what are you reading today?

[Halifamous]

right now i am reading...

virtual light - william gibson,

simulacra & simulation - jean baudrillard,

positions - jacques derrida,

the history of sexuality pt. 1 - michel foucault,

complete works - franz kafka

society of the spectacle - guy debord

all are very good, but baudrillard is definitely challenging.

This is a pretty rough mix of transitional structuralist/post structuralist thinkers. What in the hell inspired this combination?

[broneck]

This is a pretty rough mix of transitional structuralist/post structuralist thinkers. What in the hell inspired this combination?

How are you so much smarter than me?

[grilled cheese]

This is a pretty rough mix of transitional structuralist/post structuralist thinkers. What in the hell inspired this combination?

it's interesting as well because at first glance gibson would appear to be the orange among apples. but upon further consideration...

[wrong_move]

Got this and IC at Fan Expo.

[big at lc]

Just finished Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close by Johathan Safran Foer (one of the best books I've ever read for many reasons)

Now onto Life of Pi by Yann Martel

[linkejeuk]

right now i am reading...

virtual light - william gibson,

simulacra & simulation - jean baudrillard,

positions - jacques derrida,

the history of sexuality pt. 1 - michel foucault,

complete works - franz kafka

society of the spectacle - guy debord

all are very good, but baudrillard is definitely challenging.

ugh, foucault and kafka deserve not to be in that list or called structuralists. maybe gibson as well.

[gramps]

Hence the use of the perm post, I think. At least I assumed that was specifically referencing Foucault.

I can't dig on Franz Kafka. Beneath his monolith position in terms of theory, I can't dig on his stuff as literature. It's a mix of a style I don't like, and a set of thematic concerns that I find better addressed by other others.

Baudrillard I think dig. Yeah tons of it is difficult and I flat out think a lot of what he talks about is abstracted to the point of uselessness, (The Gulf War Didn't Happen, etc) but he has a really engaging style and to be honest I'm shallow and that's what I look for.

[linkejeuk]

oh, to be honest, I can see the worth of all those books. Foucault and Kafka are just something a bit more special to me I guess, it's probably just a personal thing.

I do think Kafka deals with his themes in a exceptional way, even though others might have done so as well. There is a sense of akwardness in his works that could be a turn off I guess. I have also never read translations of his work, so dunno if that would make a difference.

[jack napier]

I'm a philosophy student, so that might explain a bit of it.

Huge fan of Gibson and PKD, which is in part why I'm so interested in the Simulacra business. A.I. theory kicks ass, too. Maybe that's the only modern analytics I have any interest in.

No love for Derrida, though? He's one of my favourites. After Positions, it's on to Writing & Difference, or maybe Of Grammatology. Not sure which to read first.

I've also started Illuminations, by Walter Benjamin... but put it down because I've already started way too many at the same time, hahaha.

I guess this is all part of a bigger course of reading I've been doing in modern thought. This year I've already read:

Philosophical Fragments - Kierkegaard

The Genealogy of Morality - Nietzsche

(On a similar note) The Order of Things - Foucault (never finished it though. too heavy/long for the summer when I have to work)

Letter on Humanism - Heidegger

The Ends of Man - Derrida

The Dialectic of Enlightenment - Adorno & Horkheimer

Story of the Eye - Georges Bataille (incredibly fucked up, unbelievably powerful)

A bunch of novels as well, and probably a bunch more philosophical stuff I'm forgetting.

I'm going to need to fill myself in on a lot more Phenomenology and prior to that, Hegel. But I'll wait for someone to teach me the Hegel, that's pretty much suicide on your own.

Can't say I like Structuralism much, or that Foucault deserves to be called one, though.

edit: On second reading, I guess no one actually called Foucault a structuralist. My bad.

[linkejeuk]

I'm a philosophy student as well. Bataille is great,especially his thoughts on religion and I am very much interested in his relation to Nietzsche;s work.

I like Derrida, I did a paper last year on negative theology and his relation to it, if I read to much of that type of philosophy I get really annoyed with it though.

I decided to take a bit of a different turn for this year though. I want to do more current thought, and more straightforward political and social philosophy.

I did mostly cultural philosophy, phenomenoly and aesthetics until now, and I'm kinda done with it for now.

