Chuck Palahniuk

I've always liked this author and read a lot of his work but it is just now dawning on me how he is pushing boundaries on modern literature. His writing is so edgy and dark. He wrote a story (Guts) that made 72 people faint when he read it at different book signings. That in itself is almost unheard of. I've only heard of the murder scene in Oliver Twist having that same affect on people. He writes these horrific scenes and takes the shock factor to an extreme level but still touches on modern issues and remains a great author.

I just wanted to know if there are any other Chuck fans here (No author forum for him unfortunately) because I would really like to discuss some of his books.

I really enjoyed fight club and his short story, Guts. Otherwise, I unfortunately haven't read a lot of his work.

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Originally Posted by Drkshadow03

I really enjoyed fight club and his short story, Guts. Otherwise, I unfortunately haven't read a lot of his work.

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I loved "Fight Club" but then when the movie came out I was extremely disappointed. They pretty much went in a totally different direction than he did and in my opinion made a book about downfalls in modern society and the imperfection of man into a macho man frat boys bible.
Yes as a male "guts" definately made me get a bit light headed when I read it.
I just finished "Haunted" (Guts is in this book) and loved it. By putting so many of his short stories into a bigger one he can jump from subject to subject and not lose the total plot. I suggest it if you want to read more of him.

I liked Fight Club but its been a while since I read it.

As far as pushing the boundaries, I think it's more about the fact that he is read, than that he is writing things otherwise unwritten. I've read A LOT of Avant Guard fiction from Creative Writing courses and I'm pretty sure at this point that NO boundary has not been crossed many times.

But interestingly, some of these ideas of what constitutes pushing boundaries are pretty socially constructed. Goethe's "The Sorrows of Young Werther" was pretty boundary pressing in its time and is cited with igniting MULTIPLE suicides. Some historians estimate that as many of 200 suicides took place as youths were affected by the dilemma of the young protagonist. I believe the author changed the ending in one edition.

My point is mostly that what is boundary-pushing is relative, and in this day in age nothing is really out of bounds so nothing is too boundary pressing.

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Originally Posted by Modest Proposal

I liked Fight Club but its been a while since I read it.

As far as pushing the boundaries, I think it's more about the fact that he is read, than that he is writing things otherwise unwritten. I've read A LOT of Avant Guard fiction from Creative Writing courses and I'm pretty sure at this point that NO boundary has not been crossed many times.

But interestingly, some of these ideas of what constitutes pushing boundaries are pretty socially constructed. Goethe's "The Sorrows of Young Werther" was pretty boundary pressing in its time and is cited with igniting MULTIPLE suicides. Some historians estimate that as many of 200 suicides took place as youths were affected by the dilemma of the young protagonist. I believe the author changed the ending in one edition.

My point is mostly that what is boundary-pushing is relative, and in this day in age nothing is really out of bounds so nothing is too boundary pressing.

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I've actually never heard of that book but I'll look into it for sure. I agree with you that now a days nothing is really out of bounds and there are plenty of authors out there that write for shock value. The thing I like about Chuck is that he can shock people with his normal writing style. And he does press on social issues. In some of his books there isn't a paragraph that doesn't leave your mouth hanging open and that's what I love and admire. He just touches on things that an average person would never think of and finds the horror in any average situation. Its not so much that he goes where no one has gone but that he finds it in everything.

I also really like hearing about where he gets his ideas. How his rather gruesome childhood (his father was murdered when he was very young) affects his writing. How he attends support groups to get ideas and even writes a book somewhat centered around support groups. He said his story "Guts" was a story he heard in a sex addicts group.

There are really a lot of factors that make me love his writing.

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Originally Posted by kevinthediltz

I've actually never heard of that book but I'll look into it for sure. I agree with you that now a days nothing is really out of bounds and there are plenty of authors out there that write for shock value. The thing I like about Chuck is that he can shock people with his normal writing style. And he does press on social issues. In some of his books there isn't a paragraph that doesn't leave your mouth hanging open and that's what I love and admire. He just touches on things that an average person would never think of and finds the horror in any average situation. Its not so much that he goes where no one has gone but that he finds it in everything.

I also really like hearing about where he gets his ideas. How his rather gruesome childhood (his father was murdered when he was very young) affects his writing. How he attends support groups to get ideas and even writes a book somewhat centered around support groups. He said his story "Guts" was a story he heard in a sex addicts group.

There are really a lot of factors that make me love his writing.

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I agree with you. What is incredible about Palahniuk is not just that he writes shocking things but that he does so in a way that doesn't alienate the average reader.

His sensationalism to me doesn't seem as driven by the publics desire, like some writer's work is, it more seems to be commenting on the society that so yearns for it.

I used to be a huge Palahniuk fan. In fact, one of my ex-girlfriend got me a signed copy of his documentary DVD 'pastcards from the future.'
But these days I'm kinda of cringing at what he writes. I read everything up to Rant, which was ok.
The problem I have with Chuck is that his stories aren't very well planned. On his fan site he even states that he never knows how a story will end until about half-way through. So that means he goes into it with some gross things that he knows he wants to include and runs with it and who cares if all the loose strings are tied up in the end or not.
All in all, though, I do love Lullaby, Diary and Survivor. Three great books. But you can definitely tell that the pressure of being in the spotlight has gotten to him over the years.

Also the 'Guts' thing was a publicity stunt.

I've a read a couple of books by Palahniuk, the two being "Choke" and "Survivor", and I immensely enjoyed both.

I have two of his other works sitting on my bookshelf that I've never got to yet ("Fight Club" and "Snuff").

I like Chuck Palahniuk, in small doses. I've read a few of his books (Invisible Monsters, Fight Club, Lullaby, Survivor, Diary, and the short story "Guts") and enjoyed them a lot: they're very entertaining.
My biggest complaint is that his stories are pretty formulaic, so usually when I read one it's more for just a fun read than to look for any serious literary merit.

th first rule of the Fight Club is?

Read an extract of an interview with him where he said how he liked picking fights for fun, which is what I'd call a yob, not a writer.

And quite frankly, all boundaries have been crossed in literature. Incest, bestiality, paedophilia, drugs, prostitution, serial killing, casual violence...I could go on.

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Originally Posted by dfloyd

th first rule of the Fight Club is?

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The first rule of Fight Club is also the second rule of Fight Club. And having just said that broke the rule itself..
:p

I've only watched and enjoyed the film (Fight Club) and am currently reading the book. I think he's fascinating and I'm looking forward to read more of his work.

I've read everything from Chuck, except his latest 'Tell All.' IMO, the wittiest contemporary satirist around. I could go on forever about him, but I'll limit myself to a few suggestions. READ 'Choke,' but DO NOT watch the movie. And, if you've seen the movie, don't let it disuade you from reading the book. Probably my second fav of his novels, but never should have been adapted for film. Read 'Survivor.' Let me say this again... EVERYONE SHOULD READ SURVIVOR!!!! It will undoubtebly go down as a classic, and should have been his next film adapation after FC. Don't start with his later novels. They are good, but you can't appreciate what he's doing until you are familiar with his earlier work. He doesn't want to keep writing the same novel over and over, so the stylistic shifts might be alarming for someone who doesn't appreciate the fact that true artists desire change. If you want all his novels to be 'Fight Club' you'll be dissapointed when you get to Lullaby and Diary. But, if you can appreciate bands who change their sound after hitting it big, you'll appreciate what he tries to do in his later works. Also, if you want to get a nice variety of his work, check out his collection of short stories (intertwined into a novel) called 'Haunted.' It's the next movie adaptation that will be realeased, so read it while you can. I have higher hopes for it than Choke though.