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Reading this summer
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--- Quote from: zerodrone on 08 Jun 2008, 17:47 ---We're not talking about religion, we're talking about an author and one of his books that was brought up in this thread. How about let's quit with the backseat moderating and telling people what to post about? Unless this thread really is supposed to just be a list of books without any discussion, in which case, what's the point of that?
--- End quote ---
She has a point, so don't get all huffy. You guys are taking over the thread with that book and that guy's philosophies, so maybe a separate thread would be better. I thought this was going to be a thread about what people were reading and recommending stuff back and forth and later on maybe what people thought of the stuff they read, not some big ass debate about one book. But whatever, continue your debate thing and the rest of us can just dig through and find the posts relevant to the topic.
Gridgm:
while on the topic of religion, i'm currently reading through the christ clone trilogy, suprizingly well done it ends up reading more like a political thriller than anything else however if you feel like you're going to take offence to something like this DON'T READ IT...very simple rule
on the topic of the god delusion, while dawkins does make a good argument against the merits of being a thestic beliver in god other more mild forms or a desitic belief in god are almost entierly ignored
a pack of wolves:
Looking over the Dawkins debate, both points are pretty valid for whether it should be in this thread or not. There is a huge amount more on The God Delusion compared to anything else mentioned, which will inevitably take away from discussion of other books. That's not a good thing, there is too much of a concentration on that one book. On the other hand just listing books and saying you either like, dislike or are looking forward to them is a bit boring if that's all there is and that was one book a few people had something to say about. Also, the other people to complain about the discussion didn't phrase it very well, it made it sound like they thought it was completely off-topic and about religion in general when it wasn't.
--- Quote from: Oli on 07 Jun 2008, 17:56 ---Paradise Lost by John Milton
The Importance Of Being Earnest by Oscar Wilde
Ulysses by James Joyce
--- End quote ---
So moving onto some other books, these are some interesting choices. Paradise Lost is fascinating, the whole debate over what point Milton was making by having Satan as such a sympathetic character and so central to the poem. Personally I go for the 'trap for the unwary reader' theory but you can make a good case for so many interpretations. Then there's the way he brings in so many different concepts, from the theological to the political and intertwines them all. It's great stuff.
I was reminded of The Importance... and Ulysses when I was re-reading Alison Bechdel's Fun Home the other day. I love The Importance... (and like her, the first time I read it the queer subtext went completely over my head) but I've still never managed Ulysses. I quickly get hung up on how much I'm missing due to my lack of familiarity with the classics and the Bible. Anyone else ever feel like that? I might give it another shot this summer myself, I've always felt never managing more than a little of it made for a gaping hole in my reading.
Ikrik:
Oli
You will never finish Ulysses....ever. Anyone who says that they've read Ulysses is a liar UNLESS they've read it over a period of at least 3 months. If anyone tries to tell you that they've read that book in a week first laugh and then kill them in a horrible way, liars like that should be punished.
I'm personally planning to tackle it summer of next year as it will be my first year of university and I'll have 2 months longer for summer which will hopefully allow me to get somewhere through it.
Jackie Blue:
I read Ulysses in a week or so. Granted, reading it at "normal book speed" means you are not going to understand some of it, but it is certainly possible to get through it and get the general gist.
Now, Gravity's Rainbow, ugh. There's a point at which stylistic prose detracts from a book's value rather than adding to it.
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