What's Your "No Turning Back" Point?

[Audley Strange]

Joyce is tough, very tough. I've read both Ulysses and Finnegans' Wake several times and to be honest find the latter a more enjoyable work. However I'm not sure it's either fair on the reader or Joyce to consider him a "storyteller" in the literary sense. Rather than some kind of avante guard Escher style sculptor who used words as his medium, sort of. He's pretty unique, but I understand why people find him rubbish and impenetrable.

[hadespussercats]

Life's too short to read anything I'm not enjoying if it's something I'm reading for leisure. I've quit books twenty pages from the end because I realized I didn't care enough to finish.

All that build up for no climax?

Literary blue balls.

I forced myself to read The House of the Dead. It was torturous with brief moments of enjoyment.

Sometimes you can tell the climax isn't coming, and you just want to get over it and go to sleep.

[hadespussercats]

Joyce is tough, very tough. I've read both Ulysses and Finnegans' Wake several times and to be honest find the latter a more enjoyable work. However I'm not sure it's either fair on the reader or Joyce to consider him a "storyteller" in the literary sense. Rather than some kind of avante guard Escher style sculptor who used words as his medium, sort of. He's pretty unique, but I understand why people find him rubbish and impenetrable.

I have an online friend who adores Ulysses. She did a great extensive write up once about her relationship with the book.

One thing she said about it that I found interesting was that she wishes more people would pay attention to that Joyce quote about him dreading that anyone take that book too seriously. She reads it with an eye for comedy, and an eye for word games.

I've only got 20 pages down in that one so far. Even with lightheartedness in mind, I need more focus than I can give that book these days.

I'm re-reading Middlemarch instead. It is even better the second time.

[devogue]

I'm currently reading Hemmingway's "For whom the bell tolls".

Awful, turgid, but strangely compelling prose. I keep meaning to give up, but I slog through each chapter.

For fuck's sake, just blow the cunting bridge up and shag the bird you annoying American cunt.

[orpheus]

Joyce is tough, very tough. I've read both Ulysses and Finnegans' Wake several times and to be honest find the latter a more enjoyable work. However I'm not sure it's either fair on the reader or Joyce to consider him a "storyteller" in the literary sense. Rather than some kind of avante guard Escher style sculptor who used words as his medium, sort of. He's pretty unique, but I understand why people find him rubbish and impenetrable.

Big Joyce fan here. And I agree with you about the Wake being more enjoyable. One reason may be something JJ himself said: "I think I may have oversystemetized Ulysses." It's such a rigorously structured novel, and the correspondences (Homeric and internal) are so consciously thought out.

But the Wake is a different animal altogether. Despite its reputation, it's in some ways an easier book. It's impossible to finish it, of course, but it's a "funferal", as JJ said. It's much looser than Ulysses, and the correspondences and references are much more freewheeling. (More multi-faceted and deeper, as a result, I think.)

People say Finnegans Wake is "stream of consciousness", but it's not. Molly Bloom's soliloquy at the end of Ulysses may be "stream of consciousness". But in the Wake he achieves something much more magical, I think: stream of unconsciousness.

[orpheus]

In general, I'm very willing to stick it out to the end and give authors a chance. My old friend, composer Bernard Rands, expresses my general attitude very well here, in talking about listening to new or unfamiliar music:

[SteveB]

I made it through Wizard's First Rule by Terry Goodkind (HOLY FUCK, DO NOT READ!) It was a bigger accomplishment than the Greeks defeating the Persians at Plataea, if I say so myself.

I think I said before in this forum that I couldn't make it through the long version of Robinson Crusoe and Moll Flanders--both Daniel Defoe books. Not much guilt after I had given up tho. I gave up around half-way through for both.

Bah. that is an awesome series. You obviously have no taste in fantasy

Yes, the predictable plot and random S&M is fucking riveting! The protagonist is a farmboy, who learns he has superpowers and the big baddie antagonist is the father of protagonist (Luke, I am your father!). Jesus Christ, dude! How the fuck can you like that dreck? Not to the mention the bullshit libertarian themes!

DO NOT WANT!

[Svartalf]

I read non-fiction almost exclusively, so there are a lot of books in my collection that are not necessarily meant to be read front to back. With technical books I stop usually when I realize I'm lacking too much prerequisite knowledge to continue to get anything useful from the book. I don't feel guilty about that and often enough it means --if I'm interested-- finding other books to fill in the gaps. I have plenty of books that I don't even attempt to read yet. Still, there is the occasional (okay, more than occasional) oh my god I'm an idiot factor which is probably worse than guilt.

I just remembered a book that I do feel dumb about not finishing. I didn't even start it really, and there is no excuse. It was a gift from my mother-in-law and apparently she knows me well. It is essentially a coffee table book of plans for homemade projectiles and their launchers. How could I neglect to read that? -asshole


edited: Confuseduled point of no return

I've read plenty books labelled as "non fiction", that recounted mostly fictional stuff.

