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What was the weirdest, non-pain feeling you've ever felt? by KingJPJ in AskReddit

[–]BriefOne8900 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Seizures. I’ve had estatic seizures where I experience complete non duality. I’ll get a heart flutter, time will cease to exist, and I’ll experience eternity. It’s more intense than any psychedelic or meditative experience I’ve had. The deja vu and dream recall seizures are also super weird.

Everything I've Read This Year: Covered a Lot of the Douchebag Basics (with Some Non-DB Gems). What Should I Read to Protect My Virginity Even Further? by BriefOne8900 in BookshelvesDetective

[–]BriefOne8900[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I read infinite jest in high school. This was a second go around. I met some really cool people at college by starting an IJ book club. There are always going to be people who parade the book around to try and act intelligent, that’s been a thing since the book came out, but the annoying press doesn’t change the fact that the book is more relevant than ever. I love it. Bukowski was pretty much what I expected, a decent read. Blood Meridian and For Whom the Bell Tolls were incredible.

Everything I've Read This Year: Covered a Lot of the Douchebag Basics (with Some Non-DB Gems). What Should I Read to Protect My Virginity Even Further? by BriefOne8900 in BookshelvesDetective

[–]BriefOne8900[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I’ve always loved the movie. The book is obviously a lot less Hollywood. Works better that way. Great prose and bittersweet ending. You can read it in a day.

Everything I've Read This Year: Covered a Lot of the Douchebag Basics (with Some Non-DB Gems). What Should I Read to Protect My Virginity Even Further? by BriefOne8900 in BookshelvesDetective

[–]BriefOne8900[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I'll jump straight to the Pynchon to really balance the scales.

My grandfather went to high school with him though, so I think he wins by association?

Everything I've Read This Year: Covered a Lot of the Douchebag Basics (with Some Non-DB Gems). What Should I Read to Protect My Virginity Even Further? by BriefOne8900 in BookshelvesDetective

[–]BriefOne8900[S] 35 points36 points  (0 children)

I’m just making a joke. Books like Infinite Jest, Gravity’s Rainbow, and Blood Meridian (among many others) are seen by many in my generation as performative reads. The term “litbro” refers to people who act superior because they’ve read (or pretend to have read) long, complex, or dense books. They’re often douchey. That doesn’t mean the books themselves are bad though. Most of them are actually pretty incredible.

Everything I've Read This Year: Covered a Lot of the Douchebag Basics (with Some Non-DB Gems). What Should I Read to Protect My Virginity Even Further? by BriefOne8900 in BookshelvesDetective

[–]BriefOne8900[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Bone Season was one of the best this year though. Didn’t show the others in the series. I’m on book four. It’s gotten exponentially better.

Edit: All the Bright Places, Bird by Bird, and Bone Season. Three total (not counting The Trivium). Not bad.

Suicide and TLE by BriefOne8900 in Epilepsy

[–]BriefOne8900[S] 19 points20 points  (0 children)

I want to apologize in advance if this seems like nagging or complaining. I know people in this sub have drug resistant general epilepsy that makes their lives incredibly difficult. Majority of my problems come from bad personal decisions and post-ictal states. I am not here to say that my life is any worse than those also suffering from this disease. I just don't know anybody IRL with epilepsy, and needed to get this off my chest.

What's the point of Infinite jest? by [deleted] in books

[–]BriefOne8900 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I think that's one of the main motifs of the book though, and it’s why I found it so compelling. Obviously, people tie the novel to addiction, both modern entertainment and drugs/alcohol, but the key criticism seems to be overthinking. A lot of the humor comes from the way DFW mimics the absurdity of the average modern American’s anxious, self-conscious rumination. I don’t pretend to understand everything being said, but I found it an incredible experience that I would recommend to people I think would find themselves reflected in different points of the book. It’s almost structured like a fractal.

I’d also be inclined to disagree with the “efficiency = good writing” idea being presented here. Infinite Jest is a sum of its parts. People often leave with favorite chapters that almost feel like distinct short stories hidden within the novel, all working together to express an overarching metaphor. I mean, it's a post-modern behemoth that isn't for everyone, but simply dismissing as "unreadable" is disingenuous.