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I finished the book, and I loved it. Which of his books should I read next?
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Mar 23, 2016 18:48
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BattyKiara posted:I finished the book, and I loved it. Which of his books should I read next? The Prague Cemetery feels a bit like Pendulum for babies to me, but it's pretty good on its own and a much simpler book. anilEhilated fucked around with this message at 19:52 on Mar 23, 2016 |
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Mar 23, 2016 19:50
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Hieronymous Alloy posted:Need suggestions for next month. High-Rise by JG Ballard, as the movie's just come out.
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Mar 24, 2016 10:15
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I'd like to suggest Crimson Petal and the White, by Michael Faber.
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Mar 24, 2016 22:59
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mcustic posted:I may be a little off topic, but one of the great things about Focault's Pendulum for me was how it described Italian post WW2 politics on the margins of the main plot. Not as markedly as The Name of the Rose does with medieval Italian politics, but it was there. Definitely, the ending after the events of the main story end is what really makes it. For me, the parts that dragged in Foucault's Pendulum are the middle parts, where they are constructing the mythos. The whole chapter that's just a chronology I basically skimmed, but even then the sheer amount of stuff like that elsewhere in the book makes it impressive. I don't think I know that much about anything and probably never will. Eco tends to be very daunting as a writer, which is what I think about often as I read, since I am an insane egomaniac
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Mar 25, 2016 04:38
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Zesty Mordant posted:Definitely, the ending after the events of the main story end is what really makes it. For me, the parts that dragged in Foucault's Pendulum are the middle parts, where they are constructing the mythos. The whole chapter that's just a chronology I basically skimmed, but even then the sheer amount of stuff like that elsewhere in the book makes it impressive. I don't think I know that much about anything and probably never will. Eco tends to be very daunting as a writer, which is what I think about often as I read, since I am an insane egomaniac That one bit about escapism by making history explode around you is amazingly powerful - might be just me being a goon but he caught that feeling perfectly.
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Mar 25, 2016 12:10
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For next month book recommendation s it really helps if you say something about the book and why you're recommending it.
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Mar 25, 2016 15:53
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Hieronymous Alloy posted:For next month book recommendation s it really helps if you say something about the book and why you're recommending it. From wikipedia: quote:Perfume: The Story of a Murderer is a 1985 literary historical cross-genre novel (originally published in German as Das Parfum) by German writer Patrick Süskind. The novel explores the sense of smell and its relationship with the emotional meaning that scents may carry. It is a story of identity, communication and the morality of the human spirit. and from the New York Times Book Review: quote:PATRICK SUSKIND'S novel is a book of smells - the odors of history, in fact - and on the first page 18th-century Paris is anatomized into its component stinks. In its most fetid spot, beside a mephitic cemetery and beneath a fish stall, the hero of ''Perfume,'' Jean-Baptiste Grenouille, is born. But the point, the miraculous point, is that he has no smell at all. He is an orphan whose absence of body odor turns him, also, into an outcast - both damned and blessed, pariah and magician. This is one of my favorite books ever, and one of the reasons for that is it completely opened my mind to the realm of smell, which I had never really considered before. It's beautifully written, and taking place in 18th century France it cross sects with a lot of interesting history. Of all the books I've read it's totally totally unique in it's ability to draw you into the story by manipulating your memories of smells. Süskind is able to place you right there with the characters by utilizing a sense that gets neglected in almost all forms of media, probably because it's one of the hardest to communicate and the most ethereal to grasp, but Süskind transcends any of the perceived obstacles between the page and the reader. It's an amazing story, with amazing characters. I really can't recommend it enough.
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Mar 25, 2016 17:55
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I saw the film adaptation of Perfume, which was one of the most pretentious pieces of garbage I've ever seen. Doesn't mean much regarding the novel I just like talking about how Perfume is such a hugely lovely movie.
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Mar 26, 2016 08:19
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knees of putty posted:I'd like to suggest Crimson Petal and the White, by Michael Faber. Faber seems to be able to communicate the underlying stresses of community and relationships. I've read under the skin and book of strange new things, and both were in the Atwood tradition of literary sci-fi and rather brilliant. Crimson Petal and the White is a different genre entirely, being talked about as a Victorian/Dickensian novel using the voice of the 21st C. I think Faber's background of Dutch/Austrialian/Scottish gives him a particular perspective of live unrooted in one location and more able to speak about universal values, whilst being able to drive a plot along.
