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Quentin's narrative was more difficult to get through than Benjy's. Both are abstract, but I understood the shifts in time easier than I did Quentin's flood of raw thought. When Faulkner abandons...

Willa Cather's My Antonia was dreadful for me.


I loved Moby-Dick, by the way.

Mourning Becomes Electra is absolutely tragic.


And while I don't find Dostoevsky's novels as depressing as the next man, I thought The Idiot was pretty heavy.

I've read Crime and Punishment, The Idiot, and I'm almost done with The Brothers Karamazov; and so far, I love Dostoevsky's work.

I was born in Eastern Europe and my first language was...

Herman Melville's seas in Moby-Dick. Melville effectively conveys the isolation and turmoil that is associated with open water to create a genuine mood for an expansive tale.

Charles Dickens's...

"Call me Ishmael."
- Herman Melville, Moby Dick


It is so simple and genuine, and so effective in establishing personal narrative.

The Brothers Karamazov

Its a journey, but a great novel.

Definately. I'd also add Fyodor Pavlovich. He always seems to be at the center of humor in the early parts of the book. Dostoevsky's attitude toward him is comical.


Captain Ahab, Moby-Dick...

A translation can be a measure of a work's potential. If we can read Dostoevsky's Crime and Punishment in translation by various people (and most of the time, these translations sound nothing alike)...

I think you have me and Desolation confused. haha


Hmmm, as far as Crime and Punishment, I read David McDuff's translation. At this point, I think its subpar compared to the Pevear/Volokhonsky...

The book I was actually referring to was The Brothers Karamazov. I thought the first 100 pages were just layered with tongue in cheek humor. One example is the opening description of Fyodor...

Native Son - Richard Wright
Invisible Man - Ralph W. Ellison

The latter is probably more apropos, but Native Son poses a more intriguing discussion. Bigger Thomas is so divested of individuality...

I started reading a bit more world literature in the past 3 or 4 months and I'm curious as to everyone's preferred translations/translators for their favorite books/authors.


Dostoevsky: I've...

Fyodor Dostoevsky towers slightly above George Orwell for me. His writing style is freelance genius and the works I have read from him thus far are markedly impressive. The Idiot is probably the most...

I would argue that you are incorrect. Although Huckleberry Finn is a universal work, the loss of innocence is not one of its themes.

I'm pleasently surprised to see Huckleberry Finn excluded from this discussion.

The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn (Twain)
Waiting for Godot (Beckett)
Invisible Man (Ellison)
Crime and Punishment (Dostoyevsky)
Oedipus Rex (Sophocles)
To A God Unknown (Steinbeck)
The Great...

I'm reading it right now and, I've got to say, her and Ganya annoy me to no end.

First off, I would like to say that I LOVED Moby-Dick. Its quite possibly my favorite novel, on level with Dostoyevsky's Crime and Punishment. Many readers lambast it for its long chapters on marine...

Pyotr Petrovich Luhzin from Crime and Punishment. I hated how arrogant and sleazy he was. I found Svidrigailov an interesting character so I didn't really hate him, despite the fact that he is the...

hahahahah

I've been a Kierkegaard fan for a while now and will finally start to read Fear and Trembling in a week or so. First book I would be reading by him.


Anyone read them some Kierkegaard? I'd like...

Wow. lol


Your question's like asking for water in the middle of the Pacific Ocean. You gotta at least narrow it down for us, what do you want to talk about?

The greatest tragedy I've read has to be Mourning Becomes Electra by Eugene O'Neill. Not only as far as being tragic in nature, but also as a work. I never thought of "tragedies" as being that...

If you like films, a few plays would be interesting reads:

Mourning Becomes Electra by Eugene O'Neill
The Crucible by Arthur Miller


Two American plays that are really gripping.