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PaperclipPerfector  3d ago (text post)   2288 thread views

Small-Scale Question Sunday for March 8, 2026

Do you have a dumb question that you're kind of embarrassed to ask in the main thread? Is there something you're just not sure about?

This is your opportunity to ask questions. No question too simple or too silly.

Culture war topics are accepted, and proposals for a better intro post are appreciated.

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So, what are you reading?

I'm going through Conrad's Lord Jim. Backlog not moving.

I finished 2666 recently. I very much enjoyed it. Poetic, a bit avant garde, brutal, sexual, funny. Lot of stuff going on.

Was published posthumously and the author originally demanded it be 5 separate books. His publisher and kids made it a monolith and I was originally scandalized that they did so. Hilariously they were totally right, it's only tolerable as a single novel with 5 parts.

Some bizarre errors in the tiny section that mentions guns. I don't know if this is from the author or the translator. I suspect the latter. It made me mourn all of the beauty and detail that is lost in every translation ever. One of many times I just stopped for a moment to think and savor.

It's ignited an interest in Spanish language novels in general. I'm reading Varamo as a result on a rec from a trusted friend and it's not as impressive so far.

Woah, I also just finished 2666 a bit over a month ago, with the same thoughts as you did (well, apart from the guns part, I didn't catch that.) The Archimboldi section ended up being the best part.

The professors being in Santa Teresa was interesting.

Did you feel the parallels between the slow seduction of the Mexican rug salesgirl and the women being raped and killed in later sections? I still haven't figured out how I really feel about it.

I agree that the Archimboldi section was super great, and the ending was perfect.

I saw the spoilered section as a part of the larger theme of "everyone's at fault, it's the society (the patriarchy, if you will) that's killing these women more than any single actor you can put blame on, it's a continuation of the same general evil of humanity as Archimboldi experienced in the war" theme.

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