The Common Reader

The Common Reader explores a wide range of interests across literature, philosophy, productivity, technology, and culture. It emphasizes the value of diverse reading, critical thinking, and creativity through examinations of children's films, literary critique, personal productivity tools, and the roles of arts and humanities in society.

Literature Philosophy Productivity Technology Culture Literary Critique Creative Writing Arts and Humanities

The hottest Substack posts of The Common Reader

And their main takeaways

The soul moved the pen, and broke it.

1275 implied HN points • 18 Mar 24
📚 Literature Style Art Consciousness Tragedy Letters
  1. Flaubert's intense and disturbed personality was essential to his artistic style and work.
  2. Flaubert's commitment to creating a perfect novel like 'Madame Bovary' involved intense emotional investment in his writing.
  3. Flaubert's belief in detachment for the sake of art and the importance of creating style through observation rather than raw emotion are key aspects of his writing advice and artistic process.

The life of a common reader

1027 implied HN points • 11 Mar 24
📚 Literature Classics Biography Reading Novels Writers
  1. Remember the importance of nurturing your inner self and being uniquely you instead of blindly imitating others.
  2. Biographies can reveal controversial and intimate details, sparking debates on how much should be shared, yet some believe in telling everything.
  3. Common readers play a vital role in keeping great works alive, shaping a legacy of love for reading that extends across generations.

Raye. Revenge of a late bloomer.

1275 implied HN points • 04 Mar 24
🎶 Music Success Talent Exploration
  1. Raye's story shows the importance of persistence and bravery in pursuing your passion, even if it means taking risks and going against the norm.
  2. Late bloomers like Raye may experience a period of exploration before transitioning to a phase of exploiting their talents, which is crucial for achieving success.
  3. The support of networks, hard work, and the courage to make significant changes are key elements that contribute to the success of late bloomers like Raye.

How to be a late bloomer in 2024

3543 implied HN points • 22 Jan 24
🏥 Health & Wellness Personal Growth Life Advice Success Stories
  1. Late bloomers often work towards their goals without a clear endpoint in mind, allowing for meandering career paths that involve learning and skill development.
  2. Late bloomers make significant life changes influenced by networks, circumstances, and mid-life crises, which help them transition and achieve success.
  3. To become a late bloomer, preparation is key; taking small steps towards goals each day can lead to significant achievements over time.
Get a weekly roundup of the best Substack posts, by hacker news affinity:

Welcome to the age of the late bloomer

1346 implied HN points • 26 Feb 24
🎭️ Culture Aging Talent Success Creativity Equality
  1. Older individuals are demonstrating remarkable capabilities and contributing significantly in various fields like politics and work, highlighting the value of skills and experience brought by older people.
  2. Late bloomers are becoming more common, with individuals achieving success and recognition later in life, showcasing that age is not a limiting factor for pursuing passions or making significant contributions.
  3. Embracing and celebrating both young talent and older individuals can enrich and diversify achievements and contributions in society, demonstrating the importance of recognizing and nurturing talent across various age groups.

Who's afraid of A.C. Bradley?

673 implied HN points • 13 Mar 24
📚 Literature Criticism Shakespeare Character Psychoanalysis Realism
  1. Discussions on Shakespeare's characters often avoid delving into them as people, and those who do, like A.C. Bradley, are sometimes considered out of touch.
  2. Bradley's approach to literary criticism, focusing on the humanity of characters, has faced criticism and mockery over the years.
  3. The tension between traditional literary analysis, like Bradley's, and modern theories, such as Marxist political analysis, continues within academia.

Knights and Hawkes: inside Shakespeare's dream

779 implied HN points • 07 Mar 24
📚 Literature Analysis Criticism Shakespeare Characters Interpretation
  1. Shakespeare's characters were not meant to be seen as real people but rather as symbols representing larger themes and ideas in his plays.
  2. The historical context of drama before Shakespeare involved using archetypes to make moral points, which influenced how Shakespeare's characters were perceived by the contemporary audience.
  3. While some critics argued that only what is explicitly stated in the text matters, it is also important to consider the depth and complexity of characters beyond what is directly mentioned.

