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Has anyone else read this? I just finished it and my head is still spinning. Just curious as to other's thoughts.
Drie - www.synestheticlight.com
"In the absence of the living, there still exists a life." |
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Posted by Drie
Has anyone else read this? I just finished it and my head is still spinning. Just curious as to other's thoughts.
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I have it.
Just haven't read it.
Tried to. But it wasn't the right time.
Nothing Satisfies Like Beef! |
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its a hard read. It took me like three weeks, and i'm a book every few days person.
Drie - www.synestheticlight.com
"In the absence of the living, there still exists a life." |
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Posted by Drie
its a hard read. It took me like three weeks, and i'm a book every few days person.
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I found with this text that once you get past the basic typography quirks that it is a rather easy read. It's short too, given all that space taken up with formatting.
Personally, I don't feel that it is ground breaking. It is an interesting read, but as far as a great work of literature goes, well, I'm still out on that one. It has been years now since I read it, but from what I remember I wasn't as excited about it as the person who suggested it to me. All the interesting typography in the world can't make up for some quality writing. Of course, I'm not saying that it wasn't 'quality', just that Danielewski is no Robert Pirsig.
Currently I have a dreadfully long list of texts that I'm working my way through and from what I remember HoL is not something that I'm willing to spend the time rereading. Paradise Lost on the other hand...
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Hmm.
I read it about three years ago. I thought it was interesting, but nowhere near as interesting as some of the reviews I had read that prompted me to buy it.
I had a hard time getting into it at first. But I think that was due to other things going on at the time. But after that it was a pretty quick read. Although I had to force myself to finish it. After 3/4 of the way through I kind of lost interest.
Also, I believe The Whalestoe Letters is a sequel of sorts.
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I have heard this novel mentioned so many times that I think it will be the next thing I read. From what I understand its formating takes cues from Jacques Derrida and nods towards archaic literature and obscure passages. I have been fascinated with the unconventional use of footnotes which is apparently very prominent in this book. Also I have been really interested in type face and formating as visual art.
Perhaps House of Leaves will be like Derrida for the less intellectually inclined. I tried reading Dissemination and couldn't get over the fact that the first chapter titled Hors Livre: Outwork, Hors D'Oeuvre, Extratext, Foreplay, Bookend, Facing * Prefacing is actually 59 pages discussing the philosophy and ethical implications of a book preface. I guess in the end I hate it when the French show a stronger grasp of English than I have. I hope House of Leaves treats me with a bit more kindness.
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I tried to read it, but the regular story about the film was way too interesting, so I started skipping the footnotes, and then just gave up on it when I lost interest.
There is hopeful symbolism in the fact that flags do not wave in a vacuum. -Arthur C. Clarke |
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I usually tell people it's a book about a book about a movie about a house that's bigger on the inside than it is on the outside. Even though it was slightly difficult to read, I enjoyed it, because it gave me the same feling as when I read "The Yellow Wallpaper".
I envy paranoids; they actually feel people are paying attention to them.
-Susan Sontag
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I have about 150 pages left. I haven't had any trouble reading it so far. It certainly is different though. I like it.
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I read it, and thought it was a lot more style than substance. What could have been a really cool story I felt was lost in a ridiculous, pointless, "look at me! See how quirky and off-beat I am!" style. But that's just, like, my opinion, man.
“We are not going to have the kind of cooperation we need if everyone insists on their own narrow version of reality. … the great divide in the world today … is between people who have the courage to listen and those who are convinced that they already know it all.”
-Madeline Albright |
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Who is it by?
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For HoL lawls http://xkcd.com/472/
I envy paranoids; they actually feel people are paying attention to them.
-Susan Sontag
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Posted by snap228
Who is it by?
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The book is by a whole bunch of people. From what I remember one person would write a section, then pass it on for others to continue. The final version was just edited.
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Posted by snap228
Who is it by?
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Danielewski, Mark Z is listed as the author on my local library's web site. The full title listed is: Mark Z. Danielewski's House of leaves / by Zampano ; with introduction and notes by Johnny Truant.
I think Zampano and Johnny Truant might be fictitious. Danielewski also wrote a book called Only Revolutions, which also purports to be by multiple people.
“We are not going to have the kind of cooperation we need if everyone insists on their own narrow version of reality. … the great divide in the world today … is between people who have the courage to listen and those who are convinced that they already know it all.”
-Madeline Albright |
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i've read it, and it is one of my favorites.
it is written my Danielewski and is an experimental novel. he writes it from the perspective of multiple (fictitious) characters and narrators, and it heavily uses mixed media images to create atmosphere and texture to the story.
from what i know of it, he wrote it over a long period of time and passed it around to a lot of editors through websites and forums he was a part of. for a long time, you could read it only on the internet.
eventually it was made into the modern classic it is today.
my first experience with it, i was home for a month as i healed up... i was on round-the-clock percocet for the first half of the book, and vicodin for the last half of the book and i have to say the combination of the book and my physical state made the story all the more surreal and otherworldly.
recommended strongly.
Freedom breeds war; and Peace, slavery. So it shall be forevermore: Men who love freedom buy it with their lives, and lovers of peace with their freedom. |
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I'm reading it now, and to me it's a book that you have to invest a lot of time and dedication into. You can't speed read it; you really need to sit down and READ read it. Get into it, sink your teeth into it. If you can't focus all your attention on it, it's not going to make sense and it's not going to be enjoyable.
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I'm gonna read some more Jack Kerouac and save this book for the summer when I can really get into it.
Shut the fuck up and ride that fucking Couchmobile!
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