Thread: Classic Literature

Originally Posted by Sulfur

Additionally I cannot stand Atwood, omg.

this thread would be unsuccessful without opinions that annoy/offend people. =P

also, you and everyone else who's people, should read Haruki Murakami.

I do enjoy Beowulf.

Not 'Classic' persay, but a few of my favorites ~



The Belgariad has to be one of my favorite series. I absolutely love it.

My reading tastes tend to fall into historical non-fiction- Ancient Greece and Rome, Alexander and the Diadochi, the Crusades. I've just started an interesting book called the The First Frontier: The Forgotten History of Struggle, Savagery, and Endurance in Early America. It deals with the very complex interactions of the first colonials and the Native Americans when the frontier didn't extend past the Appalachians.

Fictional favorites of mine:
anything by Edgar Allen Poe
the various Leatherstocking Tales by James Fenimore Cooper (The Last of the Mohicans is best of them)
Shakespeare's Historical Plays and Tragedies (not a big fan of the comedies)
Illiad and Odyssey
Edmund Spenser's The Fairie Queen
The Arthurian Cycle
Vigil's Aeniad
Quintus of Smyrna's Fall of Troy
The Count of Monte Cristo/ Three Musketeers/ Man in the Iron Mask
The Maltese Falcon and The Big Sleep (other Raymond Chandler stuff, like Farewell, My Lovely and The Long Goodbye, is great as well)

Originally Posted by jennirich

I thought since our favorite MMO is based off the works of a critically acclaimed author, it might be nice to see what other books people on these forums like or can relate the current state of our community to.

I've already compared the self proclaimed 'best duo in the moors' to the works of William Golding, specifically Lord of the Flies but I've overlooked another great literary piece, The Catcher in the Rye. I can see a vast number of similarities between what's going on here and what Salinger wrote about.

Thoughts...

Me to. We certainly have a lot of whiny teenagers on Brandywine.

While I don't like Atwood (even a little bit) I won't deny she's a decent writer, I just don't like the stories she writes. At all.

She's like...a modern Charlotte bronte, and I find her stories equally as thrilling.

Anyways considering LOTR and the fantasy genre in general there is a massive amount of good and bad fantasy writing out there, forgotten realms encapsulating almost the entirety of the rapidly produced forgettable authors/stories with the exception of Salvatore's earlier works. The problem in general is that considering Tolkien as a standard many authors write long sweeping epics (wheel of time, sword of truth, etc) that attempt the same thing as Tolkien but fall very much short of the mark.

If you're a fan of the genre then I implore you to read:

You'll enjoy it, I promise. GG Kay is a master of modern fantasy, & his Fionavar tapestry trilogy is equally good.

Originally Posted by Sulfur

If you're a fan of the genre then I implore you to read:

You'll enjoy it, I promise. GG Kay is a master of modern fantasy, & his Fionavar tapestry trilogy is equally good.

Guy K came to one of our classes and hung out =D He was a close friend of our prof. We did a project on Ysabel after he'd just won the world fantasy award. Even though i'm a fan of Fionavar tapestry, he does the same thing with that series that most fantasy writers do.. try to pull a Tolkien =P Tigana and Ysabel are definitely funner and better works of his =D

Tapestry is more comparable to CS Lewis' narnia honestly.

I thought the books were based on the movies?

Isi reminded me of The Shannara Trilogy by Terry Brooks. That's an awesome series.
I'd like to add The Foundation Series by Asimov. Anything Asimov is great imo.

No one's mentioned Dune yet? Blasphemy!

Originally Posted by jennirich

what other books people on these forums like or can relate the current state of our community

Classic works of fiction. Simply what we like is giving a lot of room =)

I think it's interesting what to dub Classic.

I really enjoy reading Neal Stephenson but his output is very uneven in quality, Cryptonomicon is the only novel of his I would call finished and possibly a classic. Same with Gaiman and his American Gods. Paul Auster and Moon Palace.

Reading everything these authors write is highly enjoyable, just very little of it is truly excellent.

I'd love to say that all works by Don DeLillo are what I'd define as classics, same with JC Oates perhaps - just they wrote a few books each that have a very unfinished feel to them.

