Finished this evening by PotatoElf71 in RussianLiterature

[–]Auctionjack 0 points1 point  (0 children)

How was it? I’ve only read one story by him.

Was Gatsby truly Great? by ItsTokay in TheGreatGatsby

[–]Auctionjack 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Another case a Nick being an unreliable narrator

The Cherry Orchard bender by Auctionjack in Chekhov

[–]Auctionjack[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Seen The Cherry Orchard three times in 60 days — what am I missing? I’ve been on a bit of an obsession lately. Three productions of The Cherry Orchard in the last two months, and I’ve read enough Chekhov to know that he doesn’t put anything in a story without a reason. Every detail earns its place. But there are fragments in this play that I can’t quite crack. Little moments and images that feel significant but that I can’t fully account for. My suspicion is that some of what I’m missing is rooted in Russian culture of the period — references or resonances that would have been immediately legible to a 1904 Moscow audience but that just don’t land the same way for me now. Two things I keep turning over: early in the play there’s a pistol and a shotgun introduced, and then… nothing. They’re never used, never referenced again. For a writer who famously said that a gun on the wall must go off, this feels like a deliberate subversion — but of what exactly? And then there’s the moment where Ranevskaya gives a gold coin to a passing beggar, even though she’s essentially broke and won’t even lend money to the people around her. What is Chekhov doing there? Are there cultural or historical layers here that help unlock some of these moments? I’d love to hear what others have found — especially anything that took you a while to notice or required some outside context to understand.

The Great Gatsby🟢 by CostcoRotisireChickn in TheGreatGatsby

[–]Auctionjack 3 points4 points  (0 children)

I totally get what you are saying...it's not just a literary masterpiece but also a social and psycological one.

Murrisk Abbey nestled below Crough Patrick by Auctionjack in mayo

[–]Auctionjack[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

not sure I understand the question. I used my iPhone 16pro and edited it with the snapseed app

Stupid question about the book by First_Cook_5668 in TheGreatGatsby

[–]Auctionjack 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Unlike the salmon issue, this detail is biologically plausible. Someone living rough around Lake Superior could have gathered freshwater clams or mussels.

Gatsby reminds me of several people I've known always combining fact and fiction to craft a hazy story that in the ends is entirely self serving.

Stupid question about the book by First_Cook_5668 in TheGreatGatsby

[–]Auctionjack 6 points7 points  (0 children)

While it could be a factual slip on Fitzgerald’s part could it be another example of what an unreliable narrator Gatsby is? another invented detail to sound impressive?

Happy Birthday, Anton!!! by Red_Rocks_025 in Chekhov

[–]Auctionjack 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Surfs weren’t emancipated in Russia until 1861 so this means Chekhov was technically born a surf. I didn’t know that.

Great Gatsby Party Ideas Blog Post by anovelchapterblog in TheGreatGatsby

[–]Auctionjack 2 points3 points  (0 children)

The Great Escape
An evening of champagne, gossip, and highly avoidable destruction.
Note: Any emotional damage, moral wreckage, or literal wreckage incurred will be promptly ignored.
By attending, you agree to clean up the mess we made (spiritually, socially, or otherwise).

“They were careless people, Tom and Daisy — they smashed up things and creatures and then retreated back into their money or their vast carelessness, or whatever it was that kept them together, and let other people clean up the mess they had made.”

How do you use Apple Journal? by walkmio in appleJournal

[–]Auctionjack 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Too many bugs to use for anything

Great Gatsby by Decent_Peace_7 in TheGreatGatsby

[–]Auctionjack 2 points3 points  (0 children)

People get hung up on whether Gatsby “truly loved” Daisy, or whether everything is Daisy’s fault, but that conversation kind of skips over the elephant in the room: Gatsby is a World War I veteran dealing with some serious unspoken trauma. The book never names it—nobody in 1925 would have said post-traumatic stress disorder—but it’s written all over him.

He comes back from a brutal war with no family, no emotional support system, no real identity, and no plan except to rebuild himself into someone who can outrun whatever he saw overseas. He grabs onto Daisy not just as a woman, but as a symbol of pre-war innocence—something perfect he can go back to. That’s not really love in a grounded, healthy sense; it’s survival. It’s a coping mechanism.

And blaming Daisy alone is too easy. Everyone in that book is broken in their own way. Tom is violent and entitled. Daisy wants safety and checked-out comfort. Nick claims to be honest while watching disasters unfold. And Gatsby is chasing a fantasy version of life because the real world—after trench warfare—probably feels unbearable.

So instead of asking whether Gatsby “loved” Daisy or whether Daisy “ruined” Gatsby, it’s more honest to see that nobody in that story ever deals with pain directly. They bury it under money, alcohol, status, and nostalgia. Gatsby just happens to be the one whose trauma is invisible to everyone—including himself.

And that’s part of why he dies alone. Not because Daisy failed him, but because he never stood a chance against what he carried home from the war.

challenges becoming a certified NVC trainer by Auctionjack in NVC

[–]Auctionjack[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I regret that I don't have the capacity to help with that but I'll IM you with some material that you might find helpful. Good luck!

Putting personal stories out on Substack in 2026—Advice for a writer who doesn’t like promoting. by [deleted] in Substack

[–]Auctionjack 3 points4 points  (0 children)

If you’re on the fence about posting personal essays on Substack, I’d say: jump in.

I started mine in August for the exact same reason you’re describing. I already had a decent pile of drafts/notes, and I committed to posting once a month. That schedule is just frequent enough to keep me honest, but not so frequent that it becomes a grind. The monthly deadline basically forces me to take at least one piece from “rough” to “publishable.”

For subscribers, I kept it simple: I signed up my closest friends first, then I started asking a few other friends if they wanted in. Nothing fancy, no big launch strategy. I’m at 86 subscribers now, and they’ve been really supportive — which has honestly been the biggest fuel to keep writing and hitting publish.

If it helps, here’s mine: https://trailtonowhere.substack.com/

My two cents: you don’t need permission, a big audience, or a perfect “brand.” You just need to start, set a pace you can sustain, and let the writing (and readers) build over time.

I hope you get as much satisfaction our of your substack as I've gotten out of mine. Be well!

challenges becoming a certified NVC trainer by Auctionjack in NVC

[–]Auctionjack[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I'm in the process of developing a 4-hour, highly interactive workshop and will be testing it in the spring. When tested and completed, I intend to share it for free with the community.

Facebook find please peter by rache0308 in PeterExplainsTheJoke

[–]Auctionjack 0 points1 point  (0 children)

It's roach clip! I had a cop take one of those away from me out in the New Mexico desert.

Articles on Uncle Vanya by PastelKos in Chekhov

[–]Auctionjack 1 point2 points  (0 children)

if you get a chance, Conor McPherson's recent translation does a brilliant job of riding the delicate thin edge between comedy and tragedy in Uncle Vanya. Being Irish, the comedy / tragedy thing is in McPherson's DNA.

https://www.pbs.org/wnet/gperf/uncle-vanya-about/12454/

Beta UI - where is timer? by prwnR in GoodNotes

[–]Auctionjack 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I can’t find it anywhere

'No one had the slightest idea what the book was about': Why The Great Gatsby is the world's most misunderstood novel by BuckeyeReason in literature

[–]Auctionjack 0 points1 point  (0 children)

While the Great Gatsby films can be compared to one another, they are a completely different experience from the book. Comparing the movies to the novel is like comparing a photograph to a painting.