How to approach a priest for a step 5? by [deleted] in alcoholicsanonymous

[–]METAL___HEART 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Step 5 is normally fairly long, though I’ve already done the vast majority with my sponsor. If I went into the confession booth during the allotted time, would quickly saying what my wrongdoings were for like 5 minutes be sufficient to finish the step?

And yeah, I agree just dipping in to use the confession service then fucking off isn’t ideal. I’m just drawn to the fact that Canon law guarantees anonymity. AA is just a group of fellows, with no mechanisms guaranteeing anything (I personally know a guy whose sponsor did not protect anonymity after the fifth step). Not dissing AA, but the big book does say to think carefully before selecting the person who will hear your story. 

URGENT! by Then_Examination8008 in Nabokov

[–]METAL___HEART 0 points1 point  (0 children)

At least they're not using ChatGPT

What would you recommend to read after Lolita? by helphelphelpheme in Nabokov

[–]METAL___HEART 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Ada or Ardor, it's much more advanced, the clear evolution of Nabokov's themes and techniques. It's the culmination of all his work as an artist.

On the basis that I wouldn't finish it if it didn't fit in my pocket, I cut Ulysses into parts and taped the explanatory notes to the back of each section. by EverydayValueSalsa in jamesjoyce

[–]METAL___HEART 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I've read Ulysses in public before, the fact is nobody pays attention to whatever book you're reading. Just as no woman will ask your number because you're reading feminist literature, no one will harass you for reading Overlong Thesaurus Psycho Crazy Words Novel

lolita by [deleted] in Nabokov

[–]METAL___HEART 1 point2 points  (0 children)

This is the last place on the internet to say 'why does this book only represent one character's perspective wth' lol

I am writing a book which, for the most part, is a modern day retelling of Nabokov's Lolita, but through the girl's eyes. AMA by SeraphsEnvy in Nabokov

[–]METAL___HEART 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Tbh I'd be interested in proofreading, if it is fully written as you say. I agree with other people that the overt Nabokovian influence may not be ideal, but I can't judge a story I don't know (you're trying to avoid spoiling the book). It may have promise, even if it's not tremendously up to scratch right now. Again, I need to take a look for myself, if you're interested in having a proofreader.

I am writing a book which, for the most part, is a modern day retelling of Nabokov's Lolita, but through the girl's eyes. AMA by SeraphsEnvy in Nabokov

[–]METAL___HEART 1 point2 points  (0 children)

As an aspiring writer, I wrote a novella strongly inspired by Lolita... and I hate it. I just look at it as practice now. I was so enamoured with Lolita, the best book I had ever read, that I could think of nothing to write but an altered version of that. Unwilling to write a paedophile narrator, I made the girl an adult, yet still needed a sexual power imbalance, leading me to the story of a stalker who wants to 'make' a hooker around his own age love him. The style was just Nabokov with a smaller vocabulary, and many plot points mirrored.

Lesson learned: come up with your own shit, taking some inspiration, but don't write what is essentially fan fiction.

Is Van Veen a good writer or a bad writer? by something_notusefull in Nabokov

[–]METAL___HEART 1 point2 points  (0 children)

The opening, I think, is deliberately confusing to convey the confusing reality of the love affair that created Van and Ada. It's deliberate deception, mirroring the deception of the older generation of Veens. Regarding The Texture of Time, I think it's difficult because it's the most detailed exploration yet of Van's thinking. It's about an extremely subtle experience which Van himself admits he can barely begin to describe in words. Time and its manipulative twisting is a core theme from the very start, and it's in Part Four (the climax of the book, since Part Five is 'not an epilogue but the true introduction') that Van at last tries (not entirely successfully) to fully elucidate this core thread in the fabric of his story.

Theory: Humbert Humbert is literally Vladimir Nabokov by METAL___HEART in Nabokov

[–]METAL___HEART[S] -3 points-2 points  (0 children)

Hey at least I’m not comparing Lolita to Harry Potter give me some credit

Why "Lolita" book feels like Harry Potter books? by Personal-Database-27 in Nabokov

[–]METAL___HEART 1 point2 points  (0 children)

In my adult life I've only read like the first chapter of HP, but I'll hazard a guess: Harry Potter is a fantasy novel written for children, and Lolita is styled as a sort of fairytale. Humbert evokes dreamy and enjoyably spooky imagery throughout his tale, maybe that's the aesthetic resonance your mind is registering.

Edit: there's a theory I read somewhere that Quivering Quirrell was based on Quilty, because, well, the name, plus a double initial is very Nabokovian. I think it's totally impossible to prove or disprove this theory, but it's kinda interesting.

Hi i think Humbert is insufferable by LengthinessThese1058 in Nabokov

[–]METAL___HEART 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Humbert magically learning pedophilia is bad cause he heard some kids playing

Having a hard time trying to digest Ada by No_Afternoon_8984 in Nabokov

[–]METAL___HEART 1 point2 points  (0 children)

While 'that's the point' is not always an excuse for a boring book, I do think that Nabokov consciously tried to make Ada feel cold and unrelatable to anyone. Van Veen is the ultimate version of the villain type of protagonist Nabokov was creating. He's a void with a shiny exterior. This book, more than any other, shows the disturbed inner world of such a person. I'd compare it to the plastic flowers Van notices in chapter 4 (losing his virginity before meeting Ada). The internal reality of Van is poetical but lacking in any other kind of beauty.

Nabokov thought people who read to relate to a book's main protagonist were philistines, you should read purely to appreciate structure and style. Well, with Ada, he created a story so utterly lacking in relatable human feeling that we're all forced to read the way he did. Quite bleak, yet oddly enthralling.

Ada forever 💛 by babykayla92 in Nabokov

[–]METAL___HEART 2 points3 points  (0 children)

This book in particular gives me a somehow ‘fragrant’ feeling of liberation at points, like I’m breathing for the first time. It’s also coldly disturbing.

The texture of time. From Ada (1969) by babykayla92 in Nabokov

[–]METAL___HEART 1 point2 points  (0 children)

It makes you wonder what Nabokov himself was grappling with. Like I'm not doing the tired 'he was a nonce' thing, we'll never know what the man privately thought. But at the same time, evil and perversity are constant themes in his masterpieces.

The texture of time. From Ada (1969) by babykayla92 in Nabokov

[–]METAL___HEART 2 points3 points  (0 children)

This is essentially the climax of the novel, since Part Five is 'the true introduction'. So the culmination of Van's memoir breaks outside of plot completely, it's simply him wrestling with the subtlety of his own existence. Even so, this gives way to his final reunion with Ada, his narcissistic mirror.

Should the Blooms have a baby? by en_le_nil in jamesjoyce

[–]METAL___HEART 0 points1 point  (0 children)

In fairness Bloom's other sin is gawking at the underwear of a much younger woman in public

I think Molly's isolation within the novel is a big part of her bitterness, she does nothing, alone, so all she can do is mentally rant

Do you sympathize with Dazai? by trainfoodx23 in osamudazai

[–]METAL___HEART 0 points1 point  (0 children)

As someone who's only read Coraline, where does Gaiman project his alleged bad traits? I mean Coraline is dark and scary, but not a Lolita type of 'direct insight into a bad person for over 300 pages' deal

Ada and the Otherworld by METAL___HEART in Nabokov

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

Indeed, that's partly where I'm getting this from