/lit/ - Literature

[Anonymous No.4789200]

Not a specific book, but I've been reading Houellebecq for a while now. It's gets depressing after a while. His view of post modernism, the decline of the west, and the role sex plays in wester culture.

>inb4 edgy Houellebecq

[Anonymous No.4789276]

Gotta say I haven't heard of him prior to this. That said after a read through ye olde wikipedia page it seems kind of like a fascist. Well not really but shitty conservative/reactionary stuff. I know you asked not for the too edgy shit, but you bring it upon yourself. To elaborate perhaps , my understanding of his themes are that his views of post-modernism and the decline of the west seem to based on the idea of a certain decline in the overall moral quality of humanity. Yet rather than seeking to argument that it seems to propose that it is better to adapt or accept current institutions, but make them more acceptable. It seems to be a rejection of efforts to progress beyond these things. I'm finding myself having a surprisingly hard time explaining my frustration with what I've read, but the best way perhaps I could expound on this might be to make a comparison with Fight Club. It's the same sort of cult of alienated masculinity that to me seems to misplace the blame on the leftist movements which tried to equalize humanity rather than upon a society which acts in an anti-egalitarian manner. I can see why you would like him if your politics tend to conservative or reactionary but my personal politics are so alienated from that that I have a hard time taking him seriously as an offer. Ultimately I think these kinds of books end up serving as the theoretical infrastructure for people to abandon making things better and call for a return to a society that I would argue was in many ways worse.

[Anonymous No.4789289]

>>4789276
Well at least it let you experience something beyond your comfort zone that you might not have otherwise engaged with.

[Anonymous No.4789308]

>>4789289

You are indeed correct but it's always a question of time. I do try and read different perspectives but I tend towards shorter works from the opposition which perhaps betrays a certain weakness of spirit on my part.That said I'm curious as to if you read the books in French as I am attempting to learn French currently and at a relatively advanced level so it might be interesting for me to read the books in French as a practice exercise but I'm not sure how difficult they are. I could probably get through them either way but I'm not sure as to the amount of time and commitment it would require.

At the same time though one cannot always make the arguments that something must be experienced to be understood. Not to say that experience cannot help one better comprehend but to pluck the most obvious and extreme example I can already state my opposition to Nazism quite clearly without having read Mein Kampf and indeed outside of a farther study of it I would probably find the experience to be less that entirely fulfilling. As humans with limited time frames we are compelled to prioritize certain decisions and things and my understanding of this summary of these books (and I ended up looking at a few reviews too(not that reading reviews is so much better) seems to reveal several of what I would consider logical or existential faults with the author's understanding of the world. Perhaps (or indeed it is) presumptuous to assume that the author could not convince me of these faults, but I strongly doubt based on what I've read that these faults are going to be explained because they are not the faults that the book addresses. The faults the books (seem) to address is the symptoms, it is the blame in which I find fault and I doubt there will be a true explanation. It's not that people aren't alienated, having less sex, and generally living in a weird fucked up world it's just that the solutions proposed in the book rely on an understanding of the world in which this is the fault of the left for having attempted to study/comprehend/or deal in these things rather than a natural consequence of societal advance. I simply have no desire to return to the early 20th century philosophically and sociologically speaking.

[Anonymous No.4789389]

>>4789200
I don't read any of that shit, cuz I aint no Houellebecq guurl.

[Anonymous No.4789502]

>>4789200
I think he is one of those writers who will be remembered but will belong to a certain time and situation. By that I mean the world view he expresses could only really have come about in this degenerate society as we watch western civilization crumble. If things change for the better or go sideways then I think he will lose his relevance

[Anonymous No.4789520]

>>4789308
Why are you writing essay length comments on /lit/?


is this some kind of counter edgy post ironicism?

[Anonymous No.4789631]

>>4789520

Boredom more than anything else. I think things would be better if everyone else wrote out their thoughts in longer form. I'd rather actually try and have a discussion and it makes it easier to express a point of view. I think it's polite when disagreeing with someone or disparaging their point of view to at least explain why. It's better than a constant torrent of "well you're wrong" type comments which do nothing but add to post count and don't help explain anything. Also I don't think they're that long. They'd make pretty poor essays. I wrote them entirely in the little quick reply window on the side.

[Anonymous No.4789635]

>>4789389

[Anonymous No.4789648]

>>4789200
>His view of post modernism, the decline of the west, and the role sex plays in wester culture.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wKFZOIv5sS0

I haven't read the book yet, it represents something like this?

[Anonymous No.4789672]

>>4789276
>Gotta say I haven't heard of him prior to this
> my understanding of his themes

/lit/, ladies and gentlemen.

[Anonymous No.4789696]

>>4789672

Oh noes I didn't know something and then I looked it up rather than reading it. No one can have an opinion on anything unless they have entirely experienced it. I'm imagining you haven't read my post in its entirety which is to say you probably don't understand its themes or content, but more importantly it's my understanding of his themes based on the works of criticism and the summaries available. I read 2-3 reviews making an effort to read at least one positive and one negative and then looked at the wikipedia page in both French and English. Y'know the funny thing is I could have just lied and said I read it. But no it's far easier to write a sentence saying disagree because you read half a sentence and it bothered you. Screw discussion.

[Anonymous No.4789708]

>>4789696
Not the guy you're replying to, but Jesus Hussein Christ, shut the fuck up.

[Anonymous No.4789729]

>>4789696
Writing essay sized posts on the themes of works you haven't read is retarded no matter how many reviews you read in the 41 minutes between OP's post and yours.

>Gotta say I haven't heard of him prior to this.
>That said after a read through ye olde wikipedia page it seems kind of like a fascist.
>to elaborate perhaps , my understanding of his themes are
>Ultimately I think these kinds of books end up serving

Do you even know how ridiculous you are m8?

[Alfonso No.4789800]

>>4789520
>>4789729
>Essay size
>FIVE. FUCKING. SENTENCES
Amoebae like you succesfully make me mad. Just so you know it. You are so fucking retarded that I am mad, and I am writing to let you know. I visit wastes, insults to the human life like /a/, and yet, you have managed to drive me into this state. Congratulations. You are maddeningly stupid

[Anonymous No.4789820]

>>4789800
>what is hyperbole

Seems like you have a few more wikipedia articles to read before you can give your expert opinion.

[Alfonso No.4789950]

>>4789820
I'm not him. Look at my name and attention seeking