[Audley Strange]

Joyce is tough, very tough. I've read both Ulysses and Finnegans' Wake several times and to be honest find the latter a more enjoyable work. However I'm not sure it's either fair on the reader or Joyce to consider him a "storyteller" in the literary sense. Rather than some kind of avante guard Escher style sculptor who used words as his medium, sort of. He's pretty unique, but I understand why people find him rubbish and impenetrable.

Big Joyce fan here. And I agree with you about the Wake being more enjoyable. One reason may be something JJ himself said: "I think I may have oversystemetized Ulysses." It's such a rigorously structured novel, and the correspondences (Homeric and internal) are so consciously thought out.

But the Wake is a different animal altogether. Despite its reputation, it's in some ways an easier book. It's impossible to finish it, of course, but it's a "funferal", as JJ said. It's much looser than Ulysses, and the correspondences and references are much more freewheeling. (More multi-faceted and deeper, as a result, I think.)

People say Finnegans Wake is "stream of consciousness", but it's not. Molly Bloom's soliloquy at the end of Ulysses may be "stream of consciousness". But in the Wake he achieves something much more magical, I think: stream of unconsciousness.

Slight derail Heh. I've read some various theories about that. I have my own. Ulysses is a map of Dublin and its citizens on one day. Finnegan's Wake charts the course of the Liffey through the entire history of the Irish and the dreams of one sleeping man.

[Audley Strange]

Joyce is tough, very tough. I've read both Ulysses and Finnegans' Wake several times and to be honest find the latter a more enjoyable work. However I'm not sure it's either fair on the reader or Joyce to consider him a "storyteller" in the literary sense. Rather than some kind of avante guard Escher style sculptor who used words as his medium, sort of. He's pretty unique, but I understand why people find him rubbish and impenetrable.

Big Joyce fan here. And I agree with you about the Wake being more enjoyable. One reason may be something JJ himself said: "I think I may have oversystemetized Ulysses." It's such a rigorously structured novel, and the correspondences (Homeric and internal) are so consciously thought out.

But the Wake is a different animal altogether. Despite its reputation, it's in some ways an easier book. It's impossible to finish it, of course, but it's a "funferal", as JJ said. It's much looser than Ulysses, and the correspondences and references are much more freewheeling. (More multi-faceted and deeper, as a result, I think.)

People say Finnegans Wake is "stream of consciousness", but it's not. Molly Bloom's soliloquy at the end of Ulysses may be "stream of consciousness". But in the Wake he achieves something much more magical, I think: stream of unconsciousness.

Slight derail Heh. I've read some various theories about that. I have my own. Ulysses is a map of Dublin and its citizens on one day. Finnegan's Wake charts the course of the Liffey through the entire history of the Irish and the dreams of one sleeping man.

[orpheus]

Nice.

[hadespussercats]

Villette is what I usually list as my favorite book. But I'm remembering that the first time through, I was underwhelmed by the opening chapter. if I weren't reading it on the advice of a friend, I might have quit there. So, so glad I didn't.

Anna, To Kill A Mockingbird was my favorite book in high school. I haven't re-read it in a long time, but I'm guessing it would hold up. I hope someday you feel in the mood to give that one another go, because it might be worth it to you. And I'm a huge Austen fan, so of course I'm going to recommend P and P (there hasn't been a film yet that has done it justice, and soooo many have tried.) Although Persuasion is my favorite Austen-- a little richer, a lot fewer laughs, but lovely.

[Bella Fortuna]

Oh, the Brontes. Long time since I read them. Dang..... I used to read so much.

So I quit the DuMaurier and have started a novel by Dawn Powell... hopefully it will go better.

[hadespussercats]

Oh, the Brontes. Long time since I read them. Dang..... I used to read so much.

So I quit the DuMaurier and have started a novel by Dawn Powell... hopefully it will go better.

The only Dumaurier I ever read was Rebecca. My effeminate heterosexual 8th grade English teacher (Why does everyone assume I'm GAY??? )assigned it every year-- I think because he was in love with the film.

I used to read at Anna's pace. Now it takes me forever to get through something-- a page or two a night before I pass out. Another reason I quit books fast if they don't hold me-- I literally can't read them. I fall asleep on the same sentence again and again.

[Bella Fortuna]

Exactly what happens to me - I don't have the time or discipline to read for hours a day like I once did, so it's usually before bed - for about three minutes before my eyes droop.

I look at the library I've amassed sometimes in wonder because I've read a great deal of what I have, and used to buy books prodigiously, dozens and dozens a year. Now I don't, not just because I don't have any money, but because I just can't get back the pace I used to have.