Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with books and literature

The Origin of the Matrix

madmamasmith — Thu, 24 Dec 2009 00:30:53 -0800

Origin of the Matrix relating to a Science Fictional setting... I am reading Neuromancer by William Gibson and the main character mentions "the matrix", as something he "jacks in to". Now this is my first foray into sci-fi and I am only about 20 pages in but I was wondering where the term originated. Did The Matrix movie steal this term and its meaning from Gibson or was it already being used in previous sci-fi works? I have only ever heard it used in a sci-fi context so that's why I;m wondering. I'm admitting my lack of knowledge in this area, so please don't make me feel like a ding dong if the answer to this question is blindingly obvious to you! Also, while on the topic of Sci-fi, the last book I read in the genre was Ender's Game in junior high and I loved it, so please suggest any sci-fi reads I should check out.

Good translations of Zhuangzi?

Arturus — Mon, 14 Dec 2009 22:38:48 -0800

I'm interested in getting a print copy of Zhuangzi to read. What's a good translation or edition?

Can you recommend a good book about the WPA artists program, or a great book that came out of the Federal Writers' Program?

Anonymous — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 11:29:02 -0800

Can you recommend a good book about the WPA artists program, or a great book that came out of the Federal Writers' Program? Bonus points if you know of a fictional story that uses it as the main theme. Recently my girlfriend and I spent some time going through the 1934: A New Deal for Artists exhibition at the American Art Museum in Washington. We both enjoyed it, and I plan on getting her the Smithsonian-produced art book for Christmas, but I was wondering if anyone has any suggestions on a historical book that looks at the WPA program itself, not necessarily what came out of it. A book discussing the rational, highlighting struggling artists, why it was important to fund the work, implementation of the program, etc.

She doesn't really read non-fiction (unlike me, who only reads non-fiction), so a fictional look at the WPA artists program would be amazing. I figure that probably doesn't exist, so recommend whatever you may have.

Also, if you know of a great book from the Federal Writers' Program, which was the same basic program but for authors, I'd love suggestions from that as well. I'm more inclined to give her a fiction book that came out of that program than a non-fiction book about WPA art.

(anon because it's a Christmas gift and my username is, in hindsight, far too obvious.)

Will trade literature for science?

Diagonalize — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 09:35:36 -0800

Which books can a physicist and a liberal arts type trade to gain a deeper appreciation of literature and science, respectively? Ideally, these would be books we could both read and enjoy. When we met, he was working on his PhD in particle theory and I was studying English literature. Worlds collide, sparks fly, and some four years later, he's Mr. Doctor McPhysics and I'm Little Miss Publishing-Noob. We're still happily together, but I still don't “get” science as much as I'd like, and I'd really like to find some great works of literature that he could enjoy too.

I didn't really take any hard science or math in college, and the science education in my high school was abysmal, so my education is rather lopsided. I have the basics and the odd bits and pieces I've picked up over the years (usually high-level physics), so I'd really love to find some really good, non-technical science books to supplement my unsteady diet of sci fi novels and pop sci articles.

As for Mr. Doctor McP, thanks to philosopher parents, he grew up much better read than many people I know now, but given that he spends the majority of his time slogging through academic papers, when he picks up a novel, he tends to gravitate to the lighter side of things (Harry Potter, His Dark Materials, etc.). That is totally understandable and swell (I loved those series too!), but I'd also love to share a bit more of the adult literary world with him.

Please hope me with this meeting of minds!

Innovative Book Designs

0bvious — Sun, 01 Nov 2009 04:37:46 -0800

Innovative Books: I am looking to compile a list of the most innovative uses of the book format. Books that break the mould in their layout and design, perhaps books that use online systems to extend their content value or push their form into new places. I am most interested in narrative and theory, but any book that is interesting (artist books etc.) would be really appreciated. I have a few examples, in order of publication, to set the ball rolling:

Compendium for literates : a system of writing by Karl Gerstner - A book about book form in an innovative form. Beautiful and still fresh

Dictionary of the Khazars: a lexicon novel in 100,000 words by Pavic - a 'dictionary novel' "written in two versions, male and female, which are identical save for seventeen crucial lines"

A Humument: A Treated Victorian Novel by Tom Philips - an artist who has used one particular edition of one particular book as a space for his work for many years

The Selected Works of T. S. Spivet by Reif Larson - extended use of footnote, side-note and illustration to give the narrative dimension

I would love any ideas you have!