I really don't care to much for Hegel personally, but you have to understand his work to make sense of a lot of other authors work.

[jack napier]

Word. Hegel sucks, but a must read, just like Kant.

[santos]

It was a great read.

[linkejeuk]

Word. Hegel sucks, but a must read, just like Kant.

haha, well, not exactly in my opinion.

I do have a deep love for Kant, even taking the horrible writing style and bad side effects of his philosophy for granted. I still keep coming back to his conclusions.

[sycamore no more]

I took a shot at that Almost Transparent Blue by Ryu Murakami because it seemed like a good short read since I've seen it mentioned by a few of you around 4 times. I read half way through it in one sitting and I am disappointed. I will probably finish it anyways because I never left a book I buy unread. I just can't wait til' it's over, I'm so sick of it. I felt like I've read it before. IMO if you're looking for a short good read, I'd probably do something like The Subterraneans by Kerouac.

I just started this (see below) now though, and I'm quite happy with it.

722 pages, sounds long right? but not so much! some pages are full text pages and some are erratic.

[FUCK]

I took a shot at that Almost Transparent Blue by Ryu Murakami because it seemed like a good short read since I've seen it mentioned by a few of you around 4 times. I read half way through it in one sitting and I am disappointed. I will probably finish it anyways because I never left a book I buy unread. I just can't wait til' it's over, I'm so sick of it. I felt like I've read it before. IMO if you're looking for a short good read, I'd probably do something like The Subterraneans by Kerouac.

I just started this (see below) now though, and I'm quite happy with it.

722 pages, sounds long right? but not so much! some pages are full text pages and some are erratic.

This is an amazing book. I'm interested to hear your thoughts on it once you finish it. I think some times it is a bit overdone and some of his filler is just for show, meaning, it doesn't do anything for the work itself, but more times than not, this style is able to achieve the intended goal and really sucks the reader in, which, if you haven't found out already, is totally the point. You'll totally find yourself looking at things differently when reading it. (Don't get me wrong, this is what a good book should do, but i mean it in a completely different way than "broadening ones worldview") You'll see.

Sadly, I have no intention of reading Only Revolution. Who knows, maybe it will end up being required reading for one of my courses.

Enjoy! It goes a lot quicker than you expect. And, but, seriously, read every footnote, footnote of footnote and backnote.

[Ispy]

It's been mentioned before but I am completely addicted to "The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night Time" at the moment.

Bloody brilliant writing.

[denimdestroyedmylife]

i recently finished Bulgakov's Master & Margarita

yesterday i finished Pushkin's Eugene Onegin (fucking loved it; i want to read the nabokov translation now)

and now i am starting on TC Boyle's Road to Wellville (reminds me of Magic Mountain so far)

i am already thinking of what to read next; i hope to get my hands on Mount Analogue, none of the local libraries have it. been meaning to read gogol's dead souls, too.

i wish i could hire a sweatshop to read for me but i don't suppose i would get anything out of it

[weirdnjfan1]

I've been reading it all summer long. It really is a nitty gritty ode to Jersey. If any one from NJ is looking for a good read, pick it up it's worth the cash.

[trustnoone]

Buddenbrooks - Thomas Mann

[newaesthetic]

Finished reading that the other day. Entertaining and definitely more truthful than guys really want girls to think it is.

Just starting this, caught my eye at the store. So far I'm really enjoying it.

[DEPHT]

overrated? I dunno, but i really liked the first few chapters so far.

[farmer]

guilty pleasure

[soundune]

other colors was a great intro, now this for a try

[obstacle1]

Just finished this and it goes straight to the top of my favourites

[denimdestroyedmylife]

^ i love that book. i have never read other hamson books, you?

[feather]

Coupland - The Gum Thief.

Turning into a tedious read. I hate journals.

[hazel]

Just finished this and it goes straight to the top of my favourites

I recently read and enjoyed Hunger, too.

And if you liked it I'd recommend Mysteries which I favour out of the two books.

[obstacle1]

I have read a few of Hamsuns books. Pan and Mysteries were both very good reads and i'm about to start Growth of the soil.

[premiumsqueezed]

[big at lc]