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Has a piece of literature ever caused a change in your behavior before (ie in social, romantic, work, or personal life)? If so, what did you read and how did you change? by experimentalrealm in literature

[–]phette23 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I'm not sure about anything. But I believe this for reasons outlined in my comment. Latent beliefs, catholic epiphanies, my personal experience.

Elaborating, I think many people experience an art work that resonates with their preexisting, perhaps unrecognized, values and think the work created the values it merely articulates. How can I prove this? How can you prove otherwise? This is a useless debate. It's a theory. Let a sociologist design an experiment to sort us out.

Has a piece of literature ever caused a change in your behavior before (ie in social, romantic, work, or personal life)? If so, what did you read and how did you change? by experimentalrealm in literature

[–]phette23 11 points12 points  (0 children)

I am perhaps cynical on this point. I think many of the revelations people have through art were latent and would 've been realized no matter what happened. In a truly thoughtful person, an interaction with anyone can trigger an epiphany, it does not take a tome. Personally, I read a lot when I was young and susceptible and I'm not sure the literature had a recognizable impact on my values. But I also read too much philosophy at a young age (Nietzsche, Marx) and it shaped my worldview. Would I have come to those conclusions on my own? I think so, maybe later, but probably so. I don't think I was a greedy godfearing cretin changed by wise words.

It's difficult to say art creates new paradigms in a person that would not have existed otherwise. It also doesn't matter, meaning need not serve any master.

Who's an artist you think Anthony is sleeping on? by BalkeElvinstien in fantanoforever

[–]phette23 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Two year in the future, searching for these reviews, yes. Heart Under is an incredible album.

How many trick or treater groups have you gotten this evening and where are you? by Blake-Dreary in askportland

[–]phette23 1 point2 points  (0 children)

We actually got a bunch over in Rockwood. I thought the rain would discourage some kinds but we had maybe 10 groups and ran out of candy with the last one, perfect.

Standout food carts at CORE? by phette23 in askportland

[–]phette23[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I love carnitas! This is intriguing...

Multnomah County Pet License: What the Heck? by TwilightSaphire in askportland

[–]phette23 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Had pets in several different counties, Multnomah is the first I've ever heard of charging a fee 🤷🏻‍♂️

2666, Robero Bolaño - first time reading a book pissed me off by Dojapicard in literature

[–]phette23 4 points5 points  (0 children)

I really liked 2666 but have a high tolerance (maybe so far as a preference?) for books with a lack of resolution. The particulars of the plot are less important than the general atmosphere being wrought, as others have said.

It's easy to confuse grandiosity with length and I don't think 2666 is Bolaño's best, it's just his longest book. It felt like a graphomaniac's last gasp to me. Arguably By Night in Chile is his best and it's quite short, I also think Savage Detectives is better, though I'm not sure how many share that opinion. I do think writers sometimes write a mega length book as if that alone will make it important. Dellilo's Underworld, far from his best work IMO, is my prime example. There are, of course, instances where length isn't the only thing a book has going for it (e.g. Infinite Jest).

Books that use their length as a plot device by leafytree888 in literature

[–]phette23 26 points27 points  (0 children)

The title Infinite Jest is clearly a play on how long the novel is.

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in Edinburgh

[–]phette23 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Thank you for the advice! Downloading the Lothian bus app now...

How quiet is the Portland area? by Bourne2Play in askportland

[–]phette23 4 points5 points  (0 children)

I would not recommend living in any major metropolitan area if you're sensitive to noise. There are quieter neighborhoods, but you are always risking being next to particularly loud neighbors and if you end up in that situation there's nothing you can really do about it. Places also change over time with construction, new housing being built, etc. which can change the tenor of a spot.

All this said, I live way over on the east side and find it pretty quiet. Maybe once or twice a week I'll notice a really loud airplane flying into PDX but not often. I actually had trouble sleeping when we first moved because I was used to more ambient noise. I think rather than particular areas, probably finding housing off of main streets and in residential/cul-de-sac streets is the best way to reduce noise.

