In a way the bankruptcy was declared. Not by writers pushing "Art is Art" rather publishers pushing "Everything is Art". It became easier to market, distribute and convince a Zeitgeist transformed by lower attention spans and desire to be seen more than live of it. The writer has moved on leaving the act orphaned in the eyes of general reader, which is according to them a great thing. The act of communication has become easier and less 'dense'. Everything needs to be fun, so we have a circus that's falls apart regularly being called genuine attempt at Art.
What a beautiful channel you have here! Pynchon changed my brain chemistry nearly 20 years ago, and I revisit GR, like Seth does, a lot. I still haven't got to the 'end' of it, in terms of using up its inspirational, philosophical, and emotive powers. I think that makes it a pretty great book, and I'm heartened that people keep coming back to it despite the challenge, even now. As much as that fetishisation of 'big brainy books' can be kinda silly, people *never* know what they're really getting in for with this book - it has a habit of cracking people open, either in an aesthetic sense, or an intellectual one, or even an emotional one (despite some people's idea of it being 'unfeeling'). It's so cool to see a podcast that really seems dedicated to solid, long, and open conversations about great books. Big fan!
If I can oversimplify it, the book is basically saying that you live through your karma through generations until someone in your bloodline manages to do the right thing and break the cycle. Lee is like the invisible hand of God trying to teach the readers that everything is in their own hands.
You guys have so incisively dissected this book, its themes, characters, etc. Especially loved the dialogue about the exploration of language as both a tool and a constraint. Also, the interpretation of Malina through Jung's anima and animus framework. Genius!! I can't wait to read the book this year. Thank you! :)
Sadly my favorite comment was the off the cuff suggestion that the Mercedes represented the threshold between social classes. She got quite the warm welcome. Also really liked the bit about the Maccabees, it never came to mind. Great video.
Thank you very much for all of these videos on Proust. I finished The Search a few months ago in French and it's been amazing to see someone analyze the work volume by volume in my native language. Many of your favorite quotes were the same as mine, but I must say it was epic to hear them in English, it's safe to say that the images came out in much sharper relief in English as my French isn't native. It's interesting to compare which volumes you preferred in contrast to what seems to be considered the best in France. For instance, the second volume won the Goncourt prize in 1919, not the first. Nowadays, apparently French people don't read Proust because the first volume is considered unreadable, at least until the section about The Love of Swann. My favorites were the second and seventh volume(The prisoner and Albertine Disappeared as published separately in French), but I do see your argument for the sixth, the meditations there are phenomenal. To be honest, I think the seventh volume in the greatest book I've ever read. There's nothing online like this. Most reviews focus on the madeleine without recognizing that three better(in my opinion) involuntary memories will be triggered in the seventh volume. Thank you so much!
Thank you so much for such a thoughtful response. Wish we knew French to compare and to hear and comprehend some of the quotes at least. Intreating to hear about the different books as they are perceived in France, both today and in the past. I (David) agree that the final book is probably the greatest, but you need to know all the others to truly appreciate it.
Contrast between Dahfu who is imprisoned by his royal circumstance and Henderson who is free to globetrot struck me, with both trying hard to “become” within the constraints of their circumstances. Dahfu has to stay home and please his wives, Henderson abandons his family to go to Africa, Dahfu has to replace and then capture his father in the form of a lion, Henderson runs away when his father got abusive (while consumed with grief over the death of his other son), rejecting any responsibility to his family; but, Dahfu essentially trapped Henderson by tricking him into becoming Sungo and thus his heir, finally pinning Henderson the runner down for a bit, in which time he is again forced to face death and loss again, as with his brother long ago; Henderson gets so many chances at redemption after repeated failures. It’s his commitment to keep trying and his fortitude to survive his trials that gives him a chance at ultimately awakening from his spiritual sleep. Not a continuous train of thought but lots of thoughts on the Rain King! Also, Eugene Henderson (EH) who frequently threatens to blow his brains out and Ernest Hemingway (EH) who made good on one such threat…not the only parallel between Papa and the protagonist.
