I just picked up Good Omens by Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett. It's rather amusing.

[quote=Godslayer Jillian]Gothic literature is bullshit. I can respect William Faulkner (who is the big talented guy in gothic literature, not Poe)[/gothic]

You can't say that. You can believe that Faulker is more talented than anyone who ever wrote a gothic novel, but you can't call Faulkner 'the big talented guy in gothic literature' because his 'southern gothic' genre isn't so much a contribution of the 'gothic' literary tradition as a permutation on the form- saying that is tantamount to saying that Authur Miller is the 'big talented' greek tragedian because he experimented with elements of that style.

Why is it that popularity or accessibility reduces the value of a novel? Of course there were awful entries into the catalogue of gothic fiction, but those that are still read and celebrated today- Wutering Heights, Frankenstein, A Turn of the Screw, Bleak House, even Dracula- are generally accomplished works. Varney, at any rate, doesn't constitute grounds on which to condemn the whole genre, as it's more a penny dreadful than a truly literary composition.

By that logic, we shouldn't acknowledge Shakespeare's sonnets because he wrote them for money, often after being hired by others and handed a topic about which he didn't care.


Since when is Poe's other work ignored? I don't believe the adventures of August Dupin were any less popular than his other tales, and they're certainly equally regarded today. Regardless, once again, the popularity of a composition's genre doesn't cheapen that work- by this rationale, No Country For Old Men shouldn't be an Oscar nominee because there are so many Westerns.

It doesn't, but gothic literature almost in its entirety sucks, and was only sold because it was popular.
Yeah, and FOX sucks, but it has the Simpsons and Family Guy. For those few examples I should judge the overall body of it?
But most gothic literature resembles Varney and Dracula rather than Wuthering Heights.
Actually yeah. Shakespeare had talent, but he didn't say much to the world rather than he was just getting a salary.
Really? Let's make a poll about which story people feel is more "Poe"tic of Poe's stories: The Pit and the Pendulum, or The Murders in La Rue Morgue?
No, it doesn't, but when did I say it does?

Heh, I realized how badly I botched quoting you in the last post. Busy and tired as I was, I closed a quote tag with [/gothic]. I rule.

Dude, unpopular things don't sell. Everything sells because it's popular. Some things can be popular for reasons which are less 'legitimate' in your eyes than those for which other things are popular, but things don't sell for reasons beyond popularity.

TV Stations versus Literary Genre's is a weird analogy, but, well, if you live in a Nielsen Household, you don't just help out Family Guy and the Simpsons when you tune in, you help out Fox as a whole. Besides, what about motherfucking House?

Most contributions to all genres suck. Most science fiction is shit like "SPACE MARINE", not I, Robot or The Stars My Destination. Most Fantasy is "DRAGONMOOR", not The Lord of the Rings. Most books suck, period.

Are you saying that Shakespeare's works as a whole didn't say much to the world? Or just that his sonnets have little little literary value? I don't agree with either statement, and if you maintain one or both of those beliefs I have to ask that you elaborate as to why you do.

I'd say it would depend on who we'd survey. The layperson would probably have more familiariy with the former if he knew of Poe at all, but I can't imagine anyone with an interest in literature neglecting the importance of his August Dupin tales. I'd actually be very interested to conduct this experiment, posting the poll to forums which attract different userbases perhaps?

The way you called gothic literature 'well-known' and 'done to death' seemed a bit contemptuous of popular things, but I might have misconstrued you.

We're not fighting, btw. I do <3 you, Jillian.

Let's read "Master & Margarita" by M. Bulgakov. It's a gothic book too!

American Gods by Neil Gaiman.

Brilliant. Just brilliant.

Right now I´m reading Twilight by Stephenie Meyer. It´s not as dark as I had hoped it would be, at least not yet.. But it´s still very hard to let go of. I could stay up night and day reading it.

Hm, I just picked Twilight up yesterday, (now nearly done with it) and I'm wondering now if it belongs in the trash. It's not anything new, and doesn't get exciting until near the very end. Then, things don't seem to connect to the rest of the story.

Hell yes. That book is one good time indeed.

Rose Madder by Stephen King. Again. When I start memorizing passages from a book I try to stay away from it for a while, but it's so hard with this one.

Ugh..I tried, but I couldn't. Here we go, I did not enjoy Twilight. The idea was fair, but, the author (who is sadly from MY state) didn't deliver. I read it until like chapter 4 or so... And I just had to put it down and walk away, honestly, it's nothing new. Nothing in that book excites me, other than some Latin references, and other things like that. Personally, I'm a very romantic person, but then again, I just can't read books where romance is the main pont to it, I will rot in bordem. I just think the author could have done better.

I am currently reading The Catcher in The Rye by J.D. Salinger. Many people have told me that this book is about the most "Emo" book out there. So, I got it from a friend of mine, and I just have to see what's all it's about.

Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand.
If anyone's interested in reading it, I don't recommend it. Objectivism is interesting, but where the fuck does the bitch get off with her conclusions and her individualist anarchocapitalism?
It can be understood and forgiven, but that's what I don't like; that her political ideas are dated. They're so victorian even though she lived a little after that era.
Only read it if it's a must in the collection of classics you have to read, not for your own amusement, unless you can be very patient.

Warhammer 40,000 fiction. Mainly Dan Abnett.

I'm waiting for my copy of "Death of a Salesman" to arrive in the mail, ever since I heard that there are similar themes between it and the movie "American Beauty".

But, I'm currently reading one of those cheap $4.99 Barnes and Nobles books. This one is titled "Good and Evil in Myth and Legend". It's not without its merits but it jumps around way too much to be used for anything more than an afternoon read.

Oh my Goth. I'm reading Twilight, by Stephanie Meyer. I'm reading the series just for the simple fact that I have read every other vampire book my school library has to offer.

It's alright, but not the great book everyone keeps saying it is.

Twilight= full of shit.

But Digital Fortress is pretty good!

Where go thou man (my free translation, i don't know weather it's ever been translated in English) by Filip Corlukic

" mountains of madness " H.P. Lovecraft, fantastic work.

A classic...Dracula, from my dear Bram Stoker.

currently reading The Laughing Corpse by Laurell K. Hamilton.
I'm going to try and hopefully read the whole Anita Blake series, and then on to the Merry Gentry one.
and i'm also reading The Crystal Cave.

*EDIT*
i might get a few laughs from this question, but has anyone here read the Goth Bible?
It's at the library i go to but i just want a few opinions on it before i check it out.

Personally I love that book. The book isn't explaining it all but what it explains is dead on. Look up Peikoff's book on objectivism to get a more in-depth look of it all, or visit the Ayn Rand Institute website etc.

Anyway, back on topic, I just started reading Henry Thoreau's 'Walden'. Bloody marvelous book so far.