On Readership: r/TrueLit, the Reddit Hub of Literary Snobs
Something funny happened just now. I realized how I'm grafted like an offshoot to Western foundations that I cannot help but to chuckle when Westerners, who are cultured, well-read and well-informed go on to argue in Latin.
Like LITERAL Latin. You know, Roman Empire Latin. (≧▽≦)
exempli gratia (e.g.):
"A priori"
"plebian" (≧▽≦)
"ceteris paribus"
In conclusion, when two Westerners butt heads with their intellectual horns, you bet they will insult each other in Latin. (≧▽≦)
Well, it does sink on my part when I realized how much of my traditions came from them too. From, like, elementary to college, those goddang Latin vocabularies never escape me either.
For example:
"jus soli" & "jus sanguinis" - elementary
"Cogito, Ergo, Sum" - senior high
"de minimis" - college
"Noli Me Tangere" - your Filipino final boss
(≧▽≦)
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The beginnings of how I joined this...
Uh. Shall we say crème de la crème of some lot?
It all started on my main sub. Avuncular members of my main sub shared the subs they joined with when it comes to literature. So I indiscriminately joined there too. The rest is history.
You ever entered a club and then you slowly realized how much of, what the snobs say, a "rube" you are?
Honey, I'm currently in this place now. At some point in my life, I commented my current "posh" activity where "I'm reading a fashionable book". In reality, I have it abandoned for now due to my short attention span a.k.a being terminally online. Then somebody commented a very, very—oh my gosh, I cannot even explain it. I just wanna read. But someone commented a very insightful take and I'm like level zero of her level. It's out of my depth. TT_TT
this is my verbatim:
Me:
"I cannot progress reading Middlemarch even though I bought a copy of it last year.
I finish the first four chapters tho. I think it's worth celebrating lol."
(legend says it's still unfinished up until today)
r/TrueLit member commented:
"It's hyped a lot but having read it slowly over the past year (my third reading) I've come to see it as hyped, sort of touchpoint of Brit sensibility, but as a novel very uneven with plot, character, ands so forth. There are great parts, and there are boring parts. The main character goes bye bye for the entire middle section of the book. The ending wrap up is puerile. The pacing is a mess for a lot of it. Also the book came out in sections, serially, so there was no chance to revise the entire novel at any point."
See what I'm talking about? ಥ‿ಥ
Another r/TrueLit member joined the conversation, who replied the comment above because me myself has nothing to say:
"I am wondering which of its "endings" you consider puerile? I think the joint culmination of Dorothea/Will and Tertius/Rosamund is among the most emotionally powerful climaxes I've read. The way Dorothea's authenticity breaks through Rosamund's resistance is particularly moving. My understanding is that Edwardians rolled their eyes at Eliot's credulous sincerity, but I love her open-eyed and open-hearted wisdom. The Vincy resolution is less convincing."
The previous r/TrueLit member replied:
"I like that statement, credulous sincerity and I can see the criticism there. I was less than thrilled by either couple's ending, and I particularly didn't jive with the, hey kids, here's the wrap up after the novel is over idea. Dorothea will was forced for me, the whining, "I don't know what to do with my money" gal who disappeared for the whole middle of the novel. Then with Tertius, fallen do gooder, drug user, and suddenly all is well and resolved, e.g. money solves all problems. The character who resonates with me as a more developed, complex character is actually Bulstrode. And yes I agree, Eliot's "open-hearted wisdom" is great. I still love the book, but in this read through I found the flaws stuck out more than ever. Again, I think that the serial aspect hurt what could have been a greater novel, with revisions, and with a more fleshed out ending that didn't for me feel quite so wrap up rushed. I'm curious why you found the endings so emotionally powerful and would be interested to hear more on this from you."
And this goes on... In short, I started the conversation, but contributed nothing to it. What do I have to say anyway? ༎ຶ‿༎ຶ
This goddang sub will have me shut up and to just lurk.
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Reddit has some pros and cons.
Pros:
✓ Long form discussions thread.
✓ Anonymous account, no need to be a famous somebody.
✓ Focus on the text and content presented as an argument or a thesis not on their popularity.
✓ Interest-oriented.
Cons
× Existing culture. Every social media apps has it. And Reddit is another hell of its own. For example, downvote culture. I've been there, I've done that. Those beehive can give a massive downvote the hell they want. →_→
× Political agenda. Fair warning: just don't bother on this lane. This shit is a cesspool like every social media apps. You know it when you see it. For example: r/sino (ugh).
× Bunch of Western basement dwellers. ifykyk. Bunch of Western far-right agenda driven minions. Bunch of racist pigs and predators.
× Echo Chamber.
× Cultural hegemony. But it's diversifying now (for example: India taking a stage for Asian representation. My homies (☞^o^)☞).
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I just bought myself a Kindle edition of a novel. ^_________^
Talk about being against Kindle but goes on to buy from the platform.
Y'all, I have no choice. I couldn't buy a paperback and Kindle is the only one who has the access to that very particular novel that I'm looking for.
Capitalism.
Should I go for Kindle or Google Books?
Kindle is the mainstream.
Google Books is more convenient.
By interface, I give it to Kindle.
Affordability? Kindle.
Nah.
Physical copy whether Hardbound or Paperback is still the King.
(/¯◡‿◡)/¯~┻━┻
