OT: 79th Obsequious Banter Thread: Gotta have Hart

[ajgoal]

But did you read it in original Middle English?

I did. For half the course until we took our Middle English midterm. Then I said f*** it, like the proper intellectual I am.

I can't recall which translation it was. It wasn't "modern," but I don't think it was unaltered, either.

 

[Magua]

I can't recall which translation it was. It wasn't "modern," but I don't think it was unaltered, either.

Did it read like this (L)?

 

[ajgoal]

Yup, stuff on the left. So, not original text.

 

[Lord Defect]

Disagreed. It's the only book I want banned. It's so bad, and the badness is made worse when it's read and analyzed and idolized by a bunch of spoiled edgelords who want to pretend they're actually poor and persecuted.

I read it so others need to suffer through it too

 

[Lord Defect]

It's not my favorite thing ever, but you cannot seriously tell me that it's a worse book than every thought Dan Brown has ever had or Ready Player One or *shudder* this:

Spoiler

The spoiler tags are for @CanadianFlyer88. You can hear the screams in his typing every time it's brought up.

I liked the ready player one book. It was nostalgia overload with a bare boned story. It didn’t pretend to be anything else.
If catcher in the rye wasn’t paraded out as classic literature, maybe it might be ok. But it’s a terrible book.
We didn’t go read catcher in school. We read the pearl. Well we read an excerpt of it. And an excerpt of a few others. I don’t think we read a whole work from anybody. Totally bogus.
I kept hearing about how great catcher was and read it on my own and was utterly let down.

 

[Lord Defect]

It's not "decent" - it's an American masterpiece. The fact that everyone (not singling you out because it's not just you) focuses on "Holden is whiny derp" just shows that they have no idea what they are talking about. Not liking it is one thing - we all dislike various things according to our own tastes. But the f***ing horse shit I hear about it from everyone under a certain age makes my sphincter clench. Guaranteed none of them have touched a Salinger story outside of "Catcher" with any degree of competence to put some context on it, or approached (or were taught) "Catcher" with any degree of competence.

Holy dangling last nerve, Batman.

I’m going to pretend to read everything Salinger has written and bash it just as hard. Catcher was a terrible book and you do not have the capacity to make it anything but that. There is nothing classic or masterful about it and the authors other body of work does nothing to improve that particular book.

 

[Cody Webster]

https://www.instagram.com/reel/CLaC3G6l9Cd/?igshid=1ujqywetf9710

 

[Lord Defect]

Did it read like this (L)?

That’s not even English. Reading it that way is just pretentious.
“We’re going to read an important piece of work written in its original text that you will barely be able to understand, so you can get a better understanding of it.”

 

[Magua]

That’s not even English. Reading it that way is just pretentious.
“We’re going to read an important piece of work written in its original text that you will barely be able to understand, so you can get a better understanding of it.”

If you take it slowly, with a translation and footnotes, it’s not that difficult. You learn the cadence and pronunciations. It just takes patience. It’s not nearly the gibberish your eyes think it is at first glance. For the longer tales, I just didn’t have the time though with other work.

Pretentious? I don’t think so. Schools used to teach Ancient Greek to read the Classics in their original form. Language and culture are inextricable, and there’s always something to be gained reading a work in its original form. Going further back, Beowulf didn’t magically appear in modern English; you have brilliant men like Tolkien doing translations. Language is a passion for some. No one forced me to do it. I thought it would be a fun experience; it ended up being one of the more engaging courses I took.

 

[Lord Defect]

If you take it slowly, with a translation and footnotes, it’s not that difficult. You learn the cadence and pronunciations. It just takes patience. It’s not nearly the gibberish your eyes think it is at first glance. For the longer tales, I just didn’t have the time though with other work.

Pretentious? I don’t think so. Schools used to teach Ancient Greek to read the Classics in their original form. Language and culture are inextricable, and there’s always something to be gained reading a work in its original form. Going further back, Beowulf didn’t magically appear in modern English; you have brilliant men like Tolkien doing translations. Language is a passion for some. No one forced me to do it. I thought it would be a fun experience; it ended up being one of the more engaging courses I took.

Learning a language and reading a book in its native language is one thing.
Having to read a book that has had its original text updated several times due to “modern” English no longer being modern, is another. Having to use footnotes and side page translation does nothing for the reader on their first read other than take the reader out of immersion and draw the book out longer and losing the grasp it would have if the reader read it in their native language.
That sentence used the word reader far too many times for my liking.

 

[Captain Dave Poulin]

If you take it slowly, with a translation and footnotes, it’s not that difficult. You learn the cadence and pronunciations. It just takes patience. It’s not nearly the gibberish your eyes think it is at first glance. For the longer tales, I just didn’t have the time though with other work.

