Floating Opera / the End of the Road Ebook

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Theodore Dreiser and Thomas P. Loved each and every part of this book. View 2 comments. Such a position he takes, and soon Horner finds himself involved with a young couple - a fellow teacher, Joe Morgan, and his wife, Rennie - with decidedly determinist views on human behavior. Philip Roth. He said, "I wrote those when I was just about your age. I also don't think that the character is being used as a means to comment on the ideas, instead of presenting them. May 30, Allison rated it liked it. The End of the Road was published by Doubleday in ; it received only marginally more attention than The Floating Opera. My e the passage that I will take to my grave: "So I left the ticket window and took a seat on one of the benches in the middle of the concourse to make up my mind. Our protagonist is a bit of a nihilist, exposed to all kinds of traumas, his PTSD expresses itself as an aloof attitude and philosophy towards life, as well as physical ailments that torment him for years. Since the trio have been involved, Jane has had a daughter whose father could be either of the men. His therapist is a nut, and that's an interesting side story. May 22, Griff Hibbard-Curto rated it really liked it. The ending was unexpected and left me somewhat unsatisfied, but I found it to be a good story with an interesting writing style This book was first published in and my version is from This book was first published in and my version is from Jul 30, Lyn rated it really liked it. Both concern strange, consuming love triangles and the destructive effect of an overactive intellect on the emotions. This is the only John Barth book I have read, and I understand that it pre-dates the more experimental writing style - starting with The Sot-Weed Factor , in - for which he is best known. In that case, we can't Jan 04, terrycojones rated it really liked it. Rennie is afraid of the former because he is truth, he is perfect. Reading The End of the Road. Some consider these first two novels little more than apprentice works, while others see them in light of the later works, removed from their historical and social context. Their relationship to each other is evident not only in their ribald subject matter but in the eccentric characters and bitterly humorous tone of the narratives. To accomplish this he turns on several kerosene lamps and an acetylene torch and then opens the gas burners on the ship stove. Everyone in this book is pretty awful - Jacob treats other human beings like dirt, and the couple have children who barely seem to feature in their "enlightened" scheme of thinking. Published March 11th by Anchor Books first published I understand. Rating details. As a student at Johns Hopkins University he was fascinated by Oriental tale-cycles and medieval collections, a body of literature that would later influence his own writing. I started reading existential literature when, at age 17, I got the U of Illinois pre - enrollment summer reading list. Well, I think I was reading this wrong. Goodreads helps you keep track of books you want to read. The Spoils of Poynton. His mastery of non-sequential time structures makes them always seem logical rather than simply divergent and tangential. Anyway, ultimately he becomes so enmeshed in his best and only friends' Joe's and Rennie's lives, that all blows up. Lists with This Book. The Sporting Club. Oddly, despite owning the paperback of "Opera" and "End of the Road" together since what seems like the dawn of time, and too despite the fact that "End of the Road" has long been one of my favorites if not my favorite novel, I never got around to "Opera" until today. I can still do what I want with that message, but I like to understand what it is at least. Always a great time with Mr. Floating Opera / the End of the Road Writer

And the second one, with its own empty Meursault in leading role, as the embodiment of the absurd, takes estrangement to its outer limits. In Joe he meets a kindred spirit, who also wants to remove society's masks. He is also very good a co-opting literary styles and making them his own, in this case the narrator is a novice writer who through his inexperience breaks narrative conventions as he understand them, and still manages to tell a compelling story. There are plenty of glimmers here of what would later become Barth's signature brilliance. Its first-person protagonist, Jacob Horner, suffers from nihilistic paralysis: an inability to choose a course of action. The Floating Opera For a first novel, this book has everything -- love in the trenches, a best buddy who shares his hot-wife, a suicide, an attempted suicide, a failed mass murder, a minstrel show, fortunes gained, fortunes lost -- he really packed it in. Jack introduces him to his wife, Rennie. Reading John Barth's "The Floating Opera and The End of the Road" is as much fun that you can have while wearing pants, though you could read the book naked just make sure nobody is looking in on you through the window or if your going to read nude close the curtains. Dead Babies. The fact that these two men met each other is a cosmic comedy in of itself, but it is a testament to Barth's writing that he avoids making these two characters the most deplorable creatures at least in my opinion. These two novels are a much better reading experience than GG-B I told him I loved the two books so much. I could also see why someone especially a woman would consider it sexist tripe that is properly consigned to a time of attitudes in society and in literature that's better left dead. Barth's next novel, Giles