literature

Jack Chiefton · Post by **Jack Chiefton** » Wed Dec 27, 2000 11:09 pm

well now, yes.....
To make use of this site and its intent, I feel it necessary to start this post. Now, I'm sure no one will respond, but that's ok to. To everyone that reads this post, take a minute or ten to state and discuss a little bit about your favorite book or two, or one that you just read that blew you back. Since I love talking about literature, and it seems none of my "friends" do, I have to give in to the electronic voice once again. If a topic doesn't have to do with "gettin baked" then my "friends" just don't seem to care. Enough of that anyways.
Since I'm the imbicile who brought this up, I feel it only fair that I should get the ball rolling.........remember, there are no taboos here, so just be honest. Even if your favorite book was the Hardy Boys adventure #54.
Well, though this is not one of my favorites, this book hit home anyways. It is "look homeward angel" by thomas wolf(e?). I enjoyed it because it reminded me of where I came from. My small town roots are still attached to me in some way, no matter how hard I am trying to kill myself with poison these days. Just remember, when youre puking and smelly, and you got no money, and you got no car, and you live in a small apartment that is caving in on you, and your best friends never call, and your family rarely calls, just think of that one place of security that will overpower every other vice.... and for me, it is usually where I came from.

Post by **mccutcheon** » Thu Dec 28, 2000 12:52 am

Jack are you drunk again? And is the vice that saves you reading? Or what? I got a little lost. Anyway, my favorite book of all time is Blubber by Judy Bloom.

Jack Chiefton · Post by **Jack Chiefton** » Thu Dec 28, 2000 1:03 am

no no no, by conjuring up a false sense of security is to forget where you came from. just remember your roots, where you were born, who raised you, what town did you grow up in, how old you were when you first got laid....taht sort of thing...It's beautiful if you think about it. Look Homeward Angel is a book about growing up, moving on to failure, and then going back home, or at least that is how I percieved it.
But anyways, it's the book that matters not what the fuck i have to say.

ARAGORN · Post by **ARAGORN** » Thu Dec 28, 2000 9:18 pm

Jack,
May all who have achieved enlightenment bless you - you have begun a very long journey my friend - that we actually start before we know that we have started it. One of my favorite books (of many, many that I own or have read)is the Tao Te Ching (dao de ching) by one of the greatest of all ancient Chinese sages - Lao Tzu, an older contemporary of confucious - who while confucious dealt more with everyday life & family values - Lao Tzu dealt with the philosophical and what people might call, almost a religious aspect of the Chinese culture, Taoism - his a more mystic or spiritualistic understanding of life, and how to achieve enlightenment, for the purposes of good in the end, by whichever means life throws our fate at us in the present. The tao or the way or path of life is best lead when you lead yourself, by understanding yourself and flowing with it - as he put it

"Wisdom is in knowing others - Enlightenment is in knowing yourself"

his writings are a clue to this, that while they may point to the way - you are the one that must follow and walk it and make it your own _ his writings are trying to keep you from floating astray or from pushing against the natural course (flow) of life and not trying to set up concrete rules that you must adhere to - that if you learn how to - and then live by - listening to your own heart & feelings (THE VIBE!!) then although negative things may happen to you in life, they will have no affect on you, once you understand the logic presented as facts before you, you can change negative into positive. Life is how you perceive it, and by knowing & realizing it you now have the ability to achieve your dreams or goals, no matter how far fetched they seem, because it is mind over matter, and nothing is impossible forever!

thank you very much for allowing me the place to expand on something very ubiqiutous here, I apologize for the length, but as you stated Jack, people often don't discuss these things, and in reality verbal language is limited enough in trying to convey feelings & thoughts, let alone having to write it!

Post by **mccutcheon** » Fri Dec 29, 2000 4:27 am

I also like The Sun Also Rises by the man E.H.

mmenabi · Post by **mmenabi** » Fri Dec 29, 2000 9:29 pm

i have been neglecting my brain lately. the first book i picked up in months was the beach by alex garland. i hated the movie, liked the book quite well. makes me want to go to thailand. but i will not dance in a field of pot, and i will not go out searching for islands full of renegate hippies. i am waiting for amazon.com to deliver Adrian Mole: The Cappuccino Years. I would like to see what is going on with that guy now that he is, what, 35 or so? i figure i followed his life from ages 13 3/4 to 24, i might as well continue following it. of course, i hate him more the older he gets. he just gets older but he doesn't ever get any smarter.