I suspect I keep looking for that personal voice: Kafka, Vonnegut, Grass. Stuff that was very fun to explore as a kid.

Not saying I didn't read all the brilliantly fun junk like Douglas Adams, Stephen Donaldson, Pratchett, CS Lewis, Douglas Copeland, Stephen King, Nick Hornby, Frank Herbert, Iain Banks, Gene Wolfe...there are so many. Love reading the stuff but it's basically chewing-gum-for-the-brain, great fun and brilliant ideas but rarely too well written. (Sadly, I feel the same about Tolkien but it was good fun to read at age 9-12 and later on too, even if it doesn't quite stand up to the frame of reference after age 25 or so.) It could even be utterly mindless junk like Janet Evanovich or Ben Elton or 99% of crime fiction, it's still good fun to read =)

Books I can recommend reading (but I bet you already read the lot)

Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell by Susanna Clarke
Winter's Tale by Mark Helprin
Moon Palace by Paul Auster
Underworld by Don DeLillo
Blonde by Joyce Carol Oates

well, there are many other works of fiction.

Reading is crucial: Pinter, Ayckbourn, Shanley, Fo, Shakespeare; Murakami, Auster, Noon, Gibson, Oates; Gene Wolfe, Jack Vance, Iain Banks, Frank Herbert; Wordsworth, Blake, Milton...

Simply reading what's enjoyable is great.

Originally Posted by Rainyman

No one's mentioned Dune yet? Blasphemy!

I will have to agree, I love Dune and forgot to mention it or other sci-fi that I really love in my post (was in a rush).

Even more blasphemous, no were on these lists is Philip K Dick! *gasp* How can we leave out one of the most interesting sci-fi writers of our time.

Originally Posted by Macroscian

I really enjoy reading Neal Stephenson but his output is very uneven in quality, Cryptonomicon is the only novel of his I would call finished and possibly a classic. Same with Gaiman and his American Gods. Paul Auster and Moon Palace.

I never picked up Moon Palace. my friend recommended it to me once...had forgotten about it haha i guess i'll hunt it down now. I like almost anything by Gaiman. It makes me a child every time. scared, excited and incurably curious.

Originally Posted by Macroscian

I suspect I keep looking for that personal voice: Kafka, Vonnegut, Grass. Stuff that was very fun to explore as a kid.

<333 it's just hard to explain how Vonnegut gets inside you. Sad that we can only include mostly western english write to make the lists relate-able, otherwise I'd geek out with comparisons of Vonnegut's best works with Tagore's and Sharatchandra's.

Originally Posted by Macroscian

Reading is crucial: Pinter, Ayckbourn, Shanley, Fo, Shakespeare; Murakami, Auster, Noon, Gibson, Oates; Gene Wolfe, Jack Vance, Iain Banks, Frank Herbert; Wordsworth, Blake, Milton...

so many amazing mentions.... *pout*

Atlas Shrugged.

Originally Posted by swordmonkey

Atlas Shrugged.

Personally I hated it, but it's certainly a classic =)

EDIT Did you also read Pynchon and enjoyed the reading? Or DeLillo's White Noise? Same as with Rand I just found them a bit too inaccessible. Great reads for the brain but to me just not fun. As a comparison with 'tough' lit, I could mention Ulysses by Joyce which I found highly enjoyable despite being rather strictly a play with styles.

I liked some Steven King. Tommyknockers for example I couldnt put down, Misery too and Deloris Clayborn and The Shining. But alot i couldnt get into. Even his books as a pseudonym i didnt like much. As modern day authors do I like suspense and action stuff like Tom Clancy or Michael Crichton even DaVinci's Code author Dan brown.

Originally Posted by Skullflayer

....even DaVinci's Code author Dan brown.

I know a lot of people like Brown's work but............ *eye twitches*

Terry Brooks is, in my opinion, a fantastic fantasy writer. His beginning works with the Shannara series had some criticism due to being similar to Tolkien's trilogy but from there he's been able to expand and branch of in to his own universe, where a lot of his works tie in to the same concept of the origin of magic and the Void.