Iris Murdoch, a novelist for now.

1630 implied HN points • 12 Feb 24
📚 Literature Philosophy Art Gender Human experience
  1. Iris Murdoch's novels focus on shocking readers out of themselves rather than offering consolation.
  2. Murdoch's works cover a wide range of themes like adultery, repression, homosexuality, and existential struggles.
  3. She believed art should entertain while also delving into the battle between good and evil, urging readers to escape the 'fat relentless ego.'

What is English meter?

389 implied HN points • 15 Mar 24
📚 Literature Poetry
  1. Traditional concepts of metrical feet like iambs and trochees may not fully capture the complexity of English meter in poetry.
  2. Defining meter in English poetry, especially iambic pentameter, involves understanding the varying degrees of stress in syllables and challenging traditional rules.
  3. While exceptions exist, the majority of English poetry adheres to metrical patterns, showcasing the importance of common sense in analyzing poetic meter.

Iris Murdoch's philosophical fiction

1311 implied HN points • 05 Feb 24
📚 Literature Novelists Character development Realism
  1. Iris Murdoch's novels explore a unique and intriguing blend of strange characters, philosophical ideas, and the eternal struggle between good and evil.
  2. Murdoch's personal experiences greatly influenced her novels, which delved into complex themes like love, sexual fluidity, and the complexity of human morality.
  3. Murdoch's writing style focuses on creating fully-realized fictional worlds where philosophical musings and moral lessons blend seamlessly with character-driven narratives.

Ely Cathedral and the beauty of progress.

1098 implied HN points • 02 Feb 24
🎨 Art & Illustration Architecture History Progress Beauty
  1. Ely Cathedral showcases the evolution of architectural progress from Romanesque to Gothic styles.
  2. The transition from Romanesque to Gothic architecture highlights the significant engineering improvements that allowed for artistic advancements.
  3. The beauty and grandeur of Gothic architecture in Ely Cathedral represent a high point in Western architectural history.

Too like the lightning, which doth cease to be

531 implied HN points • 21 Feb 24
📚 Literature Analysis Shakespeare Symbolism Interpretation
  1. Shakespeare's play Romeo and Juliet heavily utilizes the motif of light and dark, with light symbolizing various aspects like love, hope, and the passage of time.
  2. Light imagery in Romeo and Juliet is not always positive, as it also signifies challenges and obstacles faced by the lovers.
  3. Paid subscribers can access deeper analysis, such as understanding the tragic foreshadowing in Juliet's speeches and the profound line 'Too like the lightning, which doth cease to be'.

Doppelgänger, by Naomi Klein

602 implied HN points • 14 Feb 24
📚 Literature Books Authors Analysis Ideas Critique
  1. Naomi Klein explores the concept of doppelgängers and her experience of being confused with Naomi Wolf, a conspiracy theorist spreading misinformation about Covid.
  2. Klein delves into the idea that the internet has created doppelgängers of us all, raising questions about online identities and personas.
  3. The book highlights how both Naomi Klein and Naomi Wolf use provocative language and ideas to engage with audiences, emphasizing the impact of strong rhetoric in today's discourse.

Late bloomers, Iliad, strategic romance, classic physics, Murdoch v Amis, Swift's grammar, opera boy, long sentences, Hayek/Mill/game theory

389 implied HN points • 23 Feb 24
📚 Literature Book Reviews Classics Biography Comedy
  1. Late bloomers can achieve great success, like the 43-year-old tennis champion Rohan Bopanna
  2. Different paths lead to success - Larry David's comedy career took off in his 20s and 30s
  3. The journey to success may involve struggles and challenges before finding one's true calling

Love's Labour's Lost book club

248 implied HN points • 01 Mar 24
📚 Literature Shakespeare Book Club
  1. The Love's Labour's Lost book club is meeting on Sunday at 7 p.m. UK time to discuss the play.
  2. Participants are encouraged to compare Love's Labour's Lost with Romeo and Juliet, discuss if it's Shakespeare's worst play, and explore elements that are developed in later plays.
  3. Interested individuals can access the full post archives with a 7-day free trial of The Common Reader.