Recommend a sequence of novels leading from action trash to literary treasure

hifimofo — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 15:21:50 -0800

I am looking for recommendations for a sequence of novels that might lead an adult fan of very trashy action to the real gold. The sequence needs to start at Matthew Reilly's Temple and I don't know where it would end. It doesn't have to make it to Ulysses or Gravity's Rainbow^* but if you think you could plot such a path then go for it. If you want to specify what each step gains/loses I'd love to see that, too.

Take as many steps as you like. Given that people's tastes tend to change slowly more steps might be better.

You don't have to stick to the action genre, but please no horror. Sci-fi is okay, but the reader in question is not a big fan of it.

Thanks

(I'm secretly hoping we are going to witness the birth pangs of a giant flowchart of readerly goodness.)

^*Insert actual pinnacle of literature here.

Books please!

Go Banana — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 21:10:41 -0800

Recommend some great literature in the Steinbeck tradition. I'm looking for some great books in the style of East of Eden. Big, lush narrative fiction spanning generations. I'm meh on Isabel Allende, Gabriel Garcia Marquez, John Irving, Barbara Kingsolver and Lawrence Hill. Big fan of M.M. Kaye, Robertson Davies, Somerset Maugham, and obviously John Steinbeck. My overall taste in books varies widely and I read voraciously. I tend to get bored quickly, however, and need something really gripping to bother finishing a book. I'd prefer generally uplifting to hopelessly tragic. I also enjoy period fiction (gothic, Victorian) and have a secret weakness for trash literature (Valley of the Dolls). Thank you for your recommendations!

Not being able to find this book keeps me up at night

icarus — Mon, 05 Oct 2009 16:11:24 -0800

Bookfilter: I have searched everywhere, I have exhausted all resources. You are my last hope. I had a book as a child, it was in Russian, but the stories in it were middle-eastern/Arabic/Persian... I know that the name of the book was Three Oranges (Tri Apelsina in Russian) - It was a children's book, but all the stories were really creepy and sad, in a Hans C. Anderson or Brothers Grimm kind of way.
- It reminded me a lot of some of the stories from One Thousand and One Nights, only more grusome and weird (especially for a children's book)
- It had several short stories that were unrelated (I think) to each other.
- One of the stories was, in fact, called Three Oranges.
- Lots of ethical, moral, religious undertones.

Can anyone point me in the right direction? I would love nothing more than to track down a copy of this book somewhere in Russian or English.

Everybody has a story

mippy — Mon, 05 Oct 2009 01:53:57 -0800

I like biographies of ordinary/non-famous people with interesting stories to tell, or stories from before they became notable. Can anyone recommend any? Recent-ish books I've enjoyed were Rhona Cameron's 1979: A Big Year In A Small Town, Noelle Howey's Dress Codes, Ken Dornstein's The Boy Who Fell Out of the Sky, Quentin Crisp's The Naked Civil Servant, and Alexander Master's Stuart: A Life Backwards - all of which featured the lives of ordinary people with extraordinary events, ideas or feelings, like novels about real life...I only like 'famous' people's biographies if they're resolutely un-dry and un-deferent, and am open to reading stories of people about which I know nothing if they're interesting enough. (I'm still disappointed that Boy George's autobiography was ghostwritten - Marc Almond's was a much more fun read.)

I'm currently reading War Paint, a biography of Helena Rubenstein and Elizabeth Arden, which, while covering the careers of both women, is as much about myth creation, social history and marketing. Any similar books which you can recommend?

