VA - Lounge Music (2011)
14 years ago
Wednesday, November 12, 2008
hated it/ loved it
this is not for you.
the first lines of this book. five words and plenty of space. A challenge. A pretentious gesture. a bad move by an author.
press comment to this blog post and i want to hear about what you thought about this book. loved it? hated it? found it boring. found it useful as a weapon to kill that fly that was buzzing around your ear? Let it all go. Get into your feelings. let it out.
at least two paragraphs. don't hold back.
but get at why you loved it, why you hated it. Try to be specific. If you found it boring, explain why you did (I don't like science). If you found it offensive, explain why (Did Truant have to write in such graphic details about his drug use?). If you loved it, explain as best as you can, why (because finally there was a book that made me actively engaged--all the other books in this class felt as if I didn't need to be there, the words were there dead on the page. But this book, i had to create it as I was reading...)
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17 comments:
I loved this book. Which is surprising because with an opening sentence like "this is not for you" comes off, in my eyes, as melodramatic and pretentious, everything that follows, from content to format, is just refreshing. In retrospect, such an opening is almost redeemed as the reader moves on. It has been a while since a book has told me to "take a deep breath" and essentially scare the shit out of myself by pretending to be in Johnny's shoes (pg. 26-27). What did it for me was the line, "find those pockets without sound," which echoed a Zen saying I heard and have loved since I was young, "It's the silence between the notes that makes the music." In this case, it was the silence between the train rattling, the baby crying, the iPod blaring next to me, the conductor over the sound speaker, the silence between all of these, that managed to scare me, even if it was a slight bit. You see, because the night following, cold and filled with a new suspicion thanks to the novel, proceeded to make me both laugh and pause to think about the novel. That's an effect that most books don't have on me. Not only am I thinking of a line from a favorite book, but I'm experiencing the mood of the line. Does that make sense? Well, that's how I know I loved this book.
I mostly love this book at the current moment, but definitely hated it for periods of time while reading it.
The hatred comes during long passages of scientific BS like echoes (even though my favorite line/moment might be the last line of p.73) made even more annoying when Truant then points out after you've read the section how horrible it is and that he didn't want to include it blah, blah, bastard. All the fake article titles were funny the first two times maybe, but the 205th just pisses me off, because I still feel like I'm going to miss something if I don't look at it. Same thing with all the appendix and exhibit references. The "editors" even give you the choice of wanting to know more about Johnny's mom or not in a footnote - of course I feel I have to read it - then 45 minutes later I'm asking myself "Do I really want to decode this letter from his mother with the first letter of every word?" Of course not, its 3am, but what If this jackass author has hidden the whole meaning of this book in there, and he kinda seems like the type of jerkoff that would do something like that. Why the hell did I read those blue boxes - worthless! I definitely did not read more than 10 of the names/buildings. Why does everything have to be in French or Latin first if you are just going to translate it anyway? And could you please stop footnoting your footnoted footnotes that appear 5 pages in the future. I get the point - we are getting lost in this book, just like the hallway, but to be honest if it weren't required reading I would have probably stopped caring somewhere around page 45.
All that being said - I'm pretty enthralled by the book at the current moment. The adventure of exploring the hallway has me hooked, and the format of some editors telling a guys story who's telling an old man's story who's telling Navidson's story is pretty fascinating and clever. I like the abstract/unknown/sci-fi element being framed within a documentary/search for truth format. It challenges what is possible in this world in a non dungeons and dragons way and keeps you on your toes trying to constantly figure things out. I also like the fact that this is apparently all a creation of Zampanos mind (at least Navidson doesn't exist in Johnny's world), but told so matter of factly. I like Johnny's character, I think there's a lot there we don't see yet, though I'm not sure I like the whole idea of Johnny's story beginning to parallel Zampanos. It seems a little cheesy like the movie "The Ring." I feel the same way about the introduction - don't spend 20 pages telling me if I read this book bad things will happen to me - I'm not five - unless you really want me to not read it. I like "This is not for you" it's much better than a dedication to 25 people i don't know. That's all I took it as - a smart ass comment. I think the letters from his mother were really interesting and well done,and gave me a new found respect for Johnny, but I wold have loved to see just one of the letters he wrote back. I'm into it now, but it was not easy, and will say it's definitely one of the most unique books ever - good or bad. I feel like Will Ferrell after debating James Carville - I will now pass out, thank you.
I don't know how I feel about this book just yet. I am frustrated, challenged and interested. I liked Danielewski's opening line, "this is not for you". In it's pretentious existence, it creates a feeling of uneasiness which is pushing me to get through it. I want to scream "screw you Danielewski!!" for the most part. I am overwhelmed by the fact that there is two stories within one. I found myself skipping around and just reading through one story at a time. I hate that we don't have enough class time to work through the novel.
