Why does Veeky Forums disregard books or works written in the 21st century?
Most of the stuff being discussed on here is mainly stuff written in the 1900s, why waste your time on stuff that isn't based on the current zeitgeist?
>Inb4 literature decadence
There simply isn't much fiction being written right now that's worthwhile.
Because it's not as good/enjoyable
>why waste your time on stuff that isn't based on the current zeitgeist?
Well who knows? Maybe because the zeitgeist doesn't necessarily create good literature? Nah, probably not.
Murakami
Because no one wants to read about Tao Lin riding a tricycle.
Ever meet that pretentious faggot in high school who only listens to classic rock like Zeppelin, Pink Floyd and the like, and says that "music sucks nowadays?" Basically those people are the literary equivalent of that kid. Using safe opinions on infallibly accepted works, this case being books, to disguise their underdeveloped tastes and assesments.
Nobody will challenge someone for saying that Led Zeppelin or, say, Lolita is good, but these same people will act dismissive towards works they've never experienced in order to appear that they know what they're talking about.
so what you're saying that lit is just one big
>le wrong generation
What are your favorite novels published in 2016?
There's significantly more old literature than new, so obviously I'm going to spend more of my time reading the former.
Nah, I just know of more good old books than good new ones. I do like quite a few authors who've published in this century, though - Sebald, Merwin, Krasznahorkai, and Coetzee, among others.
the average Veeky Forumsizen isn't capable of forming their own opinions on literature, which is what's required of you if you want to read new/contemporary literature. by only discussing pynchon or dfw or joyce or whatever meme writer, the Veeky Forumsizen can feel safe in formulating an opinion either in line with the general consensus of the work, or in reactionary, contrarian opposition. it's hard to make quick, easy assessments of works that have been published in the last few years because those works don't have an excess of critical opinion that the Veeky Forumsizen can parrot as their own.
Haven't read anything published this year yet but I know of several fantastic books published since about 2012.
Good works need a few decades at a minimum to mature.
The thing with that is that it's true, the good music of the old days absolutely crushes most of what is topping the charts nowadays. But we say that music used to be better because all of the absolute garbage that has always pervaded pop music is forgotten quickly while good works are remembered forever.
Plenty of people will talk shit on both Led Zeppelin and Lolita.
You guys
Veeky Forums dislikes contemporary literature because their favorite talking heads haven't gotten a chance to canonize them yet, and Veeky Forums hates taking positions on books that aren't part of the Western Canon.
Its a clear fact that the general population is slowly losing advanced literacy, there may be more people superficially reading than ever but serious readers have heavily declined and so there's just not much good being made
What are your favorite novels published in 2016?
>most of what is topping the charts nowadays
The fact that you think popular hits are the only music you can find says a lot about you, not music.
Veeky Forums discusses modern literature; Ivanov is adored, 2666 is divisive but a lot of people read it, Tao Lin is hated but popular anyways, Private citizens is the current thing-to-obsess-over.
How old is the average poster here? What age did they start reading oldish books? If you are less than ten years into reading shitloads of classic literature you are unlikely to run out.
I don't think I've read anything published in 2016 yet but I really liked the following contemporary works:
Lesser Apocalypses - Bayard Godsave
Scorch Atlas - Blake Butler
No One Belongs Here More Than You - Miranda July
The First Bad Man - Miranda July
Can't and Won't - Lydia Davis
Life on Mars - Tracy K Smith
Also,
Liner Notes - Andy Mister
Clumsy - Jeffrey Brown
>why waste your time
How can you judge modern books without knowing what came before them?
and I see you've wisely chosen to omit any specifics
0/2, bias confirmed
>Private citizens is the current thing-to-obsess-over.
no it's not
>Telegraph Avenue - Michael Chabon
>Lucky Alan - Jonathan Lethem
>Vampires in the Lemon Grove - Karen Russell
>The Vanishers - Heidi Julavits
>Donald Fagen - Eminent Hipsters
Happy now, faggot?
>Private citizens is the current thing-to-obsess-over.
stop shilling your shitty novel
2666 barely counts. Tao Lin was a passing fad among a tiny group of people. No one gives a shit about that last one except half-assed critics and that one guy who's trying to meme it (you?).
Not him but like it or not, it seems to be a book that a lot of people are talking about for now. Hard to believe, I know, but people outside of Veeky Forums actually read new books and don't feel the insatiable need to speak in DFW and Tao Lin memes.
The thing I respect about you is that you don't care how obvious you are, you just keep at it. So good luck Tony, it might actually work if it becomes a common shitposting subject and some newfag ends up thinking it's a serious recommendation.
There's less of it. And the hidden gems and classics haven't come to prominence yet.
Even if I were Tony why would I need the approval of all the rejects of Veeky Forums when the book already has enough buzz of its own?
True, you're just baiting. Well played, user.
>2016
>not the best year in music in the last decade
Plen/11
>0/2
The fuck does that even refer to?
do you honestly think that works of literature and philosophy have anything in common with music? do you visit salons where you all discuss the latest book youve read? or maybe you have a favorite dive bar where someone recites Niall Ferguson excerpts as men and women gyrate hips
the irony is that youre simply parroting this opinion to be contrary to the board you frequent
there is no contemporary work which does not a have a current critical consensus. obviously Hamlet will never fall out of favor, but there are oftentimes works of which opinion massively shifts even 100 years after its publication.
It was an analogy you autist, please relax
and im saying that the analogy doesnt work
music is a communal thing; that kid you resent, you resent because he considers himself superior for not participating in his own community of music
that doesnt apply to lit, which is not only much more individual and personal, but there also is no longer a culture of literature like there is a modern culture of music
to resent people for being non-participants in a community which doesnt exist is moronic
There's a culture of literature on this board, and there is also a popular culture of literature, i.e. books that are hyped up by publishers and plastered with a bunch of obnoxious pull quotes and have Guardian articles written about them.
So you're really just completely wrong.
Part of it is there is so much old stuff that I still haven't read.
The other problem is I don't know a good resource for finding new literary works. No one I know reads new lit so I would have no idea where to look.
I read new sci-fi and sometimes comics.
if youre the same person that posted the analogy you are throwing some major loops
please for the love of god show me where i wrote there are no cultures of literature
do you understand how to FUCKING READ??
the analogy compared lit to music (more specifically, those who read old lit to those who only listen to old music), which i have said (twice now) is nonfunctional, because there is a community around music and a COMPARABLE community does not exist around lit
I'm not him but obviously it's comparable, as multiple people have compared them :^)
Someone needs to read Hawthorn and Child, it's really good, Ridgeway has been described "a worthy inheritor of the Irish modernist tradition"