What are the great patterning works of literature?

jason's_planet — Thu, 17 Sep 2009 09:39:25 -0800

What are the great patterning works of literature? In Book by Book, Michael Dirda presents a list of what he calls “patterning works” which he describes as books that “. . later authors regularly build on, allude to, work against.” and which he says “ . . . ought to lie at the heart of any structured reading program.” I'm not entirely satisfied with his list, although I have to say that I don't have a rich enough background in the history of literature to be able to refute his claims effectively. Perhaps some of you all might be able to help me. Here it is:

The Bible (Old and New Testament)
Bullfinch's Mythology (or any other accounts of the Greek, Roman and Norse myths)
Iliad
Odyssey
Plutarch, Lives of the Noble Greeks and Romans
Dante, Inferno
The Arabian Nights
Thomas Malory, Le Morte D'Arthur
Shakespeare, especially the major works such as Hamlet, Henry IV, part one, King Lear, A Midsummer Night's Dream, Tempest
Cervantes, Don Quixote
Daniel Defoe, Robinson Crusoe
Jonathan Swift: Gulliver's Travels
Fairy Tales of Brothers Grimm
Any substantial collection of the world's major folktales
Jane Austen: Pride and Prejudice
Lewis Carroll: Alice in Wonderland
Arthur Conan Doyle: The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes

How would you change this list, if at all? Are there great patterning works that he's missed entirely? If so, what sort of influence did they have and on which authors? Are any of these works overrated and not as influential as he claims? Or is this actually a pretty good list, one that needs no change at all? As always, many thanks in advance.

P.S. If you know of any good folktale compilations, feel free to recommend them here. Thanks!

Libraries are awesome

serazin — Thu, 03 Sep 2009 21:11:52 -0800

I've taken responsibility for a very small children's library and I'd love your ideas for making it awesome. My kid is going to a tiny little school where every parent takes a volunteer job. I chose the job of managing the small library. I'm supposed to keep it organized and accessible, and to create displays and possibly events. I'm also supposed to coordinate a Scholastic book fair (I'm sure everyone would be open to some alternative to Scholastic - so suggestions welcome on that score as well.)

I don't have a ton of time, and the school doesn't have a ton of money. Given those limitations, I'd love to hear any ideas you have for making the library useful, attractive and vibrant.

(Note that I admire and respect librarians, and recognize that I am not one! I wish all schools had a paid librarian, but this school doesn't - it only has two paid staff people all together - so I hope to do my best with what's available.)

Mind-blowing literature

aheckler — Tue, 11 Aug 2009 16:58:07 -0800

I like mind-blowing books. Please give me your best suggestions. I want to read books that will leave my jaw on the floor because their ideas are so huge and/or counter-intuitive. But I'd also like them to have a certain "punchiness" to them, the exact nature of which is hard to describe.

As an example, I recently re-read Daniel Quinn's Ishmael; it's a perfect example of what I'm looking for. God's Debris is another great one.

Examples of books I'm not looking for include: Guns, Germs, and Steel (less exciting than Ishmael, doesn't have that oomph), The Selfish Gene (same), and 1984 (good, but didn't leave my jaw on the floor).

Classy, non-amateur erotic literature?

Lush — Fri, 07 Aug 2009 09:03:53 -0800

Having recently discovered Anais Nin's Delta of Venus and Little Birds, I'm looking for classy, somewhat highbrow, non-amateur, published erotic literature along the same lines. I appreciate the languid, lingering, sensual atmosphere of the stories, and that they provoke thought about bedroom politics.

I tried looking on my own, but it seems I have unearthed a whole new underworld of fiction and the selection is overwhelming! There seems to be a lot of amateur erotic stories designed to quickly and deliberately assist the reader in getting off, sorted by taboo subject, and usually told in crude language. I do not wish to get off on these stories. I'm also not interested in romance novels, fan fiction, or deceptively highbrow-sounding florid prose featuring non-humans. (NOTE: I searched previous AskMe questions about erotica, but the askers' tastes differ from mine.)

I'd like to read more stories like Anais Nin's. Bonus points if they're literary and thought-provoking. Extra bonus points of they're classic, and published, as I will likely be reading them in waiting areas or on the train. Extra extra bonus points if they outdo Nin.

Any recommendations?