Twenty-five ideas about Love's Labour's Lost

248 implied HN points • 28 Feb 24
📚 Literature Shakespeare Language Comparison Influence
  1. Shakespeare's Love's Labour's Lost explores themes of war, death, wit, festivity, Arcadia, lyricism, and satire, offering a darker ending that symbolizes the passing of old generations.
  2. The play remains relevant today as it touches on issues like the delay of marriage and children, and the struggle between speaking about creating a better world versus actually doing it.
  3. Love's Labour's Lost engages with the debate on language by contrasting post-modernist views with the idea of fixed meanings, tied to a concrete reality, which is portrayed through the characters' speech patterns.

1791 Mozart's Last Year. H. C. Robbins Landon

318 implied HN points • 16 Feb 24
🎶 Music Classical History
  1. Mozart was incredibly productive in his final year, composing a wide range of major works despite his young age and limited time.
  2. Vienna in 1791 was considered a musical paradise with wealthy households having their own orchestras, providing ample opportunities for composers like Mozart to thrive.
  3. Nobles and patrons played a crucial role in supporting composers like Haydn, Beethoven, and Mozart during this era of plenty in the music world.

On Humour

496 implied HN points • 24 Jan 24
😂 Humor Comedy Jokes
  1. Jokes are cultural possessions that change over time.
  2. Wit is marked by originality and authorship, reflecting the thoughts well expressed by the author.
  3. Comedians can be performers of jokes, writers of wit, or a combination of both.

A rant about children’s movies

1240 implied HN points • 04 May 23
🎭️ Culture Film Animation
  1. Children's films are often created with adult perspectives in mind, leading to moral shortcomings.
  2. Studio Ghibli movies prioritize realistic challenges and creativity in a way that Disney films do not.
  3. Studio Ghibli movies set a better moral example by portraying a world where hard work, creativity, and real-life challenges are valued.

Parfit, by David Edmonds

1169 implied HN points • 11 May 23
📚 Literature Philosophy Biography Ethics Influence Interpretation
  1. Derek Parfit is a highly influential philosopher in moral philosophy, but relatively unknown outside academic circles.
  2. Parfit's life and philosophy are intertwined, with his actions reflecting his beliefs in altruism and empathy.
  3. Parfit's approach to personal identity and philosophy, as depicted in a new biography by David Edmonds, raises thought-provoking questions about selflessness and dedication.

How I use chatGPT

921 implied HN points • 09 Jun 23
🕹 Technology AI Copywriting
  1. The author discusses using ChatGPT for writing and editing, including feedback on a book manuscript.
  2. ChatGPT provided accurate summaries and assessments, along with helpful prompts for editing and copywriting.
  3. The post highlights utilizing ChatGPT for various tasks like book manuscript feedback, editing prompts, and copywriting assistance.

New York's widening gyre

673 implied HN points • 04 Apr 23
🎭️ Culture Literature Travel Art & Illustration History
  1. New York is a noisy city with constant sounds like sirens and traffic.
  2. The Guggenheim museum in New York was inspired by nature and the hawk circling above symbolized infinity.
  3. The atmosphere in New York is complex, with contrasts between different aspects of the city like Trump Tower and the homeless man writing in a book.

The messy orangutang

779 implied HN points • 09 Feb 23
  1. Get on the phone to gather more information quickly.
  2. Use email to ask questions and make connections with experts.
  3. Share your research and talk about it to get valuable insights.