What are you reading?

[bukka]

I had to read the whole "confessions" when I was studying. Later, I read "Emile" and most of his political literature. While I think he's a major author who really brought literature one step further (making himself the subject of his books and emphasizing on emotions) I'm not fond of his writing style. His work is interesting when criticized in a literary history perspective, particularly when criticized within 18th century horizon of expectations. I just wouldn't read it for my personal pleasure anymore.

And if you are into decadence, I recommend "A Rebours" from J.K Huysmans, most refined decadent aesthetics in literature, imho.

[Faust]

^d'you mean you don't know that lots of people dismiss rousseau without ever having read him—like i did, and will now consciously refrain from doing until i've given his work a fair chance?

or, d'you mean you've already read a full book or two of his, and think that he doesn't deserve the second chance that mr. barzun says he does? i am genuinely curious, since i'm guilty of buying into the groupthink against rousseau, without ever having read more than a line or two of his.

The former. I have not read the novels but I read the major essays in grad school and there was never a hint of criticism. What he read made sense to me given that you don't take his position as holistic explanations of human nature but rather explanations of certain sides of human nature. I did not know actually that, like Shakespeare, he's been dismissed by other thinkers. But I also went to grad school that stressed continental philosophy much more than an average American university.

[destroymebaby]

I am reading "Der Briefwechsel" (correspondence) between Thomas Bernhard and Siegfried Unseld, the man who published him for more than 25 years. It's a highly entertaining and often even hilarious read. Recommended to everyone who is interested in Bernhard and can read German as I don't think a translation exists.
And some Sallust, because I like to be reminded of how much my Latin has deteriorated.

I've been patiently awaiting a translation of that book, but perhaps it would be easier to learn German, especially since Bernhard does a good job grinding the language down to a musical pulp, free of bullshit.

[MJRH]

oh! i'd somehow been under the impression rousseau was sort of persona non grata, at least in some circles, and i know i've heard at least a bit of trash-talk directed against him. chalk it up to my lack of formal education, then, that i didn't know he was so well-liked. thanks for correcting me on that, faust & fmc. anyway, my point was less about rousseau and more about how barzun's enthusiasm is highly infectious, and everything he writes about makes one want to read the original... including, now, rousseau.

[MJRH]

no, no, tangents are fun. i mean, this whole subforum is tangential to clothing, right?

also, amen to caution when quoting from authors you've never read.

[Deux_Oiseaux]

Friend recommended it as a decent place to start with Philosophy, I'm finding it quite interesting so far

[Faust]

Rousseau gets a lot more respect in the U.S. and the Anglo world generally, is my impression (except in philosophy departments, because analytics gonna analytic) due to the influence of both the Cambridge history-of-ideas lot and, on the other side, Strauss and his crew. Strauss especially admired him, and this has affected a lot of the American unis with their "great works/great books" program, especially through his influential disciples like Allen Bloom (who I think wrote a book about Rousseau's Emile? Unsure).

Plus Rousseau and similar ideas had such an influence on the founding of the U.S. that I'd be surprised not to see at least some lip service thrown his way in history of ideas courses.

Oh, and did Arendt write on him too? All the Jewish pupils of Heidegger and/or Husserl ended up employed in the U.S. during/after the war (Klein at St. John's being the other big one, after Strauss and Arendt), and I think they all took somewhat similar paths away from their morally-compromised former mentor. All, perhaps unsurprisingly, very concerned with the relationship of politics and philosophy, which explains the interest in Rousseau (and Plato too, obvs., which was more where Jasha Klein worked).

Rousseau will be probably only be rehabilitated in Europe as a serious thinker once someone does for him what Deleuze did for Spinoza, and then we'll have the reverse, legions of artists with delusions of competency in the history of ideas quoting him without having read him.

Wow, you actually described my school to a T, since both Strauss and Arendt taught there (as well as other exiled German-Jewish intellectuals). STALKER! STOP FREAKING ME OUT!

