/lit/ - Literature

[Anonymous No.21473655]

>Preface
*skips*
>Translator's Preface
*skips
>Introduction
*skips

[Anonymous No.21473661]

>>21473655
I save all of those for after i finish the book

[Anonymous No.21473673]

>>21473655
>>Translator's Preface
>>skips
Why would you skip the part of the book that tells you whether or not the book was censored or translated in a retarded fashion?

[Anonymous No.21473681]

>1/3 of the book is a preface

[Anonymous No.21473688]

>Preface
>Translators Preface
>Introduction
>Second Introduction
>Authors Note

[Anonymous No.21473702]

>>21473655
I agree with the first 2 of these, however, introductions are important to read if you want to have a good experience reading.

[Anonymous No.21473740]

Author's note > translator's preface > preface > introduction.
Author's notes should almost always be read as the author thought them important enough to be included before the book. Translator's preface is important too, as it tells you what choices / cuts they made and why.
Standard prefaces are generally unimportant, and introductions should always be read after the book as they tend to have spoilers in them

[Anonymous No.21474237]

>Translator's preface
>Translator speaks for pages about the life of the author

[Anonymous No.21474254]

>Preface
>Preface to second edition
>Preface to third edition (about 40 years later)
guess the book

[Anonymous No.21474263]

>>21474254
Don't know about the book, but the author may be James Fenimore Cooper.

[Anonymous No.21474265]

>>21473702
Nah, it's usually superficial garbage with spoilers

[Anonymous No.21474276]

>>21474254
Hegel (PBUH) PoS

[Anonymous No.21474284]

>>21473655
>read dame aux camellias
>get spoiled in the introduction
>don't want to finish this fucking frogslop now

[Anonymous No.21474305]

[Anonymous No.21474426]

>>21473681
>two thirds of each page is footnotes
*skips*

[Anonymous No.21474471]

>>21473655
I started The Turn of the Screw 10 days ago, some cheap paperback edition and by no way a scholar's edition.
>Introduction
25 unsigned pages by some nobody)
>Note on the texts
3 pages by the editor, actually ok but will reread it after I finish the book
>Further reading
5 pages
>Chronology of Henry James by Leon Edel
Nice, but the Introduction covered quite a bit of this.
>Preface to "Sir Edmund Orme", "Owen Wingrave" and "The Friends of the Friends"
10 pages (just an extract, courtesy of the editor} of most ornate and sometimes pompous Victorian prose, 4 sentences maximum per page describing the different possible flavours of suspense and how to bore a reader.
>Preface to "The Turn of The Screw"
ightly less boring, also cut down to 10 pages by the editor.
>First story finally starts at page 57.
>read one page
>it's time to sleep by now
Get your shit together Henry...

[Anonymous No.21474487]

>>21473655
I started The Turn of the Screw 10 days ago, some cheap paperback edition and by no way a scholar's edition.
>Introduction
25 unsigned pages by some nobody
>Note on the texts
3 pages by the editor, actually ok but will reread it after I finish the book.
>Further reading
5 pages
>Chronology of Henry James by Leon Edel
Nice, but the Introduction covered quite a bit of this.
>Preface to "Sir Edmund Orme", "Owen Wingrave" and "The Friends of the Friends"
10 pages (just an extract, courtesy of the editor) of most ornate and pompous Victorian prose, 4 sentences maximum per page, describing the different possible flavours of suspense and how to bore a reader.
>Preface to "The Turn of The Screw"
Slightly less boring, also cut down to 10 pages by the editor.
>First story finally starts at page 57.
>read one page
>it's time to sleep by now
Get your shit together Henry...

[Anonymous No.21474505]

>>21474471
>>21474487
Seriously?

[Anonymous No.21474518]

>>21473655
>Reading books
*skips*
Honestly, how can a grown man still be that immature to read someone's books, thoughts, and give a care about it?

[Anonymous No.21474523]

>>21474254
Any Nietzsche

[Anonymous No.21474542]

>>21474254
Capital

[Anonymous No.21474566]

>>21473655
>Skips

[Anonymous No.21474567]

>>21474254
At my uni there was an old German engineering book with 7 prefaces. It went a it like this :
>Preface to the 1919 edition
"Ship engineering is cool, especially after this terrible war."
>Preface to the 1925 edition
"Ship engineering is cool, it helps get our country back on track after the crisis."
>Preface to the 1934 edition
"Ship engineering will help our country get up again and be a great country. Deutschland ueber alles etc."
>Preface to the 1942 edition
"Ship engineering is a great weapon in the fight the Bolshevik Jews and the Jewish inspired Anglo imperialism." (almost word for word)
>Preface to the 1944 edition
"Ship engineering will lead us to the final victory."
>Preface to the 1947 edition
"Ship engineering is cool, especially after this terrible war."
>Preface to the 1967 edition
"Ship engineering is cool"

I found that book by luck while studying for an extracurricular.

>>21474505
Skipped a few pages on the second preface.

[Anonymous No.21474685]

>>21474254
Schopenhauer's Will & Representation

[Anonymous No.21474757]

>>21474254
Newton’s Principia lol

[Anonymous No.21476005]

>>21474685
winner

[Anonymous No.21476272]

I read them all, every time. I like learning about authors. How else would I find out about the hilarious irony of the art world shitting on Gaddis or why Lampedusa was so obsessed with his villa or how batshit insane Baron Corvo was? Why would you deprive yourself of knowing where your favorite works come from?

[Anonymous No.21476297]

>>21473655
>introduction spoils the book

[Anonymous No.21476318]

>>21473655
Book im reading literally told me to skip the intro bros.

>read the introduction after you enjoy this book.

[Anonymous No.21476324]

>>21474567
Based 1942 edition

[Anonymous No.21476744]

>>21474518
>Comes to a board about books
>"why would anyone read books lmao am I right"
Here's your (you) now fuck off

[Anonymous No.21476750]

>>21474567
kek
>Ship building, ship building never changes

[Anonymous No.21477533]

>>21473681
I bought Tao Te Ching the other day and out of 190 pages, only about 80 are the actual book itself.

[Anonymous No.21478243]

>>21474254
Actually Brave New World

[Anonymous No.21478264]

>>21474254
Any textbook that survives for this long.

[Anonymous No.21478275]

>>21473655
i just read the acknowledgements

[Anonymous No.21478336]

i only read the poem in pale fire.

[Anonymous No.21478573]

>>21473655
discord.gg/NJ3nRUZKdU