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Mar 26, 2016 11:55
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I thought Perfume was absolutely garbage to be honest, although I have to confess I did not finish it. My main complaint is that the author thinks his readers are stupid so he explains everything. Instead of "this guy managed to find this hidden thing" you have "this guy managed to find this hidden thing, you see, he has extremely good sense of smell, so he could smell that hidden thing and find it while other people wouldn't have been able to find it, as normal people's sense of smell is not as good as the sense of smell of this guy". And that every single time his sense of smell matters (hint: a lot). Or that's how I remember it anyway, as a good example of how not to do "show, don't tell". For a recommendation, I still think Elena Ferrante's "My Brilliant Friend" would be ok, as there seem to plenty of people who have read it already and found it extremely good. (me including) We'd have an Italian author two months in a row though. edit: we could also discuss her view of "a book does not need its author after it's written". By the way, I read the name of the rose a year ago, it was pretty good, but I didn't really believe/understand the motivation of the bad guy. Walh Hara fucked around with this message at 19:43 on Mar 26, 2016 |
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Mar 26, 2016 19:41
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He's arguing that spreading humor that's been approved by authority would destroy the world as they knows it, living the medieval way. It was an awfully serious age. He's got a point there; totalitarian regimes really don't take political jokes well. anilEhilated fucked around with this message at 19:52 on Mar 26, 2016 |
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Mar 26, 2016 19:50
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I've been slacking off, but I enjoyed the ruminations on the outcasts of society. And I don't know what it is in English, but probably my favourite quote: "Do not believe in reforms of humanity when they're being discussed in courts and curias." BravestOfTheLamps fucked around with this message at 11:15 on Mar 27, 2016 |
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Mar 27, 2016 01:08
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Walh Hara posted:I thought Perfume was absolutely garbage to be honest, although I have to confess I did not finish it. My main complaint is that the author thinks his readers are stupid so he explains everything. Instead of "this guy managed to find this hidden thing" you have "this guy managed to find this hidden thing, you see, he has extremely good sense of smell, so he could smell that hidden thing and find it while other people wouldn't have been able to find it, as normal people's sense of smell is not as good as the sense of smell of this guy". And that every single time his sense of smell matters (hint: a lot). Or that's how I remember it anyway, as a good example of how not to do "show, don't tell". This whole post is blasphemy
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Mar 28, 2016 04:32
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I was a lame baby and didn't get a poll up in time (we really needed more suggestions anyway) so next will probably be Kipling's Plain Tales from the Hills unless lightning strikes and changes my mind. It's very well-written, very controversial so hopefully will spark good discussion, mostly short stories so easy to digest, and free to download. (Those of you who suggested, don't worry, I'll remember your suggestions for the next poll).
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Mar 31, 2016 17:29
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Walh Hara posted:
I think it's a motivation that makes sense from the vantage point of the medieval monk. It's also about fundamentally different views of the purpose of knowledge (Jorge's sermon is on point here, where he says all knowledge is already revealed in the Bible and everything else is either a gloss on that or unnecessary, vs William 's view as the dawn of scientific, analytical reasoning).. And on a metatextual level, we can look at the library as representative of worldly knowledge, and the conflict as about two attitudes towards the use and purpose of knowledge, but I'm kinda reflexively suspicious of purely symbolic readings like that, they seem too pat, even when the book is written by a semiotician.
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Mar 31, 2016 17:37
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So we're going from an Englishman in historical Italy to an Englishman in historical India? I like it. Almost finished the Name of the Rose, and it's giving me a serious Warhammer vibe. Was it ever cited as inspiration for the fluff?
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Mar 31, 2016 17:41
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BattyKiara posted:I finished the book, and I loved it. Which of his books should I read next? Probably Foucault's Pendulum. It's a more challenging read but still a good exciting story. Basically Foucault's Pendulum is to Dan Brown as Kurosawa is to Michael Bay.
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Mar 31, 2016 20:42
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An interesting article about how Eco inspired open-world games: https://killscreen.com/articles/umberto-eco-and-his-legacy-in-open-world-games/quote:The Name of the Rose was built around a similar twist of interpretation. A monk detective hypothesizes that a series of unconnected murders in an abbey are being inspired by the events of the Seven Days of Revelation. But when he voices this erroneous theory, another monk is inspired to see the pattern through to its bloody end. This marks a common theme in both Eco’s fiction and his philosophical work: our interpretations of the world are necessary tools for making sense of it, but fixing onto these beliefs as if they revealed the true nature of things can be dangerous. The world is always more chaotic than the order our closed systems of signs impose.
