These books will offer the reader not only fascinating stories, but also deep thoughts, cause disputes and discussions, and sometimes make you "creak" your brains. Developed intelligence is one of the first places in the list of the sexiest qualities of a partner, especially in sapiosexuals. Sapiosexuality is a form of sexual attraction in which it is not so much physical traits or appearance that is attracted as its mental qualities and intelligence. For sapiosexuals, the main thing is the ability of the interlocutor to speak intelligently, to show deep knowledge and skills in various fields, and attention to detail in communication. You can pretend to be smart, or you can become one, and books will help you with this.
Thomas Pynchon, "Gravity's Rainbow"
This book is considered one of the masterpieces of postmodern literature and has received many awards and recognitions. The plot takes place during World War II and covers a wide temporal and spatial range - from Germany to England and the United States. The main character of the novel is the American officer Enya Lenitrop, who will have to investigate strange events related to the project of creating the B2 rocket by German scientists. The whole plot is a big metaphor for the ballistic trajectory of the missile.
In the book, Pynchon plays with different genres, styles, and storylines, weaving them together, creating a variety of symbols and allusions, making it insanely difficult to analyze. Gravity's Rainbow is known for its unconventional structure, inventive language, and deep philosophical research. This novel is considered one of the most important works of American literature of the 20th century and is often seen as one of the brightest manifestations of postmodernism in literature.
Pynchon himself is such a non-public person that many doubted his existence!
James Joyce, "Ulysses"
The novel Ulysses is a parallel to Homer's epic Odyssey and tells the story of the twists and turns of one day in the lives of three main characters: Leopold Bloom, Molly Bloom and Stephen Daedalus, who is also a character in Joyce's early works. The main action takes place in Dublin during June 16, 1904.
Now every year fans of the work celebrate "bloomsday" - they get together to walk the route of the characters, order the same food in a café.
One of the key features of the novel is an experimental style called stream of consciousness, a variety of perspectives and narrative styles. Ulysses is known for its complex structure, abundance of literary references, wordplay and many symbols. Indeed, only the smartest can solve all the mysteries of Joyce!
Marcel Proust, "In Search of Lost Time"
Marcel Proust created this epic for 30 years, it consists of 7 volumes, 3500 pages and has 2500 characters.
The novel tells about the life and memories of the protagonist, whose name is Marcel for a reason. The main character is trying to recover his childhood memories and understand how past events have affected his life. In the course of his search, he meets many different characters and finds himself in various social environments.
"In Search of Lost Time" is considered one of the most important works of literary modernism. Space of time and memories become especially important here, and the writer uses cyclicality, repetition and association to convey the complexity of human memory and perception. This is not just a stream of consciousness, but a whole river that allows the reader to plunge into the depths of the main character's consciousness and experience his thoughts and memories. The novel is known for its refined style, philosophical reflections, portraits of various social spheres.
Proust was very demanding of himself, led a reclusive lifestyle, rewrote chapters several times, but was incredibly talented and skillful in the sensual descriptive part, as if an impressionist artist created his paintings.
Jean-Paul Sartre, "Nausea"
Sartre was not only a writer, but rather a philosopher and one of the brightest representatives of atheistic existentialism. And it is the existential crisis that the protagonist of Nausea, Antoine Roquentin, a French writer who is in Paris, is experiencing. He suffers from what he calls "buzzing" – a vague feeling of disgust and separation from the world around him. Roquentin gradually comes to the conclusion that the world around him has no meaning and everything that exists generates only disgust. He reflects on his life path, free will, and philosophy of existence. Roquentin sees alienity and meaninglessness everywhere: in city streets, people, objects and his own thoughts.
Sartre believed that each person is free and responsible for his own existence and the meaning of his life – the novel became an example of this theory. Sartre was respected in many circles, even despite his political views, he was not persecuted. His philosophy had a huge impact on philosophy, literature, and politics in the 20th century, and his ideas about freedom, responsibility, and existence continue to inspire and provoke thinkers today.
Fyodor Dostoevsky, "The Brothers Karamazov"
Dostoevsky is also called an existentialist, but a religious one. "The Brothers Karamazov" is his last novel, which is considered one of the greatest works of world literature and a masterpiece of Russian classics.
The novel tells the story of three brothers - Dmitry, Ivan and Alexei Karamazov - and their complex relationships. The main theme is the search for the meaning of life, the struggle between faith and reason, morality and sin. One of the central conflicts in the book is the murder of their father.
Dostoevsky explores various philosophical and religious topics: free will, justice, the existence of God and the role of religion in human life. The novel impresses with the richness of the internal psychology of the characters: each character is developed to the smallest detail, allowing readers to fully immerse themselves in their thoughts, passions and inner world. And the author's language makes the novel surprisingly fascinating to read, especially after Pynchon!
