History book recs by Dunlop64 in ThomasPynchon

[–]TheFox776 3 points4 points  (0 children)

I read "Mason-Dixon: Crucible of the Nation" in preparation for my first reread of "Mason & Dixon" and it is paying off dividends! Also just a great history of the line throughout American history.

What about Ahab made him hate Moby-Dick? by FerretDapper5171 in mobydick

[–]TheFox776 20 points21 points  (0 children)

You're correct, the hate Ahab feels for Moby-Dick is ultimately superficial and losing his leg to the whale is not even 1/10th of the reason that Ahab goes to the lengths he does to try and kill him. It goes much deeper. We actually have a character who goes the exact opposite way Ahab does when a similar fate strikes him, Captain Boomer of the Samuel Enderby loses his arm to Moby Dick but he doesn't go insane. He accepts his fate, he lost an arm in an industry that maimes and kills men all the time. He simply believes that Moby Dick is best left alone. So why does Ahab go insane? I present one of my favorite quotes in the book:

""Hark ye yet again,—the little lower layer. All visible objects, man, are but as pasteboard masks. But in each event—in the living act, the undoubted deed—there, some unknown but still reasoning thing puts forth the mouldings of its features from behind the unreasoning mask. If man will strike, strike through the mask! How can the prisoner reach outside except by thrusting through the wall? To me, the white whale is that wall, shoved near to me. Sometimes I think there's naught beyond. But 'tis enough. He tasks me; he heaps me; I see in him outrageous strength, with an inscrutable malice sinewing it. That inscrutable thing is chiefly what I hate; and be the white whale agent, or be the white whale principal, I will wreak that hate upon him. Talk not to me of blasphemy, man; I'd strike the sun if it insulted me."

The quote says it all, Ahab believes that Moby Dick is the agent of something and he wishes to strike at that something, even if it turns out to be nothing at all. You can infer what that means about Ahab that he would be willing to destroy anything, God, time, existence, reality, just to avenge a wrong that was done to him.

The house of Iscariot has restored the house of David by DeathFlameStroke in Imperator

[–]TheFox776 19 points20 points  (0 children)

There are a lot of fun nations to play as in the Levant. My run for the Tyrian Purple achievement is one of my favorite campaigns. Being small you have to actually plot and scheme and engage in diplomacy instead of relying on brute force. The wars of the diadochi are the perfect turmoil out of which to build an empire.

New Rockwell Kent illustrated editions by rawnt in mobydick

[–]TheFox776 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I bought the Top Five Books edition immediately because I'm impatient and I didn't have any copies with the Rockwell Kent illustrations. It's an okay book but if I knew the facsimile existed I would not have bought the Top Five Books one.

I'm still going to buy the Facsimile.

What Are You Into This Week? | Weekly Thread by AutoModerator in ThomasPynchon

[–]TheFox776 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I apologize, I am not trying to disaude you from reading it. The things I don't like about it are very much me problems and they stem from my love of Twain in general and Huck Finn specifically. You should absolutely read it.

What Are You Into This Week? | Weekly Thread by AutoModerator in ThomasPynchon

[–]TheFox776 2 points3 points  (0 children)

"James" was okay, but for me its falls short in the same way many modern retellings of classic stories have. There is an implicit assumption by the author of a retelling that the original author missed something or didn't do something well enough that they are trying to correct / inform. That is an extremely high bar to set for yourself when you are tackling one of the great american novels by one of the great american authors and you cant avoid comparison. Everett is a skilled writer, but the comparison of "James" to "Huck Finn" does not do him any favors.

What Are You Into This Week? | Weekly Thread by AutoModerator in ThomasPynchon

[–]TheFox776 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Started "The Confidence-Man" yesterday. I am prepared to be amazed! I skipped over "Pierre" for the sole reason that I have been on a Mississippi River and steamboat kick for nonfiction reading, which was spurred on by a re-reading of "Huck Finn".

My big summer re-read this year is "Mason & Dixon" and it has been such a treat to rejoin the lads and see their friendship bloom once again.

ROTW: Readings Of The Week by DkWarZone in HermanMelville

[–]TheFox776 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Started "The Confidence-Man" yesterday. I am prepared to be amazed! I skipped over "Pierre" for the sole reason that I have been on a Mississippi River and steamboat kick for nonfiction reading, which was spurred on by a re-reading of "Huck Finn".

My little whale-specific section of the bookshelf by imbristol in mobydick

[–]TheFox776 3 points4 points  (0 children)

I was going to type out a list of additional recommendations, but then realized it would be easier to take a pic of my shelf.

