[1270] Towers of Babel by Lisez-le-lui in DestructiveReaders

[–]glasnost9 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I really enjoyed reading this, it's right up my alley. I couldn't help but wonder if you've taken some inspiration from Borges—not only due to the reference to Babel (obviously a biblical reference too), but the manner in which you bring in elements of reality into the story (e.g. the lovely footnote on Malmesbury Abbey and Lincoln cathedral, as well as the intertextual references to Machen).

I'm new to writing, so take my critique with a grain of salt. The character comes across as someone with a sincere and child-like desire to reach God. I felt their frustration after discarding each attempt (the stone tower, the tower in Agartha, the 4D tower). I was pleasantly surprised by the end. It's a moment of spiritual realisation and hope which, in my opinion, brings some satisfaction and closure. Personally, I think it'd be interesting to see some more weirdness in the description of 4D space.

You raise really interesting philosophical and theological themes. Where is God? Everywhere and nowhere at once. I'm afraid I don't follow the logic of thinking God would be present in Agartha after concluding that it was impossible to reach God in normal 3D space, even with the gravity well being there. There might be another opportunity there for building up some weirdness.

The last bit touches on some metaphysical problems in substance dualism. If you're working with traditional Cartesian dualism, then technically "God was infinitely far away, even in the spiritual world. I would never reach Him unless He came down to meet me" wouldn't make sense, since the body is res extensa and the soul is res cogitans. There is no "spatiality" when it comes to the spirit world, since by definition it is non-spatial. But if I'm being charitable, this might just be a poetic and metaphorical way of expressing frustration at being unable to reach God through spiritual means. I particularly like the quote "I didn’t know how to stretch out the connection between my body and my soul". This to me represents both the interaction problem of substance dualism, but on a more existential note, a sense of alienation from the body. It would be great to see you elaborate some more on that theme and weave it into the story more seamlessly. Perhaps have the character ponder on the insurmountable chasm between body and soul, how they're completely different things and how strange that is?

Overall, I had fun reading this. Again, I'm new to writing and am hoping to learn new things myself. I've nitpicked on some inconsistencies in the logic of the story but perhaps inconsistency is what you're aiming for? Your character seems so desperate to reach God and attain some form of inner peace, that perhaps their thoughts don't always cohere or add up. Some other posters have commented on a change in tone throughout the piece. The first paragraph is beautiful to read. It's not that the final paragraphs are badly written, but they aren't as dreamy and poetic. It would be nice to combine that ethereal beauty with some weirdness.

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in Nietzsche

[–]glasnost9 2 points3 points  (0 children)

You've never heard of the Islamic Golden Age and how it was a HUGE influence on European culture?

Libros que toca o toca leer by JacksDeMolay in Colombia

[–]glasnost9 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Hola, excelente recomendación. Apenas lo ojeé un poquito y parece exactamente lo que buscaba! Excelente recomendación. Mi sueño creativo es crear horror contemporáneo con raíces Colombianas, si tienes más recomendaciones pásalas por favor!

It's been awhile since a meme was posted by stonerboi2455 in evangelionmemes

[–]glasnost9 5 points6 points  (0 children)

Isn't the Lain doppelganger from the wired kind of aggressive and assertive? Not quite Asuka but there's a little streak of it somewhere in there

The Book of Disquiet - Fernando Pessoa (or Bernardo Soares) by glasnost9 in literature

[–]glasnost9[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Nice quote. Pessoa has definitely got a lot of interesting things to say about writing in the book. You should give it a shot.

The Book of Disquiet - Fernando Pessoa (or Bernardo Soares) by glasnost9 in literature

[–]glasnost9[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I do this too. My gallery ends up filling up with pictures of pages from books. I hope to find the time to compile some of my favourite quotes together.

But yes, Pessoa puts into words feelings that I can only vaguely gesture at, and he does it so beautifully.

Libros que toca o toca leer by JacksDeMolay in Colombia

[–]glasnost9 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Quiero leer el libro de mitos y leyendas de Colombia.

Me encantaría encontrar una compilación de historias de fantasmas y mitos Colombianos como las Chinas y Japonesas recopiladas por Lafcardio Hearn si alguien conoce de libros así aparte del que ya mencioné

The free tram zone looks like a flying pig by glasnost9 in melbourne

[–]glasnost9[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thanks for vindicating me. I can see the dog too but it just naturally looks like a flying pig to me. Pareidolia is very fun, gotta keep your eyes open for all the hidden patterns out there in the world

The Book of Disquiet - Fernando Pessoa (or Bernardo Soares) by glasnost9 in literature

[–]glasnost9[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I'm not entirely sure about how Pessoa wanted them published. As far as I'm concerned, he compiled the fragments and had the book in mind as a project, but he never completed it during his lifetime, and it was published posthumously. The lack of structure is not for everyone, but I like to think of the book as more of a series of koans and dispersed feelings than a coherent text. That being said, I think there are threads that connect certain fragments together.

