interesting anecdote to go with it. Once I have finished my imaginary answer, I always feel great (far better than when it happens IRL). Obviously I realize how vapid and, frankly, tragic this sounds, but it is the truth.

[Anonymous No.18952671]

>>18952495
Were you interested in the Napoleonic wars before you started reading it?

[Anonymous No.18952679]

I buy books impulsively and then only read about 1/3rd of them, and usually on my phone after downloading them from libgen

[Anonymous No.18952685]

>>18950859

>I avoid the problem of having a bookshelf full of books I have yet to read (which is kind of pseud-y if you ask me). Better to have hundreds of unread books on my e-reader instead

you avoided it alright, enclosing it in a bubble of technology and shame; afraid of judgment from anyone who may see your bookshelf and ask you about books you haven't read, you've instead moved your unread books to a virtual prison away from the eyes of everyone else.

the only problem you've avoided is an ultimately meaningless one wherein you've avoided external criticism from others who would see your bookshelf and deem you "pseud-y". Or perhaps you yourself have, at one time, gazed upon your shelf filled with unopened books and felt a twinge of shame or embarrassment. Perhaps it is a similar feeling to the one you get when you arrive at a used bookstore with a list of books you've already read, intent on purchasing at a great price a book that you already own a virtual copy of, thereby stripping the opportunity of enlightenment from another human being who may stumble upon that used copy, for no other reason than your own vanity and personal pride.

But of course, there is no need to come face to face with these feelings. They're uncomfortable to think about and not all that easy to understand. And besides what could be gained by confronting them? Better to have hundreds of unread books on your e-reader instead.

[Anonymous No.18952713]

>>18952685
do you manually copypaste the quote, instead of highlighting and pressing the post number, or do you reply the normal way and then add the initial blank line?

[Anonymous No.18952720]

>>18952685
I think you're both gay. I only keep books I find very important. Most of them end up in my recycling bin if they aren't rare. I buy hardcovers fit the 20 to 30 books I don't worthy of keeping. I will never open most of them but their energy radiates into me from the shelf.
Having hundreds of books is cringe

[Anonymous No.18952736]

>>18952671
Yeah, I just wasn't a fan of the ball scenes and Petersburg society

[Anonymous No.18952776]

>>18952685
>you've instead moved your unread books to a virtual prison away from the eyes of everyone else.
Yup
>the only problem you've avoided is an ultimately meaningless one wherein you've avoided external criticism from others who would see your bookshelf and deem you "pseud-y"
The biggest problem I’ve avoided is the cost associated with procuring hundreds of books which might not be read until way later anyways.

>thereby stripping the opportunity of enlightenment from another human being who may stumble upon that used copy, for no other reason than your own vanity and personal pride
I’m basically only buying classics so this point is not applicable.

[Anonymous No.18952781]

>>18952736
I see.

[Anonymous No.18952823]

>>18949978
I skipped some of the chapters in Moby Dick purely about whale anatomy

[Anonymous No.18952832]

>>18952776

if cost is a problem why bother spending money on physical copies when you've already read and own a virtual copy?

[Anonymous No.18952884]

>>18949978
I was thinking on doing this. Not a bad idea desu, since e-books are way cheaper.

[Anonymous No.18953096]

You are supposed to confess a sin, there is nothing sinful in buying books you read virtually. I would even say there is nothing sinful in making an illegal copy or essentially not buying books ever.

[Anonymous No.18954091]

>>18952386
Yeah, I should really try poems. Thanks anon.

[Anonymous No.18954110]

I never read philosophy, ever, because I'm autistic enough that I would have to go through it from pre-Socratic fragments all the way up to the 20th century in order without missing any important works.
It would take years and it's just too daunting so I always tell myself I'll start doing it on the side after I finish the next piece of fiction and never do.

[Anonymous No.18954720]

>>18952832
The cost of a book or two a month is not a problem. The cost of hundreds of books a year is, however.