Pretentious? I don’t think so. Schools used to teach Ancient Greek to read the Classics in their original form. Language and culture are inextricable, and there’s always something to be gained reading a work in its original form. Going further back, Beowulf didn’t magically appear in modern English; you have brilliant men like Tolkien doing translations. Language is a passion for some. No one forced me to do it. I thought it would be a fun experience; it ended up being one of the more engaging courses I took.

I assume you have farted into the wind literally. Now, if asked, you can say "Why yes, I have farted into the wind figuratively."

You are pouring sense into an intellectual black hole.

 

[Captain Dave Poulin]

If you take it slowly, with a translation and footnotes, it’s not that difficult. You learn the cadence and pronunciations. It just takes patience. It’s not nearly the gibberish your eyes think it is at first glance. For the longer tales, I just didn’t have the time though with other work.

Pretentious? I don’t think so. Schools used to teach Ancient Greek to read the Classics in their original form. Language and culture are inextricable, and there’s always something to be gained reading a work in its original form. Going further back, Beowulf didn’t magically appear in modern English; you have brilliant men like Tolkien doing translations. Language is a passion for some. No one forced me to do it. I thought it would be a fun experience; it ended up being one of the more engaging courses I took.

When the thought of the time and effort you have wasted tonight gives you the chills, you should wrap yourself up in one of these.

Nice Blanket

 

[ajgoal]

When the thought of the time and effort you have wasted tonight gives you the chills, you should wrap yourself up in one of these.

Nice Blanket

I'm going to go broke, you know.

 

[Captain Dave Poulin]

I'm going to go broke, you know.

And I am going in the opposite direction, finally. But extremely slowly. Like more slowly than you could possibly believe.

 

[Lord Defect]

When the thought of the time and effort you have wasted tonight gives you the chills, you should wrap yourself up in one of these.

Nice Blanket

Lol you shameless self promoting whore. (I mean that in a good way don’t get your wrinkled hackles in a bunch)

 

[Captain Dave Poulin]

Lol you shameless self promoting whore. (I mean that in a good way don’t get your wrinkled hackles in a bunch)

You can call me whatever you want, I don't mind - just stop talking about books before you give me feline AIDS.

 

[Rebels57]

I liked the ready player one book. It was nostalgia overload with a bare boned story. It didn’t pretend to be anything else.
If catcher in the rye wasn’t paraded out as classic literature, maybe it might be ok. But it’s a terrible book.
We didn’t go read catcher in school. We read the pearl. Well we read an excerpt of it. And an excerpt of a few others. I don’t think we read a whole work from anybody. Totally bogus.
I kept hearing about how great catcher was and read it on my own and was utterly let down.

I listened to the audiobook of Ready Player One (and recently Ready Player Two) narrated by Will Wheaton. I enjoyed it but I love 80s nostalgia. I know its not good in a literary sense.

 

[Lord Defect]

You can call me whatever you want, I don't mind - just stop talking about books before you give me feline AIDS.

Please explain why catcher is a timeless masterpiece. I’d even settle for my it’s anything above mediocre.

 

[Lord Defect]

I listened to the audiobook of Ready Player One (and recently Ready Player Two) narrated by Will Wheaton. I enjoyed it but I love 80s nostalgia. I know its not good in a literary sense.

There’s a second one? Any good?

 

[Rebels57]

There’s a second one? Any good?

Just came out in November. If you liked the 1st, you'll like the 2nd. Feels like Ernest Cline had the inevitable movie adaptation in mind more this time though.

 

[Captain Dave Poulin]

Please explain why catcher is a timeless masterpiece. I’d even settle for my it’s anything above mediocre.

I was interviewed by CBC Radio in Canada about it (along with a few other people) in 1999 or so. Go find that and listen to it. I don't have time to reverse your rotten education or stop your brain from collapsing in upon itself like a dying star.

 

[Lord Defect]

Just came out in November. If you liked the 1st, you'll like the 2nd. Feels like Ernest Cline had the inevitable movie adaptation in mind more this time though.

Ah that sucks. I liked reading mash ups that would never see the big screen. I’m amazed as how he was able to use so many copyrighted works in the book, and even still the movie as is.
Where else would you see the delorean fighting mecha Godzilla?

 

[Lord Defect]

I was interviewed by CBC Radio in Canada about it (along with a few other people) in 1999 or so. Go find that and listen to it. I don't have time to reverse your rotten education or stop your brain from collapsing in upon itself like a dying star.

I’ll do that as soon as you tell me what kind of fellow student Marconi was you old bastard

 

[Striiker]

stop reading books just watch the anime lmao

 

[Beef Invictus]

Catcher in the Rye is the "Young Rock" of literature.