I approached this book as a challenge to overcome. As such, I couldn't bring myself to either love it or hate it. It was a reminder of a class I took in my senior year of high school, during which a teacher subject myself and my fellow students to Ulysses. It was scarring, and I received several headaches from reading it. However, I came to have an amount of respect for the author, which later became reverence.
However, I cannot see myself falling for this new work like I did with Joyce. There is simply too goddamn much in here. I'd have to agree with Jessica on this point: you could easily devote an entire semester or a lot of time on the Internet to deciphering this book. (Incidentally, a lot of people have chosen the latter.) If I have any complaint at all, it's that we didn't have enough time to give this book the attention it deserves. I still don't hate it; it's too intriguing to hate. Jarhead, on the other hand.
This book was absolutely, I don't want to say horrible, but it was extremely tedious and difficult to read. Overall I will have to say that I did not enjoy this book. The read was ridiculous because it was half story and half textbook. There was way too much lecture going on in this book that on two seperate occasions I fell asleep reading, yet while reading Truant's part of the book, I did at times find myself interested but then he too would go off and have a five page metaphor on how he was feeling at that point and time. I can't take it anymore. This should have been a movie not a book and I don't want to read the psychoanalyzation of the freaking thing while I'm actually reading and trying to understand some messed up author's head nightmare. I can't even begin to explain what the hell is happening in the book but I can tell you that it is frustrating that we did not have class and could not discuss because I am truly lost and I think that is the largest factor of me not enjoying this thing...
Im a smidge indifferent about this novel. I tried my hardest to get into it, but the lack of knowing what exactly to read or what not to got to my head so much so that I just threw the book a couple of times. Are the footnotes necessary to the actual story? Does the formation of each page signify something?
AHH!
I liked it, not loved it, for the fact that the writing was freakishly eccentric & that I havent really seen another novel like it. Most are straight edge & clean cut. This was by far one of the most bizarre reads I've done as of late. I wouldnt mind looking at it again just to understand what exactly the Hell is going on.
.......keep struggling with it and going forward.....I love the effort!
I really love this book. Despite the fact that reading it for more than an hour and a half gives me a pretty severe headache, it does engage you to read it. It even makes you get up to go look in your house for a mirror. While Johnny Truant can be especially graphic about his (and Lude's) sex life the footnote stories are beautifully written if sometimes a bit confusing. It's exceptionally well written which as opposed to Jarhead which sometimes lies flat on it's back due to a poor vocabulary, this book veritably jumps with words, and not just words...Good words.
Aside from that it makes you look at the footnotes. I found myself looking for some of the things that Zampano uses as factual material. Of course I realize anything directly relating to The Navidson Record is completely false I still found myself looking up things about Echos and architecture. This book activly tries to make you smarter. That and it's completely creepy. I love when a book puts you in the mindframe of the voice that's speaking the words, when he talks about the slavering creature behind you I jumped when a Ferry employee tapped me on the shoulder to tell me to get off the boat. I thought he had to change his pants as well. I love this book.
I love this book
I feel like im waiting for a great psycological twist at the end which is a motivation for me to keep reading of course a good grade is too.
I like the two different stories going on but the footnotes are soo hard to read. The Navadison story for me is much easier to follow. I like how it gets creepy in a very smart way. It builds up to it. Its like there are no monsters jumping out of the closet just everyday things that are out of the norm which makes it interesting in a gossipy way, trying to figure out whats that going on in the neighbors house yet as your reading it is coming to get you for being in its business.
I mean I saw "Monster House" , a Disney cartoon movie about a haunted house that up and eats kids and all their toys upon stepping foot on the lawn, and enjoyed it! But, House Of Leaves. . .good concept but the delivery sucked! How do you expect people to enjoy a book if we constantly have to turn the page, flip the book, tilt it, then go back five pages because we got lost at the turn flip section. Johnny was a total idiot, come on they want us to think that reading turned a sane man crazy? Reading, especially this book, gets me a bit frustrated but to go completely crazy!? If that were the case I would of jumped off the Brooklyn bridge on Monday night leaving a note which reads, "Is this what you wanted Lennon!?" This guy had to be a bit co co before he started his task!
Through reading House of Leaves, I've had more of a transitional phase on liking/hating it. When I first picked the book up, and read "this is not for you", I felt a little intimidated, especially while reading into the first few pages. People fear what they don't understand, and I feel that took a toll on the reader in this book, not to mention this was probably one of the most confusing pieces I have ever read.
Getting past the introduction with flying colors, I began to take into view some colors, in my room, because I could not follow it anymore. At this point I hadn't liked it too much, realizing there was a large amount of reading to get done didn't make any easier. Which leads me to say that there was too much random detail. However, pushing forward, I did take more of a liking to reading it, and although took several hours to complete (half complete), I do have some respect to where Danielewski was going with this.