other books i like. i liked what's eating gilbert grape by pete hedges. ask the dust by john fante. cider house rules by john irving. skinny legs and all by tom robbins. i've been looking at a lot of non-fiction books lately. mostly about design and architecture. i think making your living environment comfortable and pleasant is very important to a healthy state of mind. cheers~nabi

Jack Chiefton · Post by **Jack Chiefton** » Tue Jan 09, 2001 10:53 am

I AM DRUNK AGAIN....are you surprised?? Well, anyways, I think Jack Kerouac is the best American author of the last 50 years or so. If anyone has any disagreements, I would like to here them. Hemingway wrote a novel in the late fifties I think, but that doesn't count. Jack is, and was better than William Burroughs. He is and was better than Dr. Seuss. He is and was better than Louis Lamour. He is and was better than Allen Ginsberg, by a long shot. He is and was better than Henry Miller, though Henry was not an American author. HE is the mid twentieth century response to Walt Whitman and Charles Baudelaire. And whoever thought that Diane Diprima should be on the bus....What is the reason? She was not the lady on the cover of that novel....in fact she weighs about 250 lbs. of solid beef jerky and wine. Anyways, her stuff was never that good, accept for some poem she wrote to grandpa.

Post by **Sloth** » Wed Jan 10, 2001 6:50 pm

Jack,

EH? You guys really like him? He makes me yawn. Anyway, Miller gets my vote for tops. I agree Jack that HM is not an American author. I have been reading the Atkins diet book lately. Fascinating. Much better than fishing stories. Now I can eat like Diane DiPrima and look like David Hasselhoff.

If anyone hasn't already seen it, my top books are at
http://www.paxacidus.com/read/oohsbest.html

Jack Chiefton · Post by **Jack Chiefton** » Wed Jan 10, 2001 10:30 pm

Sloth-
Jack was misunderstood, and there is something about his books that keeps me coming back. The post war imagery I always picture in my mind is very pure. Lets pretend that Jack never knew Ginsberg or Corso or Holmes or any of those guys. On the Road would have been a much greater novel I believe. But, he got stuck with a reputation as being a beatnick, which is ridiculous, and he also got stuck with being pinned as the "grandfather of the hippies", which is even more absurd. When in fact he was a flannel wearing, blue collar working guy who loved poetry, writing, and life.

But, Visions of Cody is one of his books I can say that really made me yawn as well. He just went a little overboard with his spontaneous bop prosody there, and I got a little lost amidst the words words words.

You trying to lose weight Sloth? I am one of the lucky ones who eats pizza everday for lunch and dinner, and then tops it off with everything else I can find to gorge into my over indulged body, but still doesn't gain a pound.

Post by **mccutcheon** » Thu Jan 11, 2001 3:15 am

sloth is big and fat so of course he is trying to loose weight. You can't go on a cruise and eat the buffet three times a day!!! but he shouldn't bother. you ever see a skinny sloth? (most people are prob saying I haven't seen any sloth ever!)

hey Jack, Jack was also a bi sexual Ivy league mommas boy who liked his drink and speed. God bless his heart.

Sloth isn't big and fat. just kidding. he is round and rubbery.

Jack Chiefton · Post by **Jack Chiefton** » Thu Jan 11, 2001 3:42 am

Post by **Sloth** » Fri Jan 12, 2001 8:18 am

I agree Kerouac is pretty good, especially compared to Hemmingway. I admit I can't imagine OTR without Neal and the gang though. It is true that he wrote in a three week mama's boy benzedrine and alcohol binge.

As for being round and rubbery, I am working on that at least and cutting down on the beer and sweets. Mc Cutcheon, you're not exactly out of the jello tummy woods yet, brother. Also if you've never seen a real sloth then come on over because I am slowly mutating my DNA...

Jack Chiefton · Post by **Jack Chiefton** » Fri Jan 12, 2001 9:43 am

CUTTIN BACK ON BEER, SEND IT THIS WAY PARD
WOOOOOOOHOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!

nah but seriously, I have noticed that it is just me, sloth and mccutcheon who have been exchangin banter for the last week or so. I truly hope that it is not my arrogance and choice of expression that keeps people away.

Honestly folks, I'm not a redneck...

Jack Chiefton · Post by **Jack Chiefton** » Fri Jan 12, 2001 9:46 am

And another good read, something different, is Jon Kraukeur's "Into the Wild", which is about a rich boy going transcendental on everyone back in 1992. It is truly hard to put down.

Post by **mccutcheon** » Fri Jan 12, 2001 9:49 am

no and I have a six pack. take that anyway you want. Jack why don't you tell your damn friends about us. seems no one cares boo hoo. but maybe in the future people will all say they knew us...