I've read it in German. For me personally the main message was: however f*cked up you feel, you still got a voice and you should not be afraid to use it. Her language got even more intensity for me by the parts read in this video. It can be so pleasantly overwhelming.
I had finally pulled the trigger on a bucket list item and bought a first edition first print of GR. I love this book and sadly, it wont reach its proper place of honor in culture again until after Pynchon is gone.
2:15 Salinas is not in the Central Valley. 2:27 Grampa Cyrus Trask, Son Adam, Grandsons Caleb and Aaron. That's three generations, not two. Not off to a great start.
Thank you for the video! I’d recommend books by Stefan Zweig, like Chess Story or Post Office Girl. His stories always make good use of each word and are well structured.
A fucked guy but a great artist nonetheless, I really enjoyed the opportunity to get a look into his mind as an artist and at his process. Great video all-around especially the analysis of this book!
Most people are "fucked up guy(s)" you just don't hear rumors about it or care, because you shouldn't. I hate that people have to preface their praise for his artistry with this statement, as if morally situating yourself means or does anything.
@@gameshark0703 No it has nothing to do with that I really love his music and the fact he is a piece of shit shows that the humanity in his music is real and compelling yet at the same time he is, that is just a fact of the matter I believe that art should be enjoyed in a over all sense of what the artist wants and what people will percieve from who they are, its a kind of dualistic death of the artist where the artist doesnt really die, but all extra context should also be acknowledged, because it just creates extra depthness in the art, I don't see any problem in doing so, if you'd want that to be completely put asside then his actions shouldn't have happened in the first place but it did and as you said it does to a bunch of other people but I don't care about this other people I care about Alexis as an artist. Also yes morality matters lol?! And he isn't the only artist I love that has done fucked shit, what matters to me is the context that this gives to the artist's art because it does, specially when its real and human music that is trying to convey a persons view on the world ofc all of this matters, I never said that it should be banned or censored, I don't believe in that shit, just saying that context matters and if you wanna ignore that, then do that's your own problem not mine because I still appreciate the art maybe even more than you do.
Big fan of moiré. The most frequent places I’ve seen a moiré in a car, driving towards an overpass/walkway with fencing on both sides. You could say I amore a moiré
I haven't finish watching this video, but uh, the picture of the book's cover you showed in the video is actually the Chinese version of The Box Man, not the Japanese version.
@@booksosubstance This is really a very good video, last month i was trying to find some novel ideas to finish my essay on THE BOX MAN, and now i finished it. The main idea of my essay is that the whole book is a mind game of this guy who is writing the note under his box, and the whole game can be restored to three basic "transformations" of the box man's schizophrenic mind, a bit like SATANTANGO actually. Haven't decide whether i should translate it to English or not, but if you're interested, just leave me an email address.
@@booksosubstance This is really a very good video, last month i was trying to find some novel ideas to finish my essay on THE BOX MAN, and now i finished it. The main idea of my essay is that the whole book is a mind game of this guy who is writing the note under his box, and the whole game can be restored to three basic "transformations" of the box man's schizophrenic mind, a bit like SATANTANGO actually. Haven't decide whether i should translate it to English or not, but if you're interested, just leave an email address.
I read the "I was so high when I wrote this (a stack of papers he had thrown down on the table) that I no longer know what it means" in Jules Siegle's LINELAND. Great discussion, thanks.
"Should"? Perhaps. It is written exactly as it is. For some, that feels uneven. For others, perfection. Either way, hell of damn piece of writing from the brilliant, Mr. Gass.
Love your podcast and this channel! One nuance of the Chinese title I want to add, ‘fallen city’ refers to the kind of beauty that would topple a city in traditional Chinese (think Hellen of Troy). On top of that, the love story that ‘topples a city’ is also an allegory of the challenge to traditional values in this work. May I suggest ‘To Live’ by Hua Yu for your podcast. I’d love to hear what you guys have to say.
Thank you! Coincidentally I just picked up GR again, having stopped about 400 pages in the first time around. Just reading 1 to 3 pages a day this time around, the survival shuffle to the finish line. Trained in 18th century lit, lotsa weirdness there, but not a fan of the big post moderns (to date) except The Tunnel.
