Chris Via > Recent Status Updates

I never did care much for playing Diplomacy in school, but Eschaton sure seems rad!

P.G.O.A.T.

The level at which DFW portrays Kate Gompert's chemically-imbalanced mind-havoc will forever haunt me. Also, love that James Incandenza's (fourth? fifth?) attempt at making Infinite Jest was from Poor Yorick Entertainment Unlimited (acronym: P-YEU).

Been waiting for the right moment for almost 10 years. That moment is now. Re-experiencing the Jest!

OK, yes, this essay on Proust must be read twice to have been read a first time. Here we go again...

The readings of Wordsworth, Shelley, Keats, and Tennyson against the map of misprision are every bit as illuminating as that of Browning's poem. Now we're moving into Emerson, his precursors, and his ephebes to round this study out.

The chapter that applies Bloom’s map to Browning’s _Childe Roland to the Dark Tower Came_ offers not only a practical use of influence-anxiety (something Bloom’s first book lacks) but an affirmation of why Bloom is heralded as a literary critic.

Bloom's command of literature from the Greeks, the Hebrews, on through British and American poets--not to mention all the secondary literature--is enviable.

Love offhanded remarks like this: the strong reader treats reality as a text.

NEW VIDEO! 10 Big Books I Love: Part II.
https://youtu.be/mhe75bsEkyg

Wardrobe credit: Feeling Bookish podcast

It has been a long time since writing has “gotten to me” in this way. At first the writing seemed almost incidental but now I see that it is crafted. The sentences seem innocuous, then one perfectly placed snare will snap your ankle.

Never heard of Pancake until about a month ago. Surprised by the power of his writing. Raymond Carver comes to mind immediately.

My first Bursey fiction!

Yet another novel that works even better the second time through.
Truly, truly a great work here.
Identity, language, time--an eternal golden braid.

Finally acquainting myself with Pessoa (and his many heteronyms). The introduction alone has me salivating!

This book works extremely well on the second read! Especially with a little more awareness of Pessoa and his most public heteronym Alvaro de Campos. David Markson took Wittgenstein's cue and did one thing--Gauer takes it and does another!

Such a treat to be reading this again!

Oh, now this is great fun here!

I'm actually quite enjoying this one. Can't really say why yet. Reading it about 10pp/day.

First read following Gaddis immersion. Look at that covert art!

I remember when I moved into part 3 the first time I read this, thinking: How can Gaddis possibly bring this production to a close? And now I am reminded of how perfectly he does it. The “first” and “last” Turn of the Screw chapters are perfect literature.

The Gaddis supplements continue.

Technically I'm reading the online version of the annotations which is much updated from the original publication. But I bought this for my Moore/Gaddis collection. This is indispensable for a deeper, more illuminating reading of The Recognitions.