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peanutbuttersandwich's review against another edition
challenging
dark
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
rust3d_m0ss's review against another edition
dark
emotional
funny
informative
inspiring
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
a6bl4ck's review against another edition
5.0
1 sti pensieri esistenzialisti li facevo già a 13 anni quindi anche meno 2 non leggevo un libro da probabilmente anni e scelgo questo pensando sia solo esistenzialista e spoiler è anche gay and i had no idea ergo it really was made for me esistenzialista e omosessuale un segno del destino praticamente 3 quando ho finito di leggerlo sono scoppiata a piangere mi ero scordato di quanto potente possa essere la scrittura
youngslimerlife's review against another edition
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
sidharthvardhan's review against another edition
5.0
Loners
“A man rarely feels like laughing alone."
Today we shall talk about a special kind of loners. They are the ones that are lonely due to consciousness. As Dostoevsky's Underground guy, the first loner among our list, said: "I swear to you gentleman, that to be overly conscious is a disease , a real, thorough sickness."
Each of our loners gets Adeline rush when he is around people due to this increased consciousness:
"I am alone in the midst of these happy, reasonable voices. All these creatures spend their time explaining, realizing happily that they agree with each other. In Heaven's name, why is it so important to think the same things all together? ”
Loneliness does these weird things to people. They turn philosophers:
“Thoughts are the dullest things."
Too much of consciousness of even one’s own self can disgust a person:
“When I was little, Aunt Uigeois told me “If you look at yourself too long in the mirror, you will see a monkey.”
And with all these weird thoughts, you can’t help being a little weird yourself which means people won’t like you:
“We (children) had a horrible fear of him because we sensed he was alone.
Now, while Mr. Underground seems to be struggling trying (and failing) to comprehend this very loneliness of his; Roquentin is struck into existential issues:
“Every living thing is born without reason, prolongs itself out of weakness and dies by chance.
An accidental discovery of the fact that ‘existence precedes essence’ sits on his mind making him search something meaningful – and on failing to do that, he gets a nausea. It disgusts him how much of the existence has got destroyed without leaving any footprints behind.
One way to go from the point of loneliness onward – would be to tell yourself you are right in being aloof and thus be a nihilist like Camus’ outsider. The other way would be to try and create that little meaning yourself – as in case of Elison’s Invisible man and Roqentin.
Mary probably had a role in helping Roquentin to see this through her philosophy of perfect moments. I won’t go into the theory, although I will share a quote:
“It's quite an undertaking to start loving somebody. You have to have energy, generosity, blindness. There is even a moment right at the start where you have to jump across an abyss: if you think about it you don't do it.”
In the end,Roquentin decides to do so by trying to create an immortal art piece that will make people remember him after his death.
“A man rarely feels like laughing alone."
Today we shall talk about a special kind of loners. They are the ones that are lonely due to consciousness. As Dostoevsky's Underground guy, the first loner among our list, said: "I swear to you gentleman, that to be overly conscious is a disease , a real, thorough sickness."
Each of our loners gets Adeline rush when he is around people due to this increased consciousness:
"I am alone in the midst of these happy, reasonable voices. All these creatures spend their time explaining, realizing happily that they agree with each other. In Heaven's name, why is it so important to think the same things all together? ”
Loneliness does these weird things to people. They turn philosophers:
“Thoughts are the dullest things."
Too much of consciousness of even one’s own self can disgust a person:
“When I was little, Aunt Uigeois told me “If you look at yourself too long in the mirror, you will see a monkey.”
And with all these weird thoughts, you can’t help being a little weird yourself which means people won’t like you:
“We (children) had a horrible fear of him because we sensed he was alone.
Now, while Mr. Underground seems to be struggling trying (and failing) to comprehend this very loneliness of his; Roquentin is struck into existential issues:
“Every living thing is born without reason, prolongs itself out of weakness and dies by chance.
An accidental discovery of the fact that ‘existence precedes essence’ sits on his mind making him search something meaningful – and on failing to do that, he gets a nausea. It disgusts him how much of the existence has got destroyed without leaving any footprints behind.
One way to go from the point of loneliness onward – would be to tell yourself you are right in being aloof and thus be a nihilist like Camus’ outsider. The other way would be to try and create that little meaning yourself – as in case of Elison’s Invisible man and Roqentin.
Mary probably had a role in helping Roquentin to see this through her philosophy of perfect moments. I won’t go into the theory, although I will share a quote:
“It's quite an undertaking to start loving somebody. You have to have energy, generosity, blindness. There is even a moment right at the start where you have to jump across an abyss: if you think about it you don't do it.”
In the end,Roquentin decides to do so by trying to create an immortal art piece that will make people remember him after his death.
jojodoug55's review against another edition
2.0
The most depressing book I have ever read. Just re-reading excerpts from the novel overwhelms me with the deep, dark and intense negativity described in this book. Not a good feeling. I don’t want to read this ever again.
juicebox's review against another edition
challenging
dark
reflective
medium-paced
4.0
The influence of Sartre is clear to see. I was struck most by the sheer honesty of the writing.
I felt the opening quarter of the book was the strongest, with many resonant views and incisive observations on the human condition.
The middle section felt a bit wayward to me with glimmers of brilliance, but long passes of banal commentary and description.
The novel was revived again towards the end with some renewed momentum brought by the delayed introduction of Anny. The eventual closing of some loops for the protagonist led to an oddly optimistic conclusion.
One message I took was in his writing of history, the protagonist was missing the point of life. He wanted something to happen to him, for their to be a point to things, a moment of revelation. Life doesn't work this way and in recording the facts of history he is trapped in the past. Only be exploring fiction and absurdity can he challenge the inanity of life.
I felt the opening quarter of the book was the strongest, with many resonant views and incisive observations on the human condition.
The middle section felt a bit wayward to me with glimmers of brilliance, but long passes of banal commentary and description.
The novel was revived again towards the end with some renewed momentum brought by the delayed introduction of Anny. The eventual closing of some loops for the protagonist led to an oddly optimistic conclusion.
One message I took was in his writing of history, the protagonist was missing the point of life. He wanted something to happen to him, for their to be a point to things, a moment of revelation. Life doesn't work this way and in recording the facts of history he is trapped in the past. Only be exploring fiction and absurdity can he challenge the inanity of life.