[Czx]

Finished A Walk in the Woods: Rediscovering America by Bill Bryson lately. Actually a pretty quick, fun read with some very interesting insights into the wilderness and things considering it in the USA. Even if the statements are a bit dated I wonder if they still stand true. Anyway, was exactly the kind of book I needed at the moment and rather enjoyed it throughout.

Picked up The Conquest of Gaul by Julius Caesar now. I'm actually quite amazed. I always had a thing for ancient history, Greece and Rome especially, and even if it doesn't exactly hit my interest spots I'm really enjoying all the insight it provides and builds an even more astounding image of Caesar than I had (and let me tell I always thought of him very highly). Worth reading. Anything that tells us about our history is worth reading anyway.

[550BC]

came by this book by coincidence it's named ''Explore Everything: Place-Hacking the City'' by Urban Explorer Bradley Garrett, it's kind interesting with some good quotes,hints and his experience about society,city,perspectives and it's hidden secrets and limits we give ourselves by not exploring the city and that the age of discovery isn't dead etc, and the government sees Urban Exploring as a crime.
Kind of a nice book to read when you're into architecture,abandoned places and street/urban culture all combined into a lifestyle.


*It's with HQ color images.

[bukka]

Mishima's Tetralogy is seriously great. Reading it while reading Sayonara watashi no hon! from Oe, exposing his point of view about Mishima's death, is fascinating.

Also FMC, what are your thoughts on Deleuze? Do you consider yourself close to his philosophical stance?

[Fuuma]

oh! i'd somehow been under the impression rousseau was sort of persona non grata, at least in some circles, and i know i've heard at least a bit of trash-talk directed against him. chalk it up to my lack of formal education, then, that i didn't know he was so well-liked. thanks for correcting me on that, faust & fmc. anyway, my point was less about rousseau and more about how barzun's enthusiasm is highly infectious, and everything he writes about makes one want to read the original... including, now, rousseau.

Persona non grata in european academic circles, ya. Not in UK/US where he's like, popular and stuff, know what I mean?

[Magic1]

Took a stint away from the marx reader to read James' Pragmatism--I liked it a lot. I only read one piece of James in college, an essay on faith, and naively threw him away as a last remaining theologian, but Pragmatism was really good.

Now jumping between the marx reader and max weber's Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism.

If one were to read any Deleuze or Zizec (I haven't read much of Lacan, and what I have, was a real challenge for me--is it even worth trying?), what would you suggest?

[viv1984viv]

Took a stint away from the marx reader to read James' Pragmatism--I liked it a lot. I only read one piece of James in college, an essay on faith, and naively threw him away as a last remaining theologian, but Pragmatism was really good.

Now jumping between the marx reader and max weber's Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism.

If one were to read any Deleuze or Zizec (I haven't read much of Lacan, and what I have, was a real challenge for me--is it even worth trying?), what would you suggest?

Deleuze and Zizek are very different. But two nice places to start with Zizek is Granta's How To Read Lacan or Interrogating The Real. There are lots of great Zizek essays available online.

I'm not too hot on Deleuze's influences, and havn't read all his books (Just Anti Oedipus, Cinema 1 and 2, and parts Of 1k Plateaus and Logic of Sense) Obviously, a lot of his work was with Guattari too. AO is perhaps the most famous book so maybe look at that. His post-script on control societies is worth reading too.

TBH it really depends what you are hoping to get out of these guys.

[Faust]

The New School, it sounds like? Or Chicago, I suppose, although I thought you were an NYer. Wanted to go to Chicago back in the day, but backed away from the commitment university in the US would have required.

Yes, the New School

[Czx]

@fit_magna_caedes - Yes, I've heard that his writing is exceptional in Latin. Unfortunately I kind of bummed around on latin in high school so I have never really learned it and can't really be bothered to nowadays, german and french are first in the queue.