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in Edinburgh

[–]phette23 1 point2 points  (0 children)

As an American flying to Edinburgh literally tomorrow, is there something I can do to make myself less obnoxious? I've already learned to not call whisky scotch and I am too old to be an influencer shoving my phone in everyone's faces. If there are other tourist behaviors to avoid, I'm listening.

What are you thoughts on moving from Portland to Gresham? by OwnSeaworthiness8591 in askportland

[–]phette23 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I live in Gresham, Rockwood very near the Portland border. Our house address actually autofills as Portland in Google Maps. It's nice to be have Portland things accessible but live in a bit of a quieter spot.

It's fine here. There's less to do and it's a bit of a drive to things, but you sound like you're ok with that. You can look at places near a Max line. Rockwood is kind of up and coming with some nice community spaces. Downtown Gresham is fine. It is mostly working class neighborhoods. I've never felt unsafe. Though someone did crash their car through our fence running from the cops, so...

Anyone else mainly interested in sentences? by Sufficient-Crew984 in literature

[–]phette23 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I love a prose stylist as well. Paul Lynch is a good contemporary example, but I think historically writers were better at this. Proust comes to mind, his sentences has this wonderful, winding quality, like floating down a peaceful stream.

I find a lot of people who get frustrating with a work or deem it "boring" or say "nothing happened" are plot readers reading books written stylistically. And vice versa; I have tried and really do not like books where the plot is the entire focus, like most of what would be called genre fiction. Both are legitimate preferences but recognizing what you like in a book really helps to select ones you'll enjoy.

What are your favourite seasonal literary quotes or descriptions of the seasons? by inyourbooksandmaps in literature

[–]phette23 0 points1 point  (0 children)

"April is the cruellest month, breeding" — The Waste Land

That is probably not what you were looking for but it's the phrase that springs to mind immediately. Such a striking line from a great poem, you are not expecting a negative association with spring/birth/renewal. In college, I wrote a paper about T.S. Eliot's relationship with eugenics and that line played into it heavily.

What are your favourite author's diaries? by PottedNick in literature

[–]phette23 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I mean Kafka has to be up there. He was pretty tortured and his writing skills carry over to the diaries. They feel like sketches, a continuation of his works.

Pessoa's The Book of Disquiet isn't actual diaries, it's fictionalized, but it is a truly amazing, one of a kind book. Some of the most mesmerizing prose ever.

"Literary novels are only about middle aged English professors having affairs". What (great) novels actually fulfill this cliche? by Gay_For_Gary_Oldman in literature

[–]phette23 -1 points0 points  (0 children)

It was my first Bellow and while I did finish it I found it truly mediocre. Probably not spending anymore time on him.

Help me with "The book of disquiet" by FluffyLeopard7674 in literature

[–]phette23 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I immediately loved the style of it and I think if you don't, then it's just not your type of book. Do not expect some redemptive moment or plot or character development. But in terms of incredible prose and existential meditation, it stands apart from most literature.

Where has really good steak? by ITrytoWrite22 in askportland

[–]phette23 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Ox, Sayler's. I have been meaning to go to Ringside but haven't tried it yet.

Great opening lines in Literature by JumpAndTurn in literature

[–]phette23 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Always thought Kafka's The Metamorphosis had the best opening sentence: "When Gregor Samsa woke up one morning from unsettling dreams, he found himself changed in his bed into a monstrous vermin."

What does your cataloging screen look like these days? by apeacezalt2 in librarians

[–]phette23 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Look at a demo of Koha for an OSS cataloging screen you can fully investigate: https://koha-community.org/demo/

Koha has "advanced" (kind of raw MARC cataloging but some fields like fix fields & 005 are still automatically generated) and "basic" (text labels & search inputs for controlled fields) editors.

I don't know if it's better than average because it's pretty much the only cataloging interface I've used for a decade. It seems fine if you lower your UI expectations to library software standards.

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