Definitely Anna Karenina. I know someone else already said it, but I’ll second the opinion. Tolstoy also wrote numerous short stories, which might be a more accessible way to start reading his work.
The imaginative component to literature -- as opposed to the concrete imagery in film -- makes us fill-in-the-blank with what we know from experience; i.e., we recognize the archetypes and dynamics in the writing, and in imagining the characters, scenes, actions, etc. we have to use what we're already familiar with in imagining. It seems like this active drawing from our own experiences of people and life accustoms readers to a sort of cross-recognition: we see people we know in literary characters, and we see literary characters and dynamics play out in real people and situations.
While there is also some recognizing to be had in TV and film, the much more passive nature of watching as opposed to reading exercises that muscle less. With much less left to the imagination, there's no need to use what we know to "recognize it" in characters and in our mental picture of them.
I would be interested if Castalia were to do a limited subscription of great works of literature with the “secret” focus on the works that best illustrated SSH types.
I tried reading war peace and I no idea what was going on. I stopped reading it. I think I am slightly above average intelligence at least, but perhaps I am not intelligent enough? Is my gamma getting traits getting in the way? Is there any action I could take to help me understand War and Peace? The same thing happened when in tried to read Dune.
I apologize for directing this towards myself. Maybe I am not alone in this matter and more than myself could benefit
Start with his short stories, then add some Doestevsky as well. 19th century Russian literature is very rewarding, but initially difficult for our American mindset to grasp. Also, you’ll need to brush up on your history of the Napoleonic wars to understand War and Peace. In the plus column the unabridged book is easily large enough to beat off a mugger.
One thing I found helpful in college was to take notes. Write down the characters’ names, their relationship to the story, and your thoughts on their personality, events and the like. Don’t make it a copy of the book. Just a few lines. That’ll hopefully help you regain context for the plot if you forget something and keep you from getting lost.
My problem is I can’t read fiction since I became an adult. I read Narnia and the Lord of the Rings stuff very early and a lot of Hardy Boys and then as an adult I slogged through some Ayn Rand because peer pressure and any further attempt to read fiction I just can’t do it. It just doesn’t grab me. I sat on the beach in Mexico a few weeks ago and read Man, Cattle, and Veld twice. Mind blowing. Any non fiction in a topic of interest is unbeatable to me.
"How Much Land Does a Man Need?" is a good Tolstoy short story. Powerful ending.
Mediocre writers will use the SSH as a checklist. Great writers will use it to provide more character depth and analysis. Bonus point loss for actually stating the SSH rank.
There was something to Tolstoy's writing that, through one-sentence observations or tangents, made you feel like you had known his cast for years. Definitely a good writer to revisit through the SSH lens.
Chekov too. Lots of good stories on how deltas act under pressure.
Well served is the man or woman who reads Tolstoy's Anna Karenina and avoids the pitfalls of the characters. There's also fine insight into other matters but it paints a perfect picture of the path a woman can take to destroy herself utterly.
This teller still doesn't understand why his copy has such a misleading blurb, but in a way the title itself is misleading.
A book of great use to any couple, a grand warning of the results of infidelity.
Like many evils, it rarely stops at the one itself, but when you cross one line, the transgression is more than happy to bring its friends to dwell in your head and heart.
The contrast between Levin and Vronsky's reaction to the flirtatious Veslovsky was the perfect encapsulation of the differences between alpha and delta.
"Levin even saw something impure in Kitty’s pose and glance. And again everything went dark in his eyes. Again, as yesterday, suddenly, without the least transition, he felt himself thrown down from the height of happiness, peace, dignity, into an abyss of despair, anger and humiliation... Vronsky in this case acted not at all like Levin. He obviously did not attach any significance to Veslovsky’s chatter and, on the contrary, encouraged these jokes [with Anna]."
It’s wonderful to see how Dostoevsky, through Raskolnikov, explores many issues related to Nietzsche’s philosophy. It could be a valuable read especially for those who find themselves particularly aligned with the German philosopher’s ideas.
The movie "Rope" by Alfred Hitchcock dealt with some of the same themes. It's generally a good callout of philosophies like his, that are nothing but empty fantasizing.
Most people are not going to read Dostoyevsky, unfortunately. But luckily, we have Vox. His exposure of Nietzsche for the Gamma that he was will likely save at least a few souls.
Also, a gamma might read the book and think, “What an inferior being this Raskolnikov is—I would have acted in a far superior way,” only to conclude at the end, “What a beautiful book! Let me post it on Instagram to showcase my intellectual prowess.”
As someone who has never read Tolstoy, I feel compelled to ask: What's the best book of his to start with?
Master and Man. Can be read in one sitting. Possibly the greatest short story ever?
Definitely Anna Karenina. I know someone else already said it, but I’ll second the opinion. Tolstoy also wrote numerous short stories, which might be a more accessible way to start reading his work.
Anna Karenina would be a good start.
How would you classify Ignatius J. Reilly on the SSH?
https://open.substack.com/pub/sigmagame/p/the-gamma-in-literature-i
The imaginative component to literature -- as opposed to the concrete imagery in film -- makes us fill-in-the-blank with what we know from experience; i.e., we recognize the archetypes and dynamics in the writing, and in imagining the characters, scenes, actions, etc. we have to use what we're already familiar with in imagining. It seems like this active drawing from our own experiences of people and life accustoms readers to a sort of cross-recognition: we see people we know in literary characters, and we see literary characters and dynamics play out in real people and situations.