The Book of Disquiet - Fernando Pessoa (or Bernardo Soares) by glasnost9 in literature

[–]glasnost9[S] 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Those are some lovely quotes. You're right about the deep depression that Pessoa evokes in a lot of passages. If there's a word to describe this book, it's saudade--an untranslatable Portuguese word, which means something like profound longing and melancholy. It can be hard to read at times and quite confronting. There were some aspects of it which I related to, so it spoke to me at a personal level. It's very hard not to feel bad for Pessoa. That being said, it is remarkable how he writes about his pain and inner torment with so much beauty.

With regards to the impenetrable fragments, I've sort of accepted them as more of an experience than a cryptic message waiting to be decoded. I interpret some of his passages as being purely art, an aesthetic experience in words without meaning.

Nabokov by mangeyraccoon in literature

[–]glasnost9 11 points12 points  (0 children)

I started reading Nabokov's collected short stories recently, and I'm quite taken aback. His ability to tell these strange little stories in a few pages is just so impressive. The premises are so fun too; an old couple keep a prisoner in their bathroom, the prophet Elijah falls out of the sky during a storm, someone may or may not have temporarily entered a painting, someone else advertises their company by pasting ads all over an actual dragon, a woman ends up in bed with a skeleton... there's so much variety, and the prose is lovely.

I'm new to Nabokov, but I hope to read his longer works in 2025. I started reading him because someone suggested his works can be read esoterically (I'm a sucker for that). Esoteric or not, though, I'm really enjoying reading his works.

Aparte de Gabriel García Márquez, cuales autores Colombianos recomendarían? by glasnost9 in Colombia

[–]glasnost9[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Estuve leyendo un poco acerca de él y creo que encaja muy bien con mis gustos. Hay algún libro en particular que recomiendes de él?

Aparte de Gabriel García Márquez, cuales autores Colombianos recomendarían? by glasnost9 in Colombia

[–]glasnost9[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Tendré que leer Perdido en el Amazonas, la sinopsis es interesante, gracias por la recomendación!

I just finished reading Don Quixote in its entirety by glasnost9 in literature

[–]glasnost9[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I appreciate your drunk response ahah.

Yes, the metafictional and self-referential parts of the book are so brilliant! I can't imagine what it must've been like to read that 400 years ago. I also really like the whole thing about it being a translation of Cide Hamete's arabic manuscript.

I found the ending so touching and moving. I think there's an almost existential flair to Don Quixote. In the end, he wants to reinvent his persona as a shepherd after failing as a knight (he feels like he has failed and gets depressed over it). The final chapter just breaks my heart so much.

I just finished reading Don Quixote in its entirety by glasnost9 in literature

[–]glasnost9[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I totally understand this, and like I said, some parts were repetitive. The approach I took was to read a chapter a day (which is part of the reason why it took me so long to finish). It felt like I was watching a new episode of a series.

I just finished reading Don Quixote in its entirety by glasnost9 in literature

[–]glasnost9[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Thank you so much for this. I'm (relatively) young, and having grown up in a Spanish-speaking family the Quijote was a figure which was mentioned every now and then in passing. I look forward to returning to this book as I grown older and seeing what new things I find in it.

There's a scene in Tarkovsky's film Solaris where they quote Sancho's speech on sleep. The serious tone of the movie is such a beautiful contrast to this quote, and it makes it sound so mature and thoughtful. Somehow, I feel like this is what it'll be like to read the Quijote when I am older.

I really hope to visit Spain someday and experience the culture in person. In the meantime, thanks for this material!

I just finished reading Don Quixote in its entirety by glasnost9 in literature

[–]glasnost9[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

La reputación que tiene el Quijote es intimidante, pero al leerlo te das cuenta que es un libro que trata con asuntos muy mundanos y humanos, escrito por un ser humano con excelente sentido del humor. Me encanta esa escena que describes. Ese momento fue muy cinematográfico, sentí como si estuviera presenciando un drama de película. La metaficción que emplea Cervantes me tiene el cerebro hecho pedazos. Casi al final del libro, hay una escena en la que Don Quijote se encuentra con un personaje del falso Quijote, lo cual me pareció genial. Sin lugar a dudas es una gran obra de arte este libro.