J R by William Gaddis

[@OttoIncandenza]

Chris I really can’t express how much your videos mean to me. During quarantine it is tough to meet with people to discuss books at the depth at which you do so having you do these so regularly, especially at a pretty rough period in my own personal life really reinvigorates me and reminds me of what I love in life. So thank you from the bottom of my heart.

[@LeafbyLeaf]

That mean a lot to me, and I appreciate your saying so. It is a pleasure to share my passion with you. This is indeed a strange and trying time for us all. Sorry to hear about your rough period, but these valleys lead to mountains. Even though we can't literally meet up to discuss books together we can use social media to get as close to it as possible. Take care and keep in touch! (P.S. The Recognitions ramble video will be up next week.)

[@yatiindora1694]

@@LeafbyLeaf gf dúuuuuuúuuuuuuuy

[@Dorakskel]

Loved this. It makes me so happy that William Gaddis is being talked about in this capacity. When I read The Recognitions it seemed criminal to me just how overlooked he is. To me he really transcends the tropes of modernism and post-modernism and really shines through as something truly special and unique in the world of literature. Thank you for doing what you do, I'm so excited for the video on The Recognitions.

[@LeafbyLeaf]

I couldn’t agree more. So thankful that NYRB has helped spark this Gaddis Renaissance!

[@jrphilbrook]

Hey Chris! I absolutely love your channel, old friend. Your passion for literature is so infectious.

[@LeafbyLeaf]

Joel! What's up, dude?! Blast from the past. Hope you're doing well, man.

[@tinysalmon4]

Finally was able to commit and made it through JR last week. What an unreal experience. You give great voice to the novel, and your criticism, as always, adds heaps to my enjoyment of the text. Thanks so much for doing what you do!

[@LeafbyLeaf]

I’m thrilled you found the video useful! 👊🙏

[@alvisinger112]

A wonderful review, I’m glad I stuck with him despite initial difficulties. A moral of the book seems to be that the norms of a chaotic business / financial system are taking over more and more of American society (art, education, family life, politics etc.) and subverting higher cultural / human values. Against this, I feel your channel has taken up the mantle to spread deeper cultural awareness and encourage us all to become better readers / humans. Thank you for all your hard work. 😊🙏

[@estebanmejia3473]

Perfect video 🖤, I was dying to watch this review and the wait was worth it. I also LOVED your written review, thanks a lot for this, man.

[@LeafbyLeaf]

Much appreciated, Esteban! Hope you are well.

[@hihi6666hihittt]

If it hadn't been for you I wouldn't have read JR and The Recognitions. I love love LOVE your reviews. Excellent work; keep it up. and THANK YOU

[@LeafbyLeaf]

I'm honored, really. Very glad you have taken to Gaddis's tomes. All my best to you!

[@siege2218]

Started reading JR this week. Thank you so much for this video!

[@LeafbyLeaf]

Right on! Happy reading!

[@7NTBid]

Wonderful review! I just finished the book a week ago so it was nice to hear affirmation as to why I loved it so much.

[@LeafbyLeaf]

Thanks! So glad you enjoyed it. J R is an incredible achievement.

[@therepublicofbadtaste5197]

Hey Chris, great review as always. I appreciated both the summary of critical understandings as well as your own thoughts. And, in particular, you urging folks to just dive-in. Gaddis (among others like McElroy) are unfortunately stymied by lack of coverage and, where coverage does exist, an undue emphasis on difficulty. Good on you for helping to dispel the myth.

[@LeafbyLeaf]

Thanks, man! I've seen/heard from a lot of people jumping into J R and realizing that it's hysterical (in multiple senses of the word). Books like these do tend to get overblown into this daunting task--and I think a lot of readers feel like it isn't worth it if you don't get absolutely everything the first time. So then the task becomes even larger because of all the prep work, etc. But books like these are made to be read multiple times. Rereading is a dying art.

[@jameshumphries7272]

So well done..JR is the next big book on my TBR list after I finish The Manifold Destiny of Eddie Vegas..thanks for all the effort you put into your videos.

[@LeafbyLeaf]

Thanks! They are both great books. Glad you’re enjoying!

[@alexandercaines3358]

Hey Chris! Do you have a link or reference to the essay “Aesthetics of Cybernetics” by Steven Schreier(?) that you mentioned at 13:00? Very interested in what else he has to say.

[@LeafbyLeaf]

Here you go! The full essay title is "The Aesthetics of First- and Second-Order Cybernetics in William Gaddis's J R" by Stephen Schryer. It was collected in the book Paper Empire.

[@alexandercaines3358]

@@LeafbyLeaf Thank you!

[@danlinder2249]

Great show, great book, great library and a neat typer to boot! Keep up the good work!