Recommendations for erotica

ninebelow — Thu, 06 Aug 2009 04:56:03 -0800

Recommendations for erotica I'm interested in reading erotic novels but I need a bit of guidance. Virgin Books are the biggest erotica publisher in the UK and I've dipped into a few of their titles at random but they've been uniformly awful. Google has not been my friend either because there is a lot of chaff out there. So I am looking for (ideally) a good reviews/recommendation site or (failing that) individual recommendations for novels, authors or publishers.

I'm a straight male interested in the porn rather than romance end of the spectrum and when I say novels I mean actual printed books. Bonus points for science fiction or fantasy recommendations (although I am not after a million recommendations for Jacqueline Carey).

Help me drag my uncle out of the literary dark ages!

badmoonrising — Wed, 29 Jul 2009 16:04:13 -0800

My uncle recently mentioned to me that he's never read any book written by a woman. Apparently this is because he doesn't think they'll be any good - he seems to think women can only write romance novels. I find this both horrific and hard to believe, but he seemed serious. So, Hive Mind, I need your help in drafting a list of the very best books written by female authors. Help me teach him the error of his ways! I've checked out a few previous questions, but I am somewhat hampered in my list-making by the fact that many of the obvious classics (and most of the books that sprang to my mind) are books that I think he will not enjoy, e.g. the works of the Brontë sisters or Jane Austen, or even Toni Morrison.

Specifically, he likes crime novels and thrillers, and fast-paced storylines without too many descriptive passages. (Or, as he put it, books "where it doesn't take the author three pages to describe a table.") So suggestions vaguely along those lines would be especially appreciated. I immediately suggested Agatha Christie and Patricia Cornwall to him, but crime is not generally my preferred genre so I'm having trouble coming up with much else.

The books do not have to be thrillers, but I suspect he will abandon anything too romance/family-orientated. So no Pride and Prejudice or The Thorn Birds, please. We're coming up with a list for a rather conservative, old-fashioned, golf- and rugby-loving Englishman in his late sixties. (So no Tipping the Velvet either!)

So, AskMeFites, please fire away!

(Also, I'm well aware of how sexist and misogynistic my uncle may seem, and I'm not interested in hearing any commentary on that, thank you. I myself want to batter him over the head with something heavy until he sees the error of his ways, but he IS family and I love the guy. So if I can rein in my violent urges, then I hope AskMeFi can too.)

The Red Badge of Courage Nobody Knows?

mediareport — Tue, 23 Jun 2009 15:24:08 -0800

Is there any kind of critical consensus about the claim made by Henry Binder and Hershel Parker in the 1980s that previous editions of Stephen Crane's Red Badge of Courage were prepared with cuts demanded mostly by the original publisher and that the edition most people have read is thus much less darkly ironic than it should be, and that Binder's new presentation is a more accurate representation of Crane's original intent?

Short stories like this are the only stories here.

zoomorphic — Tue, 23 Jun 2009 09:42:08 -0800

I demand to know your favorite short story anthologies. I recently realized that my brain isn't cut out to read novels on the subway, so I've made a left turn to short stories. Single author collections of short stories are great, but I'm looking for anthologies that include various authors to keep things lively. I love the Best American Non-Required Reading series, as well as My Mistress' Sparrow Is Dead. I've also got Children Playing Before a Statue of Hercules on my list.

My favorite short story authors are Lorrie Moore, Amy Bloom, Chekov and Flannery O'Connor, but I'm looking to expand.

What else should I pick up?

Great American Novels

Busoni — Sat, 20 Jun 2009 13:06:00 -0800

People talk about "writing the Great American Novel." What do you think are valid examples of the G.A.N.? What novels, American or otherwise, did you enjoy reading and wish you had written?

What books do people proselytize about?

I Foody — Tue, 02 Jun 2009 08:05:50 -0800

What are some books that people are particularly likely to be assholes about? There are some books like Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance and The Fountainhead that people tend to be assholes about. Treating the books like arguments for a particular policy, philosophy, or way of being. The Alchemist is another one, even books by Daniel Quinn could qualify. It isn't so much about the quality of the books as it is about the way people interface with the books. Oh, and just to be clear I'd like to confine things to books that are marketed as fiction. No holy texts or self help books please.

