I think that will largely be a matter of personal taste; Rejection is way more fun on a pure entertainment level, but I was really impressed by Incel's ability to pull off an entire narrative in psuedo-academic jargon. (And it also has some hilarious internet-posting sequences.)
“A book like Turecki’s has an extremely narrow view of love, and, I must say, a pretty unromantic one. It speaks of love as “happiness,” but has nothing to say about love as pleasure or aesthetic experience or self-transformation. They have a tendency to look at romantic histories as a series of failures measured against an ideal model of health, a winding path of missed “red flags,” rather than as narrative turning points we live with, against, and in memory of; as episodes that, whatever their ultimate outcome, “bring us closer to the world.””
This bit was so fantastic. I completely agree that it’s extremely disappointing that articulating a vision of the good (romantic/sexual) life has been left to dating coaches and relationship influencers whose advice feels anesthetized and overly therapized. Shameless plug, but I attempted to touch on similar themes in a post I wrote last year, which also mentions TikTok relationship advice:
Did you read Becca Rothfeld’s essay collection from last year? I loved it, and it has so much to say about eros, passion, & romance in the contemporary moment!
This is all very smart and reasonable. I think on vibe shifts, what I'd really like to see more of is how changes in vibe or sentiment are interlocking with institutional policies. We all know that everyone in charge of every major institution, from universities to nonprofits to the media to the big law firms, etc, is currently spending every minute of the day strategizing about how their institution should respond to the new administration. This will play out in how directions from the top reach employees, how resources are allocated, who is promoted, and so on and on and on. The elements of the vibe shift that aren't just individuals changing their minds but policy being made.
I’m so delighted you enjoyed Portrait! Also, Incel is more impressive than Rejection? Damn, I have to read it.
I think that will largely be a matter of personal taste; Rejection is way more fun on a pure entertainment level, but I was really impressed by Incel's ability to pull off an entire narrative in psuedo-academic jargon. (And it also has some hilarious internet-posting sequences.)
“A book like Turecki’s has an extremely narrow view of love, and, I must say, a pretty unromantic one. It speaks of love as “happiness,” but has nothing to say about love as pleasure or aesthetic experience or self-transformation. They have a tendency to look at romantic histories as a series of failures measured against an ideal model of health, a winding path of missed “red flags,” rather than as narrative turning points we live with, against, and in memory of; as episodes that, whatever their ultimate outcome, “bring us closer to the world.””
This bit was so fantastic. I completely agree that it’s extremely disappointing that articulating a vision of the good (romantic/sexual) life has been left to dating coaches and relationship influencers whose advice feels anesthetized and overly therapized. Shameless plug, but I attempted to touch on similar themes in a post I wrote last year, which also mentions TikTok relationship advice:
https://ordinaryinstants.substack.com/p/alls-unfair-in-love?utm_campaign=reaction&utm_medium=email&utm_source=substack&utm_content=post
Did you read Becca Rothfeld’s essay collection from last year? I loved it, and it has so much to say about eros, passion, & romance in the contemporary moment!
This is all very smart and reasonable. I think on vibe shifts, what I'd really like to see more of is how changes in vibe or sentiment are interlocking with institutional policies. We all know that everyone in charge of every major institution, from universities to nonprofits to the media to the big law firms, etc, is currently spending every minute of the day strategizing about how their institution should respond to the new administration. This will play out in how directions from the top reach employees, how resources are allocated, who is promoted, and so on and on and on. The elements of the vibe shift that aren't just individuals changing their minds but policy being made.
Completely agree!
Happy to hear that you enjoyed my novel - thanks for the review!