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Apr 5, 2016 15:52
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I wonder if Eco ever read a CYOA book.
anilEhilated fucked around with this message at 16:56 on Apr 5, 2016 |
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Apr 5, 2016 16:48
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anilEhilated posted:I wonder if Eco ever read a CYOA book. Not only did he read one, he wrote one -- Foucault's Pendulum. You just have to study it really carefully to see the branch points and page directions.
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Apr 5, 2016 19:51
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tetrapyloctomy posted:Not only did he read one, he wrote one -- Foucault's Pendulum. You just have to study it really carefully to see the branch points and page directions. Is this some kind of a meta joke meant to waste all of my free time for the next few weeks?
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Apr 5, 2016 21:41
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mcustic posted:Is this some kind of a meta joke meant to waste all of my free time for the next few weeks?
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Apr 5, 2016 21:56
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mcustic posted:Is this some kind of a meta joke meant to waste all of my free time for the next few weeks? It's in there. It just takes some work to find. Amazing Eco was able to do it, but it's undeniable.
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Apr 8, 2016 09:29
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tetrapyloctomy posted:It's in there. It just takes some work to find. Amazing Eco was able to do it, but it's undeniable. Hope I make it before Winds of Winter is published.
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Apr 8, 2016 16:13
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tetrapyloctomy posted:It's in there. It just takes some work to find. Amazing Eco was able to do it, but it's undeniable. Elaborate, drat your eyes.
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Apr 8, 2016 20:15
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mdemone posted:Elaborate, drat your eyes. Diotallevi posted:If this machine give you the truth immediately, you would not recognize it, because your heart would not have been purified by the long quest. Edit: I suppose that's not fair -- I needed prompting and a little help before the patterns made any sense. PM me and I'll get you started. tetrapyloctomy fucked around with this message at 21:17 on Apr 8, 2016 |
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Apr 8, 2016 20:51
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Could you just post some starting hint here? I'm interested as well and don't have PMs.
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Apr 8, 2016 22:08
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The secret is in the numbers.
Hieronymous Alloy fucked around with this message at 22:44 on Apr 8, 2016 |
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Apr 8, 2016 22:30
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Start with:Foucault's Pendulum posted:"I am remembering now (as I remembered then) in order to make sense out of the chaos of that misguided creation of ours ..." If that's not enough, then in addition to the actual written numbers, it's important to correlate the relationship between letters and numbers in Kaballah with the ten Sefirot. Once I got that straightened out it made a lot more sense. This is more than enough to get it started; it's all I told mdemone and the furthest I'll elaborate here, since the earlier quote from Diotavelli really is correct.
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Apr 9, 2016 01:27
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So, my copy of this has arrived from Book Depository just today. Sigh.
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Apr 9, 2016 01:42
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anilEhilated posted:Could you just post some starting hint here? I'm interested as well and don't have PMs. I imagine it has something to do with the 22 paths of the Tree of Life, which connect the sephiroth from #10 Malkuth up to #1 Kether. Each path is represented by a letter in the Hebrew alphabet, which is in turn also a number.
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Apr 9, 2016 02:09
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Well, there goes the rest of this year.
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Apr 9, 2016 09:14
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anilEhilated posted:Well, there goes the rest of this year. You could spend the rest of your life studying the qabalah. The whole point of it is that you can bend and twist just about anything to fit within it.
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Apr 9, 2016 14:03
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Yeah, Pendulum has some points to make about that. I mainly meant it as a commentary at my limited puzzle-solving abilities. Still, discovering a new facet of a book I love should be highly enjoyable.
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Apr 9, 2016 15:59
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Well that was pretty fun to read. I know he claims in the postscript that he just wanted to write a good story, but I really enjoyed the ongoing debate around semiotics, nominalism and science/belief. The fear when Gui arrived was palpable - a frightening parenthesis, but kind of amusing also that he disappears almost immediately after the trial, basically shrugging his shoulders about anything else once he'd got his men. I did rather like the joke about him essentially creating the motive for the murders as a byproduct of his hypotheses and when the abbey burns, Jorge wins, despite William understanding everything.
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Apr 10, 2016 22:17
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The last several weeks have been completely hosed as far as reading time goes, but I finally finished this. On the positive side I got to savour it in small chunks. It must be twenty years or more since the first time I read this book, over ten years since the last time, and I've held it as my "if I had to pick just one favourite book..." all along. This reread has done absolutely nothing to change that, what a complete pleasure it was to revisit. Furthermore I've studied some Latin and stuff in the intervening time and this definitely did not hurt either.
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Apr 14, 2016 08:50
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