Goat-Boy, of comparable size, is a speculative fiction based on the conceit of the university as universe. Well now Mr. When you buy a book, we donate a book. She apologized for apologizing, so he hit her again. Autumn I read the book quickly postponing a lot of stuff but I would only advise it to experienced readers not ridden with sexism. Now the show audience is in the same literal and figurative boat as Todd — their death could come at any second, just like his. Read or Don't Read this book but don't call yourself a writer or lover of literature if you don't go forth and read it go forth in your Levi's and if you don't own a pair well then you can order a pair on Amazon. I read these two books in college and had the opportunity to meet John Barth at a book signing in the mid-eighties. Happy to have finally read it. I liked "The Floating Opera" a lot when I read it in high school, but not so much when I re-read it later in life. May 21, Jeff Buddle rated it really liked it. Truth to tell, I knew that all along. She comes across as devoid of an ego, " A man she detests for his deeds and rhetoric, and yet she grows attracted to because of this Probably no need to do so] "Whereas the book ends with an abortion, the film is an abortion from beginning to end. Feb 01, Josh Friedlander rated it really liked it Shelves: existentialist , comedy. Foreword The Floating Opera was written in the first three months of ; its companion piece, The End of the Road , in the last three months of the same year. Become a LibraryThing Author. The Floating Opera remains the very first novel of a very young man, but I'm pleased that it will sink or float now in its original design. University of Missouri Press. Although, it is tackling big themes such as the nature of grief and the intrinsic value of life it is also an engaging narrative told by a charming and somewhat sympathetic narrator. In Duvall, John N. Otherwise you may get infected with some very questionable ideas that come up in the book but are not served as truths or justice as far as I can judge. Yet all those around her seem to regard her with condescension and disdain. Virginia Woolf. Jun 30, Ian "Marvin" Graye rated it really liked it Shelves: sartre , read , reviewsstars , wittgenstein , barth. There are no discussion topics on this book yet. May 27, Dustin rated it really liked it. Another old-style, yellowed paperback that is going in the recycling bin. There are a few places of laugh-out-loud humor. John Barth has notoriously endorsed the view of critic John Simon whereby it is said that view spoiler ["The principal difference between the novel and the film is that the novel concludes with a harrowing abortion, whereas the film is an abortion from start to finish. He demonstrates his approach by asking how many seats there are in the Cleveland Municipal Stadium: "Logic will never give you the answer to my question. Others, at a glance, "Horner" looked like "Homer". Probably no need to do so] In other way they are simply men looking at the same map but with two different compasses. There is a s A psychological, even philosophical short novel of a young man cursed with a bizarre physical immobility and his relationship with a very particular couple. Floating Opera / the End of the Road Reviews

View all 12 comments. His ability to develop a protagonist of solid depth though is incredible. Barth poses 3 decision rules to allow us to choose among equally meaningless actions. Help Learn to edit Community portal Recent changes Upload file. I read three chapters and that was enough. The Floating Opera is a novel by American writer John Barth , first published in and significantly revised in Joe, the narrator, is a piece of work. Todd then flashes back to his past to describe some events that led him to become the man he was on that crucial day. Sep 23, Tom Carson rated it it was amazing. Sometimes I wondered whether he was supposed to be Little Jack Horner. Heavy Water. I literally laughed out loud during the first two chapters, which is a state I don't often find myself in while reading. Probably no need to do so] "Whereas the book ends with an abortion, the film is an abortion from beginning to end. Sep 08, Bschri1 rated it it was amazing. Literary Fiction. As a student at Johns Hopkins University he was fascinated by Oriental tale-cycles and medieval collections, a body of literature that would later influence his own writing. Quotes: "I needn't explain that that's how much of life works: our friends float past; we become involved with them; they float on, and we must rely on hearsay or lose track of them completely; they float back again, and we either renew our friendship - catch up to date - or find that they and we don't comprehend each other any more. Jul 15, T. Barth's first two novels in a single edition. In this sense, though they may seem unrealistic at times and they often do , their deconstruction is made more tragic. Very personable. The Sot-Weed Factor also good. Good stretches, a touch of humor, but also some tedious ramblings and it is a bit disturbing around the end. Barth kept a list of the tasks taped to his wall while he was writing the book. I do feel that these two, particularly the Floating Opera, is a good litmus test as to whether or not you should try reading more of his work. Stay in Touch Sign up. At first I thought I was dealing with the treacherous unreliable narrator, and while that may still be the case generally, I don't think it's the case specifically. Mar 01, Chris Gleck added it. This Float which you are experiencing is an Honest Float. This novel was written in the late s, and it in incredible how modern it feels.