[@LeafbyLeaf]

Thanks so much! 🙏

[@levitybooks3952]

I remember taking The Recognitions out of the library a couple of years ago, spending 20 minutes trying to figure out who was who on the first page, and then closing it like 'Nope! Well at least I have something to look forwards to in a decade or so!' Your reviews are going to help me when I recover my bravery!

[@LeafbyLeaf]

Haha! Sometimes a book is so beyond our expectations that our first encounter is a supreme startlement. I think you should take up TR and just go in with the tact of reading just the opening chapter in one slow chunk (~60pp). I think you'll be surprised.

[@yahuahlove9447]

Clearly, Chris you really have great insights on JR, well done. Over the years, I have the books, JR & Recognitions, will read them again with your literary knowledge and understanding, many thanks.

[@LeafbyLeaf]

Hey there! Glad to be of service. Here's to the joy of rereading great books!

[@EveryoneWhoReadsitMustConverse]

Fantastic! This books is a RIOT and one of the most enjoyable reading experiences of my life. So cinematic and overrun with individuals who have it 'figured out' and actually know very little. I love the boy JR. Wonderful resources here, I will dig in when I complete my reading.

[@LeafbyLeaf]

Your assessment is spot on! Glad you're enjoying the unique pleasures of J R. Gaddis himself said that of all his books he loved J R Vansant best.

[@stepankurecka5027]

Hello Chris, this time on this video. First of all I would like to thank you for your hard work, I will never stop appreciate that. The reason I write this comment is a question. I am writing the first ever academic work about William Gaddis in the Czech language, I would like to introduce Gaddis to the czech reader, therefore I would like to translate some pages of all of his books. If you were to choose one, two, maybe three pages ot of each book, which would you yourself choose to introduce the genius of William Gaddis to a reader?

[@alexschmidt2589]

I just had to come back and comment here because I don't know where else to say this where anyone might understand, but reading "JR" for the first time in the midst of this Reddit/GameStop stock debacle is just so perfect that I don't know what to do. I really feel lucky to be reading it right now.

[@LeafbyLeaf]

Crazy, right?! Glad you thought to come share your reaction here-this is a safe haven and encouraging platform for all those who discover Gaddis’s greatness!

[@akeithing1841]

@@LeafbyLeaf All I've been reading for a good stint is non fiction about ALL the revolutions in the past centuries. All of a sudden I found your review on Infinite Jest and made me crave immersive novels again. The Recognitions and JR are on their way! Read On

[@tannercoggins8793]

I liked how Bast seemed to be an interruption of the term 'bastard'. In order to create any art of his own that has no price he would have to have no patrilineal claim to an American inheritance.

[@80085word69]

Love how Gaddis feels like he is angrier in each subsequent novel. A Frolic of His Own and Carpenter’s Gothic are great but JR is my favorite novel of his. Probably due to my own experience in corporate America.

[@LeafbyLeaf]

You and me both, believe me.

[@richardkemp2558]

Amazing!

[@thelastsyllable3802]

Hi Chris. Have you considered extracting the audio of your video essays and making them available as podcasts? There are very few podcasts in this space and I would love to be able to listen in the car. Just an idea, not wishing to create more work for you. Of course, I make the time to watch as it is and am looking forward to getting these books.

[@LeafbyLeaf]

I’ve had a few people suggest that but I haven’t looked into it yet. Now that I record the audio track separately from my microphone I have the files. Thanks for putting it on my mind again.

[@ErikBader]

@@LeafbyLeaf Wanna cosign on this, would love to have these as a podcast!

[@RyanGruchala]

have you done a video on lookout cartridge by mcelroy?

[@LeafbyLeaf]

Not yet. I've done a video on his short story collection (Night Soul and Other Stories), but now I am going to read and review his books in publication order (though I'm saving Women and Men for last). So, next up with be The Smuggler's Bible, which I do plan to read and review on the channel this year.

[@RyanGruchala]

@@LeafbyLeaf oh cool. thanks for the response!

[@LeafbyLeaf]

👊

[@alexschmidt2589]

I recently started it for the first time. Got to ~pg110 today and the style just, like, unlocked in this indescribable way. Now there's this need to get back to reading it. Its going to be one of those book, i can already tell.

[@LeafbyLeaf]

That’s awesome! I found it hypotonic/addictive too. Once you fall into its cadence and schema, it becomes really engrossing. Enjoy!

[@Ravenmancerr]

Awesome videos dude!!

[@LeafbyLeaf]

🙏

[@chris-hj2qd]

Gaddis tells us twice within the first 25 pages what it's all about:Here, here! We must have Order! Order! Yet Chaos is the basic Reality. So Order can only be a thin, perilous condition we foist onto Reality. And foist we must in this book. Gaddis challenges us to organize the chaos of JR. And if we can manage that, perhaps we can manage the more complex Chaos of life. Or maybe that's just a naïve hope.