While there is also some recognizing to be had in TV and film, the much more passive nature of watching as opposed to reading exercises that muscle less. With much less left to the imagination, there's no need to use what we know to "recognize it" in characters and in our mental picture of them.
Eco has many insights along these lines. See Six Walks in the Fictional Woods.
I would be interested if Castalia were to do a limited subscription of great works of literature with the “secret” focus on the works that best illustrated SSH types.
This holds as true for history as it does for human nature.
You will find more truth about human prehistory in The Silmarillion than in a whole stack of evolutionary anthropology textbooks.
I tried reading war peace and I no idea what was going on. I stopped reading it. I think I am slightly above average intelligence at least, but perhaps I am not intelligent enough? Is my gamma getting traits getting in the way? Is there any action I could take to help me understand War and Peace? The same thing happened when in tried to read Dune.
I apologize for directing this towards myself. Maybe I am not alone in this matter and more than myself could benefit
Start with his short stories, then add some Doestevsky as well. 19th century Russian literature is very rewarding, but initially difficult for our American mindset to grasp. Also, you’ll need to brush up on your history of the Napoleonic wars to understand War and Peace. In the plus column the unabridged book is easily large enough to beat off a mugger.
One thing I found helpful in college was to take notes. Write down the characters’ names, their relationship to the story, and your thoughts on their personality, events and the like. Don’t make it a copy of the book. Just a few lines. That’ll hopefully help you regain context for the plot if you forget something and keep you from getting lost.
My problem is I can’t read fiction since I became an adult. I read Narnia and the Lord of the Rings stuff very early and a lot of Hardy Boys and then as an adult I slogged through some Ayn Rand because peer pressure and any further attempt to read fiction I just can’t do it. It just doesn’t grab me. I sat on the beach in Mexico a few weeks ago and read Man, Cattle, and Veld twice. Mind blowing. Any non fiction in a topic of interest is unbeatable to me.
What are a couple of your favourite books?
Reading old books is real education.
"How Much Land Does a Man Need?" is a good Tolstoy short story. Powerful ending.
Mediocre writers will use the SSH as a checklist. Great writers will use it to provide more character depth and analysis. Bonus point loss for actually stating the SSH rank.
There was something to Tolstoy's writing that, through one-sentence observations or tangents, made you feel like you had known his cast for years. Definitely a good writer to revisit through the SSH lens.
Chekov too. Lots of good stories on how deltas act under pressure.
If one want to read Dostojevsky, should you start with crime and punishment?
Careful of the translation.
Notes From Underground is one of my favorites, but I've read several poor translations and it was unrecognizable.
Noted. Do you recommend a specific translation?
Well served is the man or woman who reads Tolstoy's Anna Karenina and avoids the pitfalls of the characters. There's also fine insight into other matters but it paints a perfect picture of the path a woman can take to destroy herself utterly.
This teller still doesn't understand why his copy has such a misleading blurb, but in a way the title itself is misleading.
A book of great use to any couple, a grand warning of the results of infidelity.
Like many evils, it rarely stops at the one itself, but when you cross one line, the transgression is more than happy to bring its friends to dwell in your head and heart.
The ice skating scene perfectly captures what goes through a Delta’s mind as he considers approaching a girl he loves.
>woe is me for I am unworthy
>on the other hand, everyone else is talking to her, so why shouldn't I?
The contrast between Levin and Vronsky's reaction to the flirtatious Veslovsky was the perfect encapsulation of the differences between alpha and delta.
"Levin even saw something impure in Kitty’s pose and glance. And again everything went dark in his eyes. Again, as yesterday, suddenly, without the least transition, he felt himself thrown down from the height of happiness, peace, dignity, into an abyss of despair, anger and humiliation... Vronsky in this case acted not at all like Levin. He obviously did not attach any significance to Veslovsky’s chatter and, on the contrary, encouraged these jokes [with Anna]."
Vronsky is my favorite evil alpha.
I love Anna Karenina. Especially Constance Garnett’s translation.
It would be even better with a leather binding and Lacey Fairchild illustrations…
It’s wonderful to see how Dostoevsky, through Raskolnikov, explores many issues related to Nietzsche’s philosophy. It could be a valuable read especially for those who find themselves particularly aligned with the German philosopher’s ideas.
The movie "Rope" by Alfred Hitchcock dealt with some of the same themes. It's generally a good callout of philosophies like his, that are nothing but empty fantasizing.
Most people are not going to read Dostoyevsky, unfortunately. But luckily, we have Vox. His exposure of Nietzsche for the Gamma that he was will likely save at least a few souls.
Also, a gamma might read the book and think, “What an inferior being this Raskolnikov is—I would have acted in a far superior way,” only to conclude at the end, “What a beautiful book! Let me post it on Instagram to showcase my intellectual prowess.”
Show a gamma a critique of himself and he'll think ''wow what a great critique of everyone but myself''.
Crime and Punishment is a great anti-Gamma book.
What’s odd is our friend Jordan Peterson is a fan of Dostoevsky as well
Who cares? He probably also likes cheesecake
And meth