[Anonymous No.18954773]

>>18952394
I collect books I've enjoyed reading in the hope that my children will see them, be interested in them, and read them themselves. I was always fascinated with the bookshelves of adults in my life, but they never had anything worth reading. My mom just had self help books and romance novels. My dad only read newspapers and random historical account books he'd borrow from a library and then return. My grandparents had a bunch of readers digest material, encyclopedias and reference material similar to encyclopedias, a few shitty adult pop fiction, and then a few of my grandfather's college textbooks. The only book from them I was ever able to get interested in was a math textbook that had a very logical approach to mathematics I had never experienced before (I was in 6th grade at that point). It caused a huge dearth in my reading when I was around 12 because YA stuff was no longer satisfying and I couldn't find good adult literature. There was way too much material at my county library to pick something out, nothing available at home, and none of my teachers could recommend anything that wasn't on a highschool reading list that I had already read. So I want to have a strong collection I personally like so my kids have somewhere to start.

[Anonymous No.18954806]

>>18949978
I get really hammered and think about committing drugs and murder.

[Anonymous No.18954960]

>>18952685
You're a retard. The only reason why having tons of books on a shelf is a pseud move is because they are mostly unread and placed there exclusively for the purpose of showing off. No one brags by handing out printed screenshots from their Kindle library.

[Anonymous No.18954961]

>>18949978
I didn't start with the greeks, but eventually got around to some of them

[Anonymous No.18955321]

>>18952658
Yeah when I reflect on these sort of things I always finish the line of thinking by fantasizing about my neck snapping under the stress of my body's weight

[Anonymous No.18955706]

>>18949978
I got about 600 pages into this 800+ page slog of a novel and dropped it. The only reason I even read as much of it as I did was the fact that the lockdown was in full effect, I had nothing else to read and I was still deliberating over buying a kindle. I suppose the writing itself is technically proficient in an superficial sort of way. Wow most of the story is in reverse chronological order, how impressive. You know what's not impressive? How fucking overwhelmingly dull and pretentious it all is. The worst part is there are moments of genuine interest scattered throughout but they are so few and far between that they only serve to string you along through vast stretches of somnolent crap. It never managed to make me give a fuck about baseball, or "the" baseball, or the protagonist for that matter, and it only served to make me actively disdain the aging art ho that the book keeps returning to just gush over how supposedly deep and amazing her crappy modern art is. Fuck this book. And no, I didn't get filtered. I've read novels that are far more unconventional than this and enjoyed them infinitely more. It's overrrated.

[Anonymous No.18955721]

>>18949978
I got filtered by Naked Lunch. I don’t want to read ugly descriptions of a bunch of faggots dicks cumming and shitting. I don’t care how bitingly experimental the prose is or muh surreal depiction of the ugly underside of American cities. I just don’t want to read that shit.

[Anonymous No.18955728]

>>18949978
i don't read

[Anonymous No.18955738]

If I find a book that I'm struggling more than usual to read (started with inf jest due to the end notes) I'll read along with an audiobook. Brings back wholesome memories of being read to by my local librarian as a kid.

[Anonymous No.18955956]

I prefer Bacchylides to Pindar.

[Anonymous No.18956985]

>>18952235
Big dick energy. Dont give up

[Anonymous No.18957400]

>>18949978
I do this to. This way I only have books I really like in my library without having to waste money on buying books I might not like/want to read again. I also prefer to buy older, used editions.

[Anonymous No.18957420]

>>18952468
Would like to know this as well

[Anonymous No.18957434]

>>18957420
>>18952468
A good introduction to theory is Paul Fry's "Theory of Literature". It is based on a Yale lecture series which is available on YouTube. For the stuff I am interested in, check out postcritique. Anker & Felski's book "Critique and Postcritique" is a good starting point, and also Felski's "Uses of Literature" and "The Limits of Critique".

[Anonymous No.18957756]

>>18952394
i personally enjoy appreciating the physical media, same thing with vinyl records.

its just nice to have a physical copy and to be able to pick it up, feel it, inspect it.

[Anonymous No.18957767]

>>18955706
rip