Comments on: More Reading http://www.ryanholiday.net/more-reading/ Meditations on strategy and life Mon, 06 Feb 2012 20:25:46 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.2.1 By: kate http://www.ryanholiday.net/more-reading/#comment-8885 kate Tue, 30 Oct 2007 17:59:39 +0000 http://dev.ryanholiday.net/more-reading/#comment-8885 it's nice to see someone giving fight club the attention it deserves. i'm always a little disappointed when people have seen the movie and liked it but failed to follow up with a read through. i think of the philosophy as dialectical existentialism. nietzsche was wrong--god isn't dead. he abandoned us, which is worse because now we spend our entire lives trying to compensate for a perceived fundamental flaw through narcissistic ego masturbation. we try too hard because we want to matter. only when we finally give up and surrender to the depravity of ourselves can we find anything meaningful and redeeming. it’s nice to see someone giving fight club the attention it deserves. i’m always a little disappointed when people have seen the movie and liked it but failed to follow up with a read through. i think of the philosophy as dialectical existentialism. nietzsche was wrong–god isn’t dead. he abandoned us, which is worse because now we spend our entire lives trying to compensate for a perceived fundamental flaw through narcissistic ego masturbation. we try too hard because we want to matter. only when we finally give up and surrender to the depravity of ourselves can we find anything meaningful and redeeming.

]]> By: eva http://www.ryanholiday.net/more-reading/#comment-8884 eva Sat, 27 Oct 2007 02:19:04 +0000 http://dev.ryanholiday.net/more-reading/#comment-8884 amphibian: I'm actually agree with you on your last point - I both read True West and saw it on stage, and the latter was more interesting, even if I liked both. Same goes for Shakespeare (unfortunately I've rarely had the chance to see a play of his on stage). For Fahrenheit though, I think it's legitimate to use theatre as analogy since it just describes what I did not like about the novel. As I said, it surely deserves it's reputation for the idea of that society, for the message it contains and maybe for the plot. But still, my personal opinion is that Bradbury is overrated, because he could've made that much more of it. He gives the reader some people who interact (and who serve their purpose in the story, but don't go any deeper mostly), but doesn't bother to desribe the scenery. We barely know anything about the world where everything takes place, hence it felt to me like actors on a blank stage. One could surely argue that there is reason behind this minimalism, that maybe in this Bradbury shows his true genius, and maybe they'd be right, but I just found it, well, very dry. No offense, but that's my opinion. Maybe I'll pick it up again in ten years and think different, who knows. amphibian: I’m actually agree with you on your last point – I both read True West and saw it on stage, and the latter was more interesting, even if I liked both. Same goes for Shakespeare (unfortunately I’ve rarely had the chance to see a play of his on stage).

For Fahrenheit though, I think it’s legitimate to use theatre as analogy since it just describes what I did not like about the novel. As I said, it surely deserves it’s reputation for the idea of that society, for the message it contains and maybe for the plot. But still, my personal opinion is that Bradbury is overrated, because he could’ve made that much more of it. He gives the reader some people who interact (and who serve their purpose in the story, but don’t go any deeper mostly), but doesn’t bother to desribe the scenery. We barely know anything about the world where everything takes place, hence it felt to me like actors on a blank stage.

One could surely argue that there is reason behind this minimalism, that maybe in this Bradbury shows his true genius, and maybe they’d be right, but I just found it, well, very dry. No offense, but that’s my opinion. Maybe I’ll pick it up again in ten years and think different, who knows.

]]> By: amphibian http://www.ryanholiday.net/more-reading/#comment-8883 amphibian Thu, 25 Oct 2007 17:31:13 +0000 http://dev.ryanholiday.net/more-reading/#comment-8883 I think the Point of The Jungle was to motivate the people to correct wrongs. It sort of worked and not in the way Sinclair intended. Subversion of a pure intent may be a great topic if you've not already done something on it. Eva: You don't know literature if you're dissing Fahrenheit 451. The repeated usage of the concept of "play" leads me to confirm my initial judgment. One must see a play, not read it to truly understand it. Shakespeare on the page is shit compared to Shakespeare on the stage. I think the Point of The Jungle was to motivate the people to correct wrongs. It sort of worked and not in the way Sinclair intended.

Subversion of a pure intent may be a great topic if you’ve not already done something on it.

Eva: You don’t know literature if you’re dissing Fahrenheit 451. The repeated usage of the concept of “play” leads me to confirm my initial judgment.

One must see a play, not read it to truly understand it. Shakespeare on the page is shit compared to Shakespeare on the stage.

