⭐
This book took me way longer to finish than I would've liked, and I feel like a near month's break I took in the middle definitely hurt some of the momentous momentum it has. Invisible Man at times reads more like a collection of short stories, if only for the miraculously structured chapters and expansive situations it traverses, traveling from genre to genre, at times Kafka-esque body horror, at others pure social satire. The varying shades and tones are not an oversight, however, but rather the rare case of a novel whose point is seen most clearly through a kaleidoscope, communicating not a summarizable idea but an entire way of looking at the world, one where subjugation is a near inevitable death sentence, where visibility is a constant battle, and where ideology is just the raw meat charlatans butcher and sell to the masses. Bleak, hilarious, and always flowing (seriously, the prose in this is just outstanding Americana), Invisible Man lives up to its reputation as a genuinely unclassifiable enigma in the canon.
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Just finishing up, it’s remarkably dense, but I don’t think I’ve found a work of theory as of late that is both incredibly graspable and topical, there’s some interesting thoughts about prose poetry and the role of literature in the 21st century I keep thinking about. it wears its Jameson influence on its sleeve but it’s worth picking up
Feb 28, 2024
📗
i know… the worst guy you ever met had half this book stuffed in his messenger bag and made out like he was a genious for reading what seems like the longest book of all time. fuck that guy. it’s genuinely a good read. take it slow, dont feel pressured to get through it quickly. there‘s enough bouncing around from character to character that it doesn’t stagnate. i read it on several 5 hour plane rides over ~2 years and have had a tender place in my heart for it ever since. it’s also afaik the place where my Capitalizing for Emphasis comes from. reading it now is extra neat bc of how many little things dfw got right about the future. did i say neat i meant scary
Feb 28, 2024
⭐
I read all ~750 or however manny pages in 3 days, it sucks you in like you're a character in it
Feb 22, 2025
Top Recs from @audrey
It's Juno baby, the rare box office and critical darling that managed to turn Jason Reitman and Elliot Page into household names and, according to some, made such good silver screen fodder that it inspired teens across America to emulate Juno and get pregnant themselves. The script is maybe the most examined in today's film studies programs, and to call it a winner is to ignore how much it turns away from the big, environmentally-fantastical trends in concurrent filmmaking (Spider Man 3, Shrek the Third, and Transformers all dominated this year), in favor of a much older, almost Golden Age tryst around wordplay and social slights moreso than the actual pregnancy itself. That's not to say Juno is devoid of drama; it manages to balance its sillier, self-deprecating moments with a genuine recognition of the shortcomings of the institutions, peers, and adults around Juno to treat her and her pregnancy with respect and care. A bit light on technical flourish, but overall too big-hearted to not love!
Jan 23, 2024
⭐
It’s like a matador performing interpretive ballet
Jan 24, 2024
⭐
nothing cheers you up more than the ridiculous faces you make when you’re crying. at first sight of your own pain, you’ll cry harder, but that’s just it flooding instead of seeping out of you. eventually, the only thing you can focus on is the contortion of your mouth, making shapes like Silly Bandz, reminding you that there’s always some absurdity to find gleaming in the dark.
Jan 25, 2024