Metal Reviews

Well, he's attacking Althusser for being anti-historicism. Thompson identifies himself strongly as a historicist. So, he also lays into Popper along the way. Basically, he says Popper and Althusser use contradictory approaches to reach the same stupid opinion. (i.e. anti-historicism)

Sounds cool. There is too much fucking stuff to read and study. I feel so ignorant about Althusser. Whenever you want to talk Foucault then we can be on the same level.

Just got Black Mass by John Gray in the mail. Twenty pages into it and it's some trite shit. Basically, I'm a marxist looking for revolutionary change since I cling to religion's idea of salvation. John Gray's either right or I just hate seeing people suffering and dying because of capitalism. I get it; Christianity added telos into society's conception of time and space but why the fuck can't society move away from suffering towards peace? I know it really never happens but what if it could.

Heh, yeah, haven't really got round to starting my Foucault reader. Maybe I'll take it on holiday... Yes, far, far too much to read, I know that problem.

You lose. Magister Ludi will destroy you.

Finished 100 Years of Solitude. Good book. The word "nostalgia" must have been used about 50 times and I have a feeling it has a slightly different meaning in Spanish.

Gonna start Infinite Jest by David Foster Wallace when I get home tonight. Won't have to come back to this thread for a couple months :(

The guy's house is just above my school, I've experienced endless groups of hippies and "soul searchers" analyzing everything Hesse's ever done, and they're all so full of shit it's amazing.

Good luck and godspeed.

My biggest problem with The Dark Tower was the way it totally went off the rails in the 3 newest books. It was a out halway through book 5 I thinking "hey, what about all that other stuff? Are we jsut going to forget about that?"

Stuff like (spoilers) "Flagg who was Walter who was Marten" Oh fucking was he? Thanks for pointing that out earlier, Steve! just fucked me right off.

I think the aeries would have ended better without either of the 2 epilogues, ie Roland just going into the Tower and the book ending there and then. I guess I came to terms with the restart butting thing but the Susanah in New York epilogue was just unforgivable.

Re-reading The Catcher In The Rye for the third time.

It's already hooked me and given me chills 10 pages in. I think the biggest obstacle to me finishing it will be not getting to the end before school starts, because it took me about 45 minutes to read those 10-15 pages.

Meh; just because people quote a book thinking they're deep doesn't mean the book itself is shit. Siddhartha is thought provoking and well written, and Magister Ludi is just a brilliant book.



SPOILERS OF DOOOOM!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


No question that King basically fucked over Flagg in the last three books. You've created one of the coolest villains ever and you then barely use him and then get rid of him so some emo spider kid can be the villain? Jesus Christ.

Oh, and the Susannah epilogue makes me want to puke as much as the Harry Potter epilogue did. But I still maintain that Roland's ending rocks.

Agreed on the fact that it's well written, but it's not thought provoking at all.

Once I finish The Last Lecture, I'll begin reading Rainbow Six.

Read some more of The Twelve Caesars. Nero's chapter is brilliant.

Finally got around to reading 1984. I was depressed/frustrated for 2 straight days after reading it. Great novel though.

yeah, it was mandatory reading in the 7th grade for us, and it had the same effect on me... great book, though.
I actually enjoyed Animal Farm a bit more... it was somehow more darkly prophetic.


Anybody ever read The Jungle by Upton Sinclair?

Another great piece of work.

I liked The Jungle. It was more of a political statement than a novel, but his writing is really awesome.

Upton Sinclair was known as a muckraker in his time, and I understand that he was instrumental in getting changes made in the Meat Industry or whatever you would call it.

Whenever you think your life is getting to be a drag, just check out that hapless family of Latvians, it'll make you say
"heh, it could be worse".

Planning on reading Animal Farm at some point as well. I just need something a bit more upbeat this time around And then get back into some darker material.

I second that. Although, after a while, you really do begin to feel for Jurgas with all the BS he has to go through.