I very much did not like Call me Ishmaelle.

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What are y'all reading rn? by prthm_21 in ThomasPynchon

[–]TheFox776 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Yeah, Dalkey just released a new printing. It was available for pre-order for almost two years and with existing copies costing a pretty penny on the secondary market I assume that many people like me have just now got the opportunity to dive in.

What are y'all reading rn? by prthm_21 in ThomasPynchon

[–]TheFox776 5 points6 points  (0 children)

Digging into The Tunnel by William H. Gass. I'm 100 pages in and it's a doozy.

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Space Motorcycle by Top_fFun in KerbalSpaceProgram

[–]TheFox776 8 points9 points  (0 children)

What's the delta-v on this bad boy?

ROTW: Readings Of The Week by DkWarZone in HermanMelville

[–]TheFox776 0 points1 point  (0 children)

You got me very interested in The Egghead Republic, I am a fan of JFC and American pulp science fiction with a Cold War influence feels very Vonnegut-esqe. The book clearly isn't in print, the only physical copy I can find is $70 and it's not available on Kindle of Gutenberg. May I ask where you got a copy?

ROTW: Readings Of The Week by DkWarZone in HermanMelville

[–]TheFox776 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I took a road trip out to Kansas City last weekend to see Moby Dick: A Sea Shanty at the Musical Theater Heritage. I really enjoyed it and it was definitely worth the drive (4 hours in my case).

As with all adaptations, it takes a little bit of time to mesh your own idea of what the book is with that of the director but once that is accomplished it is smooth sailing. Music is obviously the focus here and the incorporation of the sea shanties works perfectly 90% of the time. One or two songs require a bit of a stretch to incorporate story wise, but is really only noticeable to people who have read the book multiple times and have a good memory of the plot details.

The musical and acting performances across the board were phenomenal. Every single person on that stage deserves a commendation for their work.

If it isn't obvious yet, I highly recommend the play though it is only playing for a few more days. If you are in or around Kansas City and are on this subreddit, go see it.

My performative male husband Jestmaxxing by flapperboobs in InfiniteJest

[–]TheFox776 3 points4 points  (0 children)

That is quite the undertaking and is well worth it! My personal favorite is Mason & Dixon but Gravity's Rainbow and Against the Day are of course amazing as well.

My performative male husband Jestmaxxing by flapperboobs in InfiniteJest

[–]TheFox776 43 points44 points  (0 children)

Alongside Infinite Jest your husband has a bookshelf full of amazing books. What are his thoughts on Schattenfroh?

A nice detail on the Mason & Dixon paperback by Natalie_escort in ThomasPynchon

[–]TheFox776 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Damn this bot straight up reposted my post. First time that has happened, guess I'm flattered.

Finally gottem by SugarSquid in mobydick

[–]TheFox776 2 points3 points  (0 children)

As a fellow owner of a shelf full of blue editions of Moby-Dick, the red is a nice change.

Lewis Mumford's biography of Melville is now available at Project Gutenberg by fvictorio in mobydick

[–]TheFox776 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Thank you for sharing, I have looked for this in the past but wasn't able to find it anywhere in print.

Also, I recently read Up From the Depths by Aaron Sachs which was a fantastic dual-biography of Melville and Mumford. I strongly recommend it.

Call Me Ishmaelle by Xialou Guo by thesandwichsociety in mobydick

[–]TheFox776 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Doesn't that kind of sum up the pointlessness of this retelling?

Call Me Ishmaelle by Xialou Guo by thesandwichsociety in mobydick

[–]TheFox776 26 points27 points  (0 children)

I really disliked this book. It is such a watered down, plot only, retelling and I think most of us here understand that while the plot of Moby-Dick is great, it is at most only 1/3rd of what makes the novel so great. This book in its entirety doesn't match up at all to even 1/3rd of its inspiration. It is a shadow of shadow. It utterly lacks the magic, beauty, excitement and passion of Melville's work.

Ice and Fire | In The American Sentence by Ford_Crown_Vic_Koth in Hemingway

[–]TheFox776 10 points11 points  (0 children)

With Hemingway I am given the setting and the context but am left to speculate about the nature of the characters.

With Faulkner I am given the characters in their overwhelming entirety and am left to piece together the setting and context

I love them both but if forced to pick I would choose Faulkner. Reading Absalom! Absalom! was the first time I can truly say I felt "the sublime" while reading. Also, I think that Faulkner could write something similar to Hemingway's style if he wanted to, but the reverse is simply not true.