What is Veeky Forums's opinion on The Cantos? How difficult is it, anyways...

What is Veeky Forums's opinion on The Cantos? How difficult is it, anyways? I heard it's something like the final boss of poetry, so I was thinking of reading it for some mad brain gains and also because I heard it's quite good.

>I heard it's something like the final boss of poetry,

yeah, don't bother

If you have to ask, they will be too difficult for you.
There are no brain gains if you read through something you don't understand.

thanks for the post

Unless you're going to specialize in Pound for a PhD I doubt there's reason to read the entire thing.

I have the same copy you posted, and I had "decided" I was going to read it all, in order. But very quickly I realized that was unrealistic. You need a guide to with it, plus a (rudimentary) understanding of at least 5 languages. Probably an academic type to talk about it with, too.

So nah, don't try to read the whole thing.

he was a fascist and BTFO Jews.

He's alright in my book. Fucking BASED infact

Young Ezra is my husbando desu.

>What is Veeky Forums's opinion on The Cantos?
I loved it.
>How difficult is it, anyways?
In its own way, it's as difficult as Finnegans Wake.
>I heard it's something like the final boss of poetry, so I was thinking of reading it for some mad brain gains and also because I heard it's quite good.
That's a dumb concept, and, unless you've read every major work of poetry, eastern and western, every Greek, Egyptian, and Roman myth, and every history book about WWI and the French, Russian, and American revolution, you probably won't understand a lick of what Pound is trying to say.

*revolutions

What happened to the Veeky Forums Cantos reading project?

Only two other people and I were actively trying to keep it going, so it died.

Shame but not surprising. I'd have joined but had exams. If you start one up again I'll join.

>you have to read everything ever

Is that an exaggeration? I've read the Wake without having a background in everything Joyce was referencing, and found that I was able to get through it with the help of a guide and secondary sources. The same must be true of The Cantos, correct?

I have yet to attempt this beast in its entirety, but that's the understanding of it I have as well, and it's the one I'll have as I start trying to read it this summer.

>"how do I become a poet, Ezra?"
>"before you pick up a pen, learn Italian, French, and Latin"
>"okey.."
>"and Ancient Greek, Sanskrit, Ancient Chinese, Spanish, Russian, and Japanese"
>"then can I start writing?"
>"yes. Before that you also need to read this"
>unravels a scroll. Rolls it across the floor and out of the door
>"once you have read all of these poets in their own language, THEN you can begin, okay honey? long live il duce"
>mfw

They're not that difficult but there's a lot of references and it's kind of relentless. He has a style that's not unsimilar to Pynchon in that he'll combine different voices/styles and fly all over the place.

I don't see any reason to read all of it and/or in order. Read different sections of cantos but not from start to finish.

Eh, I think they BTFO him. Although, I don't think they did anything, it was his own country that did.

It died because it was a bad idea to try to read The Cantos from start to finish. Should focus on certain sections.

Awful post by a person who hasn't read more than a couple of the cantos. Please stop posting.

>I heard X is the final boss of Y.

Can people stop using this phrase? It sounds like some lame buzzfeed-tier bullshit (e.g. "This guy just won science", "Stone Brewing now has a bacon flavored IPA. We want. Now." etc. type of cringey bullshit).

>"This guy just won science",
>"Stone Brewing now has a bacon flavored IPA. We want. Now." etc. type of cringey bullshit

Read the whole damn thing, dare to be naive.

>Read different sections of cantos but not from start to finish.
Excellent advice.
It's too dense to be read from start to finish.

why do people think modernists are the final bosses of literature? are they the same people who deride modern painting because muh paint splashes?

Is there a recommended reading list for The Cantos? (As in which to avoid, which are essential, and in what order)

Basically yes.

No compromises: the poet

I consider it a legacy internet term. It might be fairly juvenile, but it's far more authentic than the examples you have given. That type of person thinks game bosses are an outdated system.
"Do we really need bosses anymore? Let's be real, they were invented just to steal quarters from kids. Ninja turtle 2 shredder anyone? But nowadays, they just exclude casual gamers and interior the story. . ." Etc.

read an annotated version

Just read all of it, you gaylord. Many of the cantos are unrelated, but each and every one was written and included because Pound knew each and every one needed to be, so stop trying to take the easy way out and fucking read it the way it was meant to be read--in its entirety.

I've only read Canto I and extracts from the Pisan Cantos. All I can say is that those are brilliant.

>reading for 'brain gains'
It will do nothing for you. Just go back to speed-reading self-help books.

>8159750
Geez Louise my main man. I was planning to, but then everyone in the thread happened to be telling me not to read the whole thing.

That was not how he did it. He did not speak sanskrit or Russian. Also, he was bad at Chinese and Japanese.

kek

oooh wow look how much random shit I can reference

WHHHOOOPS NO SOUL & NOBODY CAN RELATE TO ANYTHING I SAY HEHE

Recently received my copy in the mail -- would enjoy if it gets picked up again

> The Cantos is like a novel

retarded

>and interior the story

>NOBODY CAN RELATE

Nice YA reader "criticism" you dip. Don't forget to mention how boring the plot is.

listen to some of his reciting in youtube. it's really good, and gives you a feel for how it could be read.

Not that user but make sure you bought the Terrell companion as well. Working through 'The Cantos' now (admittedly shelved it for a bit, got distracted by other works) and it's almost impenetrable without it. My personal opinion at least. Even with that guide it will still kick your ass all around the shop. But good bloody luck trying to tackle the work without it.

God Girard reminds me so much of Phil from The Sopranos

Epic win

I agree with this. Not only is the phrase itself annoying, it means fuck all. Final boss as in you read it and that's it, you're done with the field? There's at least tens of thousands of published books of poetry or philosophy or whatever. Final boss as in it's the hardest? Only a moron equates difficulty with quality, I could spend 6 months trying to decipher the diary of a disorganised schizophrenic, and odds are all I'll come out with at the end is the reason he smeared his shit on the wall at one point.

It's just the culmination of people reading stuff to look cultured and smart here instead of any actual enjoyment or experiences derived from the text in my opinion.

It's possible, although I think Pound wanted to prompt the reader into doing research on the topics, but not an actually "Cantos fer Dummies"

If you think that's what I was implying you shouldn't be reading Pound at all. Have fun pretending you actually understood The Cantos.

It's dense and fun to read and reread. Faust II is harder.

Useless advice from a useless person.