If you were to start with one of his books, while the Shannara is all around pure fantasy, I'd recommend the Running With the Demon Series.

Originally Posted by swordmonkey

Atlas Shrugged.

Originally Posted by Phenylcyclinide

Haters gonna hate. Tell me do you not like the style of writing (understandable) or the ideas behind it? I find it hilarious to listen to people rail against capitalism then go on their iphone/android to check something If you like socialism I hear Greece is open...

Anyhoo, back on topic, I mainly mentioned it because I see all the quality players leaving the moors...

Originally Posted by swordmonkey

Haters gonna hate. Tell me do you not like the style of writing (understandable) or the ideas behind it? I find it hilarious to listen to people rail against capitalism then go on their iphone/android to check something If you like socialism I hear Greece is open...

Anyhoo, back on topic, I mainly mentioned it because I see all the quality players leaving the moors...

Beats me I haven't even read it, I just knew of a picture that was relevant and gave me a chuckle

Originally Posted by Sulfur

Beats me I haven't even read it, I just knew of a picture that was relevant and gave me a chuckle

in unrelated news, xkcd is awesome. i want to cure cancer for randall.

Those who slander capitalism truly do not understand economics.

Originally Posted by swordmonkey

Haters gonna hate. Tell me do you not like the style of writing (understandable) or the ideas behind it? I find it hilarious to listen to people rail against capitalism then go on their iphone/android to check something If you like socialism I hear Greece is open...

Anyhoo, back on topic, I mainly mentioned it because I see all the quality players leaving the moors...

i believe it is france now that can claim that mantle

Originally Posted by Meregash

Those who slander capitalism truly do not understand economics.

among many other things

Originally Posted by Meregash

Those who slander capitalism truly do not understand economics.

Wait, what?

Economics is inherently flawed if the goal is to look after and precipitate for the development of all the worlds people. If the goal is not that, then economics is doing great.
However it should look at renaming itself, as the word 'Economy' has it's root in Greece (oikonomia) and actually means 'the efficient and sustainable management of ones household'. Another definition would be the 'careful and thrifty management of resources'.

Clearly 'Capitalism' has flawed 'economics' as it is quite clear that businesses and monopolies do not sustainably manage their household (Earth), this is clearly shown by the blatant corporate and environmental crimes such as dumping toxic waste, oil spills etc.

Don't get me wrong, every other 'ism' is no better (Communism, Feudalism, Monarchism, Fascism, Anarchism) - but there are some clear flaws in the way money works in America and other countries. Primarily the way money works and is regulated by the 'Federal' Reserve Bank in America.

In terms of good (not necessarily classics, but still) books;

1984 - George Orwell
Animal Farm - George Orwell
The Cancer Stage of Capitalism - John McMurtry
The Furies - Arno J. Mayer
Lux Gentium Lex - I can't remember the author but it is a book on the aspects of Roman Law, very interesting to read and compare Roman Law to modern day law (the similarities are astounding!).

There are more that escape my memory, if you want some good Sci-Fi Ian Irvine writes pretty well.

Ray Bradbury died last Tuesday . R.I.P.

Originally Posted by Rainyman

Ray Bradbury died last Tuesday . R.I.P.

Yeah =(

I dug up Dandelion Wine and The October Country for a re-read.

*

The off topical flame-baiting about 'socialism' and the random pics found on the internet and the odd shouting...please don't. Quite pointless and says a lot about disregard for others. It's very possible to not enjoy reading Ayn Rand and not be opposed to the sentiments presented in Atlas Shrugged.

*

I was supposed to write something about a good read.

Because I want to keep the only decent thread on the forums going..

Currently reading-



I went to his book reading couple months ago and he was provocative, funny, extremely witty and an alacritous topic hopper. I've always had a very strong personal interested in the Israel-Palestinian conflict and these short stories kind of put me in the shoes of the other side that i, due to my ignorance and personal bias, mostly condemn. Most of the stories that i've read so far are thought provoking and poetic in their humane element.

forgot about this thread. guess short attention span does that :P

Originally Posted by ChaChaLoco

In terms of good (not necessarily classics, but still) books;

1984 - George Orwell
Animal Farm - George Orwell
Lux Gentium Lex - I can't remember the author but it is a book on the aspects of Roman Law, very interesting to read and compare Roman Law to modern day law (the similarities are astounding!).

i personally love Orwells writing. those 2 books i absolutely LOVED reading. couldnt stop, and have read animal farm several times over.

last one, i havent read, although it seems very interesting and like it would be worth a read.