I hate this book, present tense. For a long time now I have known that my reading comprehension leaves much to be desired. This book does its best job to make me feel even worse about my lack of skill in that department. For most of the works we have read this semester I have heard people discuss things or reference something that sounded foreign to me. I was forced to either ask someone or keep quiet about it to avoid feeling dumb. In the case of House of Leaves, I feel like that about a lot of things, maybe too many things. I'll admit that I did not enter this book with an open mind. How could I; it's the size of a textbook.
All I can say is, when the supply of paper begins to dwindle along with the rest of the economy, we know who to blame.
Rob's first impression, dammit, I mean my first impression, of this book, I was completely dumbfounded by the concept of this book (thought I'm still not exactly sure of what the concept is). Like Tom, again, I had my iPod blaring to the Talking Heads "Burning Down the House," fitting, right? I found this odd love for Johnny because of his inability to tell a straight story. I was rather enlightened by a single footnote on page 206 in which he references Ken Burns, then in his footnote (216) he admits that he completely made up the quotation, also admits that Burns never and then continues use the false quote to his advantage; he says "Nothing is predetermined or foreseen." Its a rather poignant quote that alongside making up the quote, it made me realize that Johnny is in no way reliable. I do like the story within a story, with a footnoted story. I am not a fan of the typography; as much as I like Finnegan's Wake, I have feel that too much is trying to be done, it isn't as quaint as Joyce's work. I found myself losing track of some of the characters for a while.
Absolutely HATED THIS BOOK!!!! " House of leaves" was the most difficult novel I've ever read. How am I suppose to read a piece that is half of a text and half of a story. Most of all a family that lived in a house that expanded but small in the outside, it seems as thou their house was taunted. Why didn't they move? This is a book that has your mind in amaze. I seen myself flipping the book around and moving it diagonally so i can put the pieces together and I still didn't get nowhere, I don't understand what the book is about and why I'm reading it. "House of leaves'' was very difficult and annoying to read. Bottom line the book didn't make any sense, what was the main purpose of the book.
I couldn't get to all the pages I was expected to read for all becuz I had an enormous headache. I feel this novel should of been read in the beginning of the semester, that way we can get a better understanding of the literature. I have lost track of the characters and the whole perspective of the book. In the beginning Johnny caught my attention, but I got easily distracted when "The Navidson Record" film came along. It was a drag, I pray we speak on this book next Wednesday for class becuz I'm lost
I am still loving it ;). Not in that way guys....ahh...c-mon that is weak!(Cartman voice). Anyyyway....I truly thought that literature after hrmm the early 90s was DEAD and BURIED but actually this book has given me hope. Fuck I love everything about it. First the real scenarios: the club scenes where they are trying to pick up girl and even though bullshitting a storm they go empty handed or the occasional fuck that just falls onto your lap. The try to make ends meet, boring jobs, curiosity of the unknown.
Second the need to get away from the hectic life of NYC got me. Pretty much I can relate to Navidson (without the kids part/or the childhood part). I get him and why he moved and why he wanted to make a doc of the "outpost"
Third the goddamn fricken intrigue man seriously. He got me hooked: a mysterious death of an old man and a strange hallway that just appears and him actually being fucked up from reading notes left by a dead man...ohh c-mon what else do you want?
-Angelina Jolie NAKED?
I can only hope in the pages to come :)
I disagree with some of my classmates who criticize the book on account of it's format. While it is extremely difficult to read QUICKLY due to the egregious footnotes containing another, seemingly unrelated plot, it is through that medium that Danielewski beckons and challenges us to question what we are reading on many levels. Someone mentioned the translated segments of the text, which are difficult to read, were unnecessary in their original language. I, conversely, enjoyed the challenge of identifying the word I knew and trying to piece together the information, as did Navidson, Zampanó, and Truant. In those instances I became more than a spectator. I was myself, part of the mystery.
What perturbed me most about the novel were the footnotes where we learn more(?) about Truant. His subplot seems like a waste of time for me; he isn't likable, he's irrational, and sexist(?). A redactor of a novel has no place including their own personal narrative, thereby discrediting the original motives of the publishing author. I often contemplated skipping over his passages but out of fear of missing something important, I read it all.
I will admit, however, that I appreciated parts of Truant's narrative where he was contradictory, describing something first one way, and then its inverse. The confusion was comforting, in an odd way; it communicated the point to me that things may not always be what they seem, a major undertone in the novel.
Ahhhh. What can be said about this book? I can honestly the dedication drew me in the most. When most authors dedicate their books to their mom or their third grade teacher who never stopped believing in them, it's pretty much the author way of saying "this book is not for you", but Danielewski was very blunt. I like that he was straightforward and let the reader know that he didn't care if they loved it, hated it,found interesting or boring because it wasn't for them. It was for Zampano...I guess.
Overall I did not enjoy it...I did not like turnig the book and cocking my head to the side. I may have a stiff neck because of it. Although I did enjoy the introduction and the footnotes that included the crazy stories that guys tell in sad attempts to win a woman's attention.
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