Killerhit
10.15.11 | Personal favorites of mine are 1, 2, 9, and 6 |
liledman
10.15.11 | reading homer's odyssey at the moment in preparation for ulysses, cant wait to get onto it. although now im tempted to read portrait of an artist... first as well, and go through the big trio of joyce (+ finnegans wake). |
kris.
10.15.11 | reading 2 right now
so good |
InFiction
10.15.11 | Reading 10 at the moment. My favourite book is Jack Kerouac's 'The Road'. Fantastic book, creates an immersive atmosphere. |
liledman
10.15.11 | oh and you should have moby-dick with 4 ;) |
StrangerofSorts
10.15.11 | Try The House of Leaves (can't remember the author off hand, not good with Russian names)
Ever wanted to know if there was a book which drove you mad, in a good way? Well there you go then. |
Metamorphosis
10.15.11 | Metamorphosis. |
Metamorphosis
10.15.11 | Oh, I would actually say George Orwell's Nineteen Eighty-Four is my favorite book. It edges out Brave New World for me in terms of that kind of theme. |
Killerhit
10.15.11 | Oh yeah, that one is a classic |
lyon1535
10.15.11 | Brave New World and Ulysses ftw |
lyon1535
10.15.11 | I'd say Brave New World >>>>>>>>>> 1984 |
Josh D.
10.15.11 | I've tried to read Thomas Huxley. It's not easy. |
toxin.
10.15.11 | 1984 is definitely better than Brave New World, as far as dystopian novels go.
Sometimes it seems like Huxley goes out of his way to be controversial in BNW, and in my opinion it suffers for it. |
lyon1535
10.16.11 | He does try to be controversial in the book in several passages, but to prove a point about the society he is critiquing.
In what way do you claim 1984 is objectively superior to Brave New World? Oligarchical totalitarianism in which people are punished has declined since the end of World War 2 and now only exists in a few countries. The world of superficial pleasure and consumerism as described in Brave New World has only grown in its presence in the world since BNW's creation, and it now exists in some degree in most developed country. Freedom of speech is present but is generally not taken advantage of because society also promotes its own values through extensive conditioning which does not occur to the majority of society.
I can go on, but the point is that Brave New World, if one were to gauge a dystopian novel based on its accuracy (which, one could say is a novel's intent if it is speculative fiction), which would present the only real medium through which a piece of speculative fiction could be classified as objectively better than another piece of speculative fiction, then Brave New World IS superior to 1984. |
foreverendeared
10.16.11 | I like 1984 better, but there's no doubt that in terms of who was more accurate in portraying the future it's Huxley's BNW |
Cipieron
10.16.11 | Bret Easton Ellis -- American Psycho, Glamorama, Less Than Zero |
eternium
10.16.11 | 9 is depressing as shit. |
Cipieron
10.16.11 | depressingly awesome tho |
porch
10.16.11 | i'm halfway through volume 1 of runciman's history of the crusades. hilarious reading |
Cipieron
10.16.11 | @sonic -- hell yeah, he's one of my fav authors. I've read the three I put above and Rules of Attraction so far. Couldn't really get into Lunar Park, and I bought Imperial Bedrooms but haven't read it yet... hopefully it's a good follow up to LTZ. you read either of those two? worth it? |
Killerhit
10.16.11 | Yeah I agree with that |
iFghtffyrdmns
10.16.11 | 1 8 and 9 are all sweet, i kinda wanna read joyce but don't know if I'm up for that haha |
Vesper
10.16.11 | @lyon - You reminded me of this excellent, but disturbing, comic that compares the two: http://www.recombinantrecords.net/docs/2009-05-Amusing-Ourselves-to-Death.html
Also, I nearly punched some kids in my English class when they didn't understand the ending of Brave New World. |
foreverendeared
10.16.11 | "http://www.recombinantrecords.net/docs/2009-05-Amusing-Ourselves-to-Death.html"
Nice. Thanks for that. |
Electric City
10.16.11 | 1 is kind of shit
if youre intimidated by joyce, read dubliners. amazing collection of short stories |
foreverendeared
10.16.11 | Book lovers. www.goodreads.com
join up. Awesome site. |
Vesper
10.16.11 | No problem, forever.
The one funny part of that comic is Orwell's expression, and then it just gets increasingly depressing as you scroll down... |
Puzzles
10.16.11 | I'm not really too into reading fiction, I prefer autobiographies and philosophical type stuff. I've been known to read entire books of poetry though... |
lyon1535
10.16.11 | I think fiction is a medium through which philosophical ideas can be communicated. |
Puzzles
10.16.11 | Yeah but who can be bothered with all of that analysis and subconscious shit |
foreverendeared
10.16.11 | Fantastic philosophical novels:
Demain - Herman Hesse
The Stranger - Albert Camus
The Brothers Karamozov - Dostoevsky |
ZombicidalMan
10.16.11 | I much preferred BNW to 1984, but both books rule pretty hard.Just got sucked into BNW a little more. Currently reading Blood Meridian, Fight Club, Roadside Picnic, and looking for Trainspotting m/ |
ryu
02.15.16 | Steven Pressfield - Gates of Fire |
Asdfp277
02.15.16 | David Wong - John Dies at the End
Julio Cortázar - All Fires the Fire |
RadicalEd
02.15.16 | Hanya Yanagihara - A little Life
Dostoevsky - Crime and Punishment
Phillip Roth - American Pastoral |
Deathconscious
02.15.16 | "The Hunger Games (Complex, not an easy read)"
is this a joke? seriously asking. |
Deathconscious
02.15.16 | anyways, ive read Brave New World and three Hitchhiker books, all of which are awesome. i kind of want to read The Road, but i find i dont enjoy a book as much when ive already watched the movie its based off of. fantastic movie btw. |
RadicalEd
02.15.16 | "I'd say Brave New World >>>>>>>>>> 1984"
no |
Deathconscious
02.15.16 | "George Orwell's Nineteen Eighty-Four is my favorite book."
me too. i rarely can choose one favorite thing for anything, but 1984 is just so well written and so well thought out and ugh. ill be lucky if i ever become 1/10th as good as George Orwell. |
RadicalEd
02.15.16 | Can't decide on my favorite book. But 1984 would be among the top 10 for certain. |