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Rennie is a bit of a cipher, intimidated by her husband's brilliance and also by one violent episode in which he punched her in the jaw for being too sentimental. John Barth is the kind of writer who, if you are not a writer, makes you want to write or, if you are trying to be a writer, makes you want to stop completely, as you feel that you could not possibly explore things more thoroughly and eloquently as he can. However, the description of the abortion Rennie dies of at the end was grotesque and cruel and terrible and I know will stay in my mind for a long time. Introduction by Barth summarizes the material incredibly well and is refreshingly frank, like Pynchon's intro to Slow Learner. Wiki says When they inquired why she tolerated such treatment, Eva replied, with complete sincerity, that her boyfriend's actions were motivated by his love for her. To view it, click here. That is, if you are in a Christian Punk Band, you are obligated to have an anti-abortion song. I did so too easily, perhaps, for my own ultimate mobility. Especially now with this enormous push to take away legal abortion. Prefatory Note Click to show. If the alternatives are side by side, choose the one on the left; if they're consecutive in time, choose the earlier. He is befriended by an even stranger couple, and becomes irrevocably entangled in their lives. Return to Book Page. Original Title. Get A Copy. But he is also beyond her logic and with the weight of her sins, she feels unable to ever touch him completely. Haeker, about to die from a suicidal overdose of pills. Add a review Your Rating: Your Comment:. Jan 31, Alb rated it really liked it Shelves: best-of When I have a little more time I hope to pick this edition and again and read the follow up book The End of the Road. Popular covers See all 8 covers. The most compelling parts were the sections in which Todd narrates his past, particularly the World War I scene. Barth wrote both novels in a realistic mode, in contrast to Barth's better-known metafictional , fabulist , and postmodern works from the s and later, such as Lost in the Funhouse and LETTERS The novel recounts their clash - between Horner's passivity and the Morgans; forcefulness - and what happens when both parties take their opinions to their logical extremes. Although the anti- climax had already begun to emerge in literature, these two stories have the courage to force it upon the reader whereas others had only really had a dwindling down without exploiting the fact that the modern text need not satisfy, in fact must not satisfy, in a unsatisfactory world. Todd then flashes back to his past to describe some events that led him to become the man he was on that crucial day. Loved each and every part of this book. A psychological, even philosophical short novel of a young man cursed with a bizarre physical immobility and his relationship with a very particular couple. So be it. Average rating 3. There are philosophical underpinnings but they are not tiresome nor inherent to the plot; there is a good story in both cases, and Barth's sophisticated, mannered prose has deservedly put him among American fiction's upper echelons. Rennie is the least satisfactorily drawn of the characters. The Lesson of the Master. Read or Don't Read this book but don't call yourself a writer or lover of literature if you don't go forth and read it go forth in your Levi's and if you don't own a pair well then you can order a pair on Amazon. It is a literary experience the way such experiences should be. Schaub, Thomas a. Thanks for telling us about the problem. Henry Green. The laws of sinistrality, chronological primacy, and alphabetic primacy. Oct 01, Ashley rated it it was amazing. References to this work on external resources. In my old age, I've taken to reading books a second time -- something I never did nor understand before. That approach of course falsifies entirely our experience of actually bumping around in the world. He "doesn't exist"--I presume because he cancels himself out with his opposite points-of- view -- to his best friends. https://files8.webydo.com/9583396/UploadedFiles/6F59C942-358B-8D1C-9D7F-05161E59F677.pdf https://files8.webydo.com/9582762/UploadedFiles/E1348927-1915-3501-A6D0-A982DF422184.pdf https://files8.webydo.com/9582730/UploadedFiles/CFD1DE19-9EA6-CC41-4F05-E3A662E3B82B.pdf https://files8.webydo.com/9584166/UploadedFiles/D317C511-8B97-9F67-6DF8-1B3476A17682.pdf https://cdn.starwebserver.se/shops/inezaxelssonix/files/textbook-for-mrcog-part-1-basic-sciences-in-obstetrics-gynaecology-703.pdf