Comments on: Mark Danielewski: House Of Leaves http://www.spikemagazine.com/0600houseofleaves.php Books, Music, Art, Ideas Mon, 06 Feb 2012 22:12:18 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 By: fattrucker http://www.spikemagazine.com/0600houseofleaves.php#comment-60853 fattrucker Tue, 05 Apr 2011 05:41:29 +0000 http://spikemagazine.com/wordpress/?p=142#comment-60853 it started out creepy and disturbing, it was a great premise, spooky, but it just never went anywhere, i became bored about three quarters of the way in. it was just empty and barren and there was nothing going on. i read a lot of this sort of book. Gravity's Rainbow, 2666, Garp, Sotweed, Infinite Jest, I'm not sure why, I think I like something I can get lost in for a while. But I like a plot that builds up to a bang up ending that makes the long slog worthwhile. and this just didn't do it for me. it started out creepy and disturbing, it was a great premise, spooky, but it just never went anywhere, i became bored about three quarters of the way in. it was just empty and barren and there was nothing going on. i read a lot of this sort of book. Gravity’s Rainbow, 2666, Garp, Sotweed, Infinite Jest, I’m not sure why, I think I like something I can get lost in for a while. But I like a plot that builds up to a bang up ending that makes the long slog worthwhile. and this just didn’t do it for me.

]]> By: Yggdrasil http://www.spikemagazine.com/0600houseofleaves.php#comment-43475 Yggdrasil Sat, 05 Jun 2010 07:09:30 +0000 http://spikemagazine.com/wordpress/?p=142#comment-43475 If you're knowledgeable about mythology, religion, and literature you'll get a lot out of the imagery and wordplay used in the book. It's almost a satire of literary review and English majors should enjoy it thoroughly. Yes, it's complicated to read - but if you can settle into the neuroticism you may find yourself being absorbed by the book. It's meant to be difficult to read, meant to be agoraphobic and claustrophobic, and the ending will mean a lot more to you if you find yourself sucked into the pages. If you’re knowledgeable about mythology, religion, and literature you’ll get a lot out of the imagery and wordplay used in the book. It’s almost a satire of literary review and English majors should enjoy it thoroughly. Yes, it’s complicated to read – but if you can settle into the neuroticism you may find yourself being absorbed by the book. It’s meant to be difficult to read, meant to be agoraphobic and claustrophobic, and the ending will mean a lot more to you if you find yourself sucked into the pages.

]]> By: TSO http://www.spikemagazine.com/0600houseofleaves.php#comment-40838 TSO Fri, 05 Mar 2010 03:38:15 +0000 http://spikemagazine.com/wordpress/?p=142#comment-40838 What the author of this review doesn't mention is that Danielewskwi had the first 3/4s of the book as a manuscript for some years, handing around to his friends and uploading bits and pieces of it on the internet. This is the "first edition." The part where Johny is in the bar listening to the band was written for the second edition, set after the first edition had had time to filter around the internet, gaining cult fame as things do. Shortly after I read it, I took a class on classical mythology, and noting that the book had many references to greek myth, decided to ask the professor about the specifics of one in particular. As soon as I mentioned the name of the book, she said she had tried to read it before, but had to stop due to it "being so difficult to get through." This was a mythology professor with a masters in archaeology. Yes, it can be rather tedious to wade through the immense footnotes and make sense of the crazy fonts and burned out passages, but I disagree with the author of the review in that this is a bad thing. It brings out the level of obsession that johnny has with the manuscript that no amount of normal writing could get across. What the author of this review doesn’t mention is that Danielewskwi had the first 3/4s of the book as a manuscript for some years, handing around to his friends and uploading bits and pieces of it on the internet. This is the “first edition.” The part where Johny is in the bar listening to the band was written for the second edition, set after the first edition had had time to filter around the internet, gaining cult fame as things do.

Shortly after I read it, I took a class on classical mythology, and noting that the book had many references to greek myth, decided to ask the professor about the specifics of one in particular. As soon as I mentioned the name of the book, she said she had tried to read it before, but had to stop due to it “being so difficult to get through.” This was a mythology professor with a masters in archaeology. Yes, it can be rather tedious to wade through the immense footnotes and make sense of the crazy fonts and burned out passages, but I disagree with the author of the review in that this is a bad thing. It brings out the level of obsession that johnny has with the manuscript that no amount of normal writing could get across.

]]> By: max http://www.spikemagazine.com/0600houseofleaves.php#comment-36893 max Mon, 31 Aug 2009 21:11:53 +0000 http://spikemagazine.com/wordpress/?p=142#comment-36893 I have tried various times to finish this book, but it has succeeded in unsettling my mind. I cannot read it on my own as it serves to compliment my own paranoia of the unexplained and creepy. Yet it must be done. This is a good book for those who like enigmas and horror. I have tried various times to finish this book, but it has succeeded in unsettling my mind. I cannot read it on my own as it serves to compliment my own paranoia of the unexplained and creepy. Yet it must be done.
This is a good book for those who like enigmas and horror.

]]> By: just finished it http://www.spikemagazine.com/0600houseofleaves.php#comment-34270 just finished it Thu, 23 Apr 2009 20:27:58 +0000 http://spikemagazine.com/wordpress/?p=142#comment-34270 johnny finding people who read his editing on the internet isn't an error. that journal entry is dated a year after the other ones. it can be assumed that he published it or put it on the internet between 1998 and 1999 as the first edition, because all books that can be bought are the "second edition" johnny finding people who read his editing on the internet isn’t an error. that journal entry is dated a year after the other ones. it can be assumed that he published it or put it on the internet between 1998 and 1999 as the first edition, because all books that can be bought are the “second edition”

]]> By: karin http://www.spikemagazine.com/0600houseofleaves.php#comment-34008 karin Thu, 09 Apr 2009 00:38:16 +0000 http://spikemagazine.com/wordpress/?p=142#comment-34008 I enjoyed reading this,However I have not read the book yet this analysis was interesting. I enjoyed reading this,However I have not read the book yet this analysis was interesting.

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