"The sunrise is a strip-tease between night and day." Tom Robbins quote?

prwnkle02 — Mon, 27 Apr 2009 18:46:00 -0800

"The sunrise is a strip-tease between night and day." Is this a Tom Robbins quote (or similar to one)? My friend is writing a story and included this line..I seem to remember it from a Tom Robbins book, but can't remember which. It might be original and just in the same style, but he wants to know if he should take it out. Any help is appreciated!

What should my 6 year old read?

serazin — Tue, 07 Apr 2009 18:56:17 -0800

What should I read to my 6 year old? What should she read to herself? My six year old and I are lovers of literature. I like to read to her, and she likes to read to herself. She's a strong enough reader to easily conquer (and enjoy) a Nate the Great level of complexity. She's read longer, more complex stuff if its really interesting to her. I'm particularly interested in finding new books that broaden her understanding of cultures outside our own (middle-ish class and white).

Some stuff we've loved so far includes: Nate the Great, Roald Dahl (everything), the Ramona Quimby books (she totally identifies with Ramona), Rabbit Hill, the Borrowers books, the My Father's Dragon books, William Steig, Junebug by Alice Mead, The Secret Garden. We got half way through the Narnia books when she finally admitted she doesn't like them - too much fighting she said, but I suspect she was also having trouble following or was just getting bored. A friend read her Harry Potter, and she liked it.

I refuse to read Magic Tree House or its ilk because I'm a big snob. However, if there's something along this line that you think she might enjoy reading quietly by herself, go ahead and recommend it.

Thank you!

Future of immigration?

sarahkeebs — Sat, 04 Apr 2009 18:56:49 -0800

Looking for sci-fi/speculative fiction that deals with the issue of colonization, immigration, and refugees. The more details the better! Specifically looking for stories that deal (at least partly) with the stories of the immigrants themselves, and not just the abstract idea. Similar books I have enjoyed:
Sassinak by Anne McCaffrey & Elizabeth Moon
Old Man's War by John Scalzi
Ender's Game series
and the Children of Men movie (haven't read the book)

Like Twilight, But Without All The Vampires

ekstasis23 — Tue, 24 Mar 2009 08:55:51 -0800

Help me keep her reading filter: My wife is tearing through the Twilight series right now, and I'd love to keep her swamped in books once she finishes. But the vampire-ness of the series is the least interesting part to her. According to her:

"I like the suspense of the whole thing. Mystery. The way even a kiss is super intense. The vampire werewolf thing works in these books but I dont know if it would always work. I like wanting to know what happens next."

I've found a lot of vampire-centric "What Should I Read After Twilight" lists on the internet, but I want you to tell me about some great books that have the same feel as Twilight, minus the bloodsuckers.

Odd tales

Rinku — Sun, 08 Mar 2009 14:21:43 -0800

I'd like recommendations for short stories that are strange, humorous, or have a surprising twist. I'm in an english class where we're reading long, kind of dull, "straight" novels, one after the other. I'm enjoying the class but I need some antidotes - stories that are off the wall, exotic, mysterious, or... something like that. They need to be short enough that I can read them in one sitting.

My favorite short story ever, which definitely qualifies, is Borges' The Secret Miracle. Donald Barthelme's short stories, which I've been reading recently (and enjoying very much), would also count. Recommendations for genre short stories - fantasy, science fiction, horror, whatever - would be very much appreciated as well.

Recommendations for specific short stories, rather than collections or authors, would be appreciated - but if everything an author's done is amazing, well... go for it.

American Gothic

Edelweiss — Wed, 25 Feb 2009 18:37:31 -0800

LitFilter: Who are the American Gothic Novelists? I'm looking for Early American literature in the Gothic tradition. In particular, I'd like to find novels (or short stories) similar in style, theme, and - this is important - period to Charles Brockden Brown's work. Were any other American writers doing the horror thing in the 18th and early 19th century? Hawthorne comes to mind, but he was really writing in a later historical moment than I'd like to explore. (Side note - I'm specifically not interested in James Fenimore Cooper. At all. Unless you can find a way for me to go back in time, meet him, and make musket wadding of his Last of the Mohicans manuscript.)

TIA