jessicathehun

jessicathehun t1_j6e7loz wrote

Reply to comment by The_Red_Curtain in Have you ever felt this when reading a book? by RVG990104

I definitely see that point of view, but I was shocked at how much more fun it was when I shifted to the immersive experience. It was something about the vocabulary and structure, where it seemed every word and phrase was intended to make you feel something rather than think it. It helped that I had the lexicon to be able to capture the nuances without getting lost in analysis, too.

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jessicathehun t1_j6e6p5g wrote

Reply to comment by RVG990104 in Have you ever felt this when reading a book? by RVG990104

I’ve known for a long time that this is an unpopular opinion! People hold these authors in very high esteem, probably explicitly due to how challenging it is to read their work.

I read a lot of classics and various styles of literature, and for me there’s a stark difference between an author who’s able to move me with a powerful story vs. one who seems to be writing mostly for themselves. I’m glad literature seems to have mostly gotten over that style. It was an interesting trend but thankfully an ephemeral one.

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jessicathehun t1_j6b96rj wrote

Reply to comment by jessicathehun in Have you ever felt this when reading a book? by RVG990104

Oh, and I’ll echo someone else’s comment that this style of writing is also just kind of bad. I consider it sort of abusive to the reader. After Pynchon, I decided I never again needed to read some white guy banging on and showing off all the words he knows (sorry David Foster Wallace)

Edit: lol I forgot a basic rule: never tell book people you don’t like DFW

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jessicathehun t1_j6b8mfd wrote

Reply to Have you ever felt this when reading a book? by RVG990104

Yes, absolutely. I went through this reading Pynchon as well as James Joyce. The first time it happened was while reading Ulysses. I was struggling through it, trying hard to parse out the meanings and references… and then I just let go, stopped trying, and allowed the text to become like a sea of words I was floating on. I guess I believe that style of writing is meant to be instinctive and evocative, to make you feel, to activate your deeper instincts less so than your processing and analysis functions.

Could I tell you the plot of these books? No. Am I one of the few people I know who actually read them and didn’t give up in agony? Yes.

No idea what the authors would think of this approach, but it is truly a lovely experience! Glad you found your own way to connect and enjoy a very experimental text. Congratulations.

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