Originally Posted by 0987654321

i personally love Orwells writing. those 2 books i absolutely LOVED reading. couldnt stop, and have read animal farm several times over.

last one, i havent read, although it seems very interesting and like it would be worth a read.

Yeh Orwell is great!
I'm currently reading a lot of Robert Louis Stevenson's work. I'm starting with The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde and from there I will move onto The Beach of Falesa and The Ebb-tide, and finally finish off with Kidnapped.

Some other great literary pieces I would recommend;
War and Peace - Leon Tolstoy
Sun Tzu's Art of War - Ushrak (loljks Sun Tzu)
What is to be done? - Vladimir Lenin
What is the Third Estate? - Abbe Sieyes

These last two are just interesting literary pieces done by well-known French and Russian Revolutionaries (Google them if you want to know more).
I would also recommend reading the Communist Manifesto if you haven't - not that I'm a Marxist by any means, it's just a very interesting read for a different perspective on the "social sciences" and ideological viewpoints towards the structure of society. Theoretically it's actually a very nice idea; before you yell "Communist!" please read it, and then make the definition between Marxism, Leninism, Maoism and Communism (which is effectively Stalinism).

Communist Manifesto tl;dr:
Marx stated that all history has been a history of class struggles, Rich V Poor, Strong V Weak, Apprentice V Master, Peasant V Noble etc, etc.
He also stated that there are 4 stages of human societal development.
The first was a Tribal stage, the second a Feudal stage, the third a Capitalist stage and the fourth a Socialist stage. From a socialist stage the transition would be made to a Utopia.

He's been right about the first 3 stages (as he experienced them/was alive after their occurrence) and the shift into the fourth (socialist) stage seems to be ever-rising; from the American/London/Spain/Greece Protests/Riots, to the Icelandic Revolution, to the ever-increasing American debt, to the push towards renewable energies, etc, etc.
However whether this comes to fruition, and whether Marxism can really claim to be a "science", very much remains to be seen.

Anyway so THAT tangent happened, lol
The pieces I listed are not light reading, but they are very interesting and I would invest the time in them.

Thanks,

Ush

P.S: Good to hear from ya Lug - pop in vent once in a while will ya

Lirael by Garth Nix infact the whole series is amazing

Originally Posted by 1_v01d_0

I know you think you are funny, with your little pictures and memes. I am sorry for you. To keep in with the theme of this thread I would suggest you read some Oscar Wilde. That might help you some.

haha just put em on ignore, works great. ive noticed that the kids generally give up if you dont give them the attention. plus you dont have to read their recycled comedy

Originally Posted by jennirich

Be a good little internet white knight and make it for me. I'm too tired to get out of my chair. While you're at it, make one for me.
Kthx

Here, an E-roast beef sandwich. What's my reward?

Originally Posted by Conspiracykeanu

Here, an E-roast beef sandwich. What's my reward?

You have my gratitude. Now go make me a drink.

Originally Posted by jennirich

You have my gratitude. Now go make me a drink.

Here, a Piña Colada.

Recent reads I have loved are;

Brave New World - Aldous Huxley
Their Eyes Were Watching God - Zora Neal Hurston
Mary Shelley's Frankenstein
The Wheel of Time - Robert Jordan
A Song of Fire and Ice - George R. R. Martin

Others from quite a while ago includes

The Earthsea Cycle - Ursula K. LeGuin
The Screwtape Letters - C.S. Lewis
The Silmarillion - J.R.R. Tolkien
The Crucible - Arthur Miller

Originally Posted by Conspiracykeanu

Here, a Piña Colada.

Hahahaha

I was thinking this would go with a sammich better. Maybe I should have said pour me a drink.

Back on topic,

The Rum Diary and Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas.
Good 'ol Hunter S. Thompson. May he rest in peace.