]]> By: eva http://www.ryanholiday.net/more-reading/#comment-8882 eva Thu, 25 Oct 2007 12:05:00 +0000 http://dev.ryanholiday.net/more-reading/#comment-8882 Was I the only one who was greatly disappointed by Fahrenheit 451? Since I heard of it as one of the great classics in sci-fi, I always intended to read it, and was very excited to talk about a book that actually seemed interesting to me in school, but when I finally read it, I was disgusted how awful it was written and how little Bradbury had made of that promising idea and interesting setting. It felt like a play, whith interesting story, but an awful director, no props or stage design, and actors who never rehearsed but only learned their text by heart. Just awful. Quite the contrary though with True West, a play we read before, and that nobody expected much from. It happened to be very entertaining and well written (our teacher chose it as she was tired of reading Death Of A Salesman every year), not a must, but I enjoyed reading it. Eva Was I the only one who was greatly disappointed by Fahrenheit 451? Since I heard of it as one of the great classics in sci-fi, I always intended to read it, and was very excited to talk about a book that actually seemed interesting to me in school, but when I finally read it, I was disgusted how awful it was written and how little Bradbury had made of that promising idea and interesting setting. It felt like a play, whith interesting story, but an awful director, no props or stage design, and actors who never rehearsed but only learned their text by heart. Just awful.

Quite the contrary though with True West, a play we read before, and that nobody expected much from. It happened to be very entertaining and well written (our teacher chose it as she was tired of reading Death Of A Salesman every year), not a must, but I enjoyed reading it.

Eva

]]> By: Anthony http://www.ryanholiday.net/more-reading/#comment-8881 Anthony Wed, 24 Oct 2007 20:50:19 +0000 http://dev.ryanholiday.net/more-reading/#comment-8881 All Quiet on the Western Front wasn't roundly accepted post-WWI? All Quiet on the Western Front wasn’t roundly accepted post-WWI?

]]> By: Ryan Holiday http://www.ryanholiday.net/more-reading/#comment-8880 Ryan Holiday Wed, 24 Oct 2007 12:52:15 +0000 http://dev.ryanholiday.net/more-reading/#comment-8880 The problem with The Alchemist is that it isn't about a particular part of modern history. All those books above are used because they can be taught simultaneously in history and english classes. Not saying having kids read fever books is a great strategy but it is efficient. The problem with The Alchemist is that it isn’t about a particular part of modern history. All those books above are used because they can be taught simultaneously in history and english classes. Not saying having kids read fever books is a great strategy but it is efficient.

]]> By: Habs http://www.ryanholiday.net/more-reading/#comment-8879 Habs Wed, 24 Oct 2007 12:45:34 +0000 http://dev.ryanholiday.net/more-reading/#comment-8879 I always thought Paulo Coelho's novel "The Alchemist" should also be required reading for anyone graduating High School or entering University. Every time I tell someone this their reaction is as if I just told them "Everybody Poops" is a classic American novel. I've read that book (The Alchemist) probably twice every year since I first bought it and I learn something new pretty much each time I pick it up. It definitely helps remind me what is important in life. I always thought Paulo Coelho’s novel “The Alchemist” should also be required reading for anyone graduating High School or entering University.

Every time I tell someone this their reaction is as if I just told them “Everybody Poops” is a classic American novel.

I’ve read that book (The Alchemist) probably twice every year since I first bought it and I learn something new pretty much each time I pick it up. It definitely helps remind me what is important in life.

]]> By: Ryan Holiday http://www.ryanholiday.net/more-reading/#comment-8878 Ryan Holiday Wed, 24 Oct 2007 11:23:50 +0000 http://dev.ryanholiday.net/more-reading/#comment-8878 The Jungle was written as a newspaper series with no intention of turning it into a book. Each chapter or part is supposed to be relatively independent. The reason it is so ridiculous is the same reason Seinfeld would be unreadable if you put all the episodes back to back. I thought the book sucked for the record. The Jungle was written as a newspaper series with no intention of turning it into a book. Each chapter or part is supposed to be relatively independent. The reason it is so ridiculous is the same reason Seinfeld would be unreadable if you put all the episodes back to back.

I thought the book sucked for the record.

]]> By: amphibian http://www.ryanholiday.net/more-reading/#comment-8877 amphibian Wed, 24 Oct 2007 11:02:14 +0000 http://dev.ryanholiday.net/more-reading/#comment-8877 The weird thing about The Jungle is that you only need to read two chapters to get the key concepts. That's it. It's just too repetitively awful to read the whole thing. Ryan, I apologize for not getting back to you about my planned career path. I'm holding back on telling people details until I actually get the ball rolling a good distance down this particular road. I don't want to risk talking and not end up doing the walking. The weird thing about The Jungle is that you only need to read two chapters to get the key concepts. That’s it. It’s just too repetitively awful to read the whole thing.

Ryan, I apologize for not getting back to you about my planned career path. I’m holding back on telling people details until I actually get the ball rolling a good distance down this particular road. I don’t want to risk talking and not end up doing the walking.

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