[@LeafbyLeaf]

"To become master of the chaos one is…that is the grand ambition here." - Nietzsche

[@b1oho]

Great! just started it this week

[@LeafbyLeaf]

Excellent! And hey--you were the one who recommended Breece Pancake, right? I just submitted my review to Rain Taxi last night. Thank you for that one. Really enjoyed those stories and his letters to his mother.

[@b1oho]

@@LeafbyLeaf Hi Chris - I thought you might appreciate Breece Pancake. Gaddis Wow!

[@danielkibira4064]

Hey Chris Did you derive the same pleasure reading Gaddis' JR. As you did reading Pynchon's V. ?

[@seans.2711]

Just got my NYRB copy of JR in - now it's sitting on my shelf next to Duck, Newburyport, which I was finally convinced to order after your last video... Any chance you could stop recommending these massive books during the busiest part of the semester?! (Great review, as always!)

[@LeafbyLeaf]

Unfortunately I have a very serious disorder that won't allow me to stop blabbing about massive books. I'm really sorry. Seeking medication.

[@michaelmcgee335]

What’s the name of that enormous book at the start of the video.

[@LeafbyLeaf]

That would be Bottom's Dream by Arno Schmidt!

[@danielungar6984]

Excellent review of one of my absolutely favorite books. One little thing: when I heard your comment on the Bast sisters' pronunciation of "Coen", it occurred to me that there's something more going on here. The two surnames are both pronounced the same anyway, I think, so his comment concerns spelling, not pronunciation, and is one he probably makes all the time when introducing himself in order to distinguish himself from the more common Cohens. So when the ladies go on to pronounce "Cohen" (don't forget, this is all oral), they must be actually pronouncing the h, which makes the situation more comical.

[@LeafbyLeaf]

Great points!

[@Ravenmancerr]

I am about 400 pages in and can see the beauty and the importance of this work. I think I am going to drop it though. I don't have the energy to devour the rest right now. I think its pretty ironic given Gaddis' message within this book. I didn't enjoy it. I got a lot out of what I did read. I just need to move on to something a bit lighter. The chaos that frames the message is rough on me.

[@billypilgrim1]

Can't say I'm a fan of the artwork on this edition, the one with the dollar bill was the best.

[@LeafbyLeaf]

A lot of people haven't favored the NYRB cover art. I, too, like the original hardcover jacket with the dollar bill.

[@billypilgrim1]

@@LeafbyLeaf same with the new Recognitions edition. Hey, off-topic but have you read Pynchon's against the day? I'm halfway through and it may very well be my favorite Pynchon

[@LeafbyLeaf]

I have indeed. Though my favorites are Mason & Dixon and GR-perhaps tied. I don’t know. But that’s not to say I didn’t love Against the Day!

[@billypilgrim1]

@@LeafbyLeaf Mason & Dixon is sitting on my to-read pile as we speak, maybe it will become my favorite

[@LeafbyLeaf]

Could be. I’ve got a video on it out here. I loved it!

[@Bananamaltastic]

For anyone curious to hear the song that J R hears as "up yours" and "up mine", here it is: kzbin.info/www/bejne/d53PiIlvqJytY7c

[@LeafbyLeaf]

Thanks for sharing this!

[@navidson3162]

Since you have both prints of this novel do you recommend one over the other?

[@LeafbyLeaf]

To be honest, not really. I recommend them both! 😜

[@rickharsch8797]

1830, brilliant and thank you, but i have to go post some books. Don't go away.

[@LeafbyLeaf]

I’m frozen. Help.

[@telephilia]

Guy likes long difficult novels. Sometimes I wonder if they are worth effort.

[@LeafbyLeaf]

It’s totally right to wonder if they’re worth it. Deliberate reading is more beneficial. 🫡

[@sotirisitsos8426]

this book justifies the existance of audiobooks.

[@LeafbyLeaf]

You know, I hadn't thought about that (I'm not an auditory learner, so my mind strays within seconds on audiobooks), but that would be really rad!

[@therepublicofbadtaste5197]

@@LeafbyLeaf I can vouch for the brilliance of the audiobook. Also, the Guardian just posted about it: www.theguardian.com/books/2020/nov/17/i-cried-actor-120-characters-to-life-jr-william-gaddis-nick-sullivan-audiobook

[@LeafbyLeaf]

Thanks for sharing this, Ryan!

[@seantudor9504]

Reasons and Persons Derek Parfit.

[@LeafbyLeaf]

Difficult but incredible book! I learned of it from reading Douglas R. Hofstadter's Le ton beau de Marot.

[@rickharsch8797]

GreaT

[@LeafbyLeaf]

ThankS

[@marcusklugmann4293]

Why is nobody here (am I supposed to be seeing this?)?

[@LeafbyLeaf]

You were indeed the first to sneak in here because of my plunder. Now you will have some company. :)

[@rickharsch8797]

Really grear

[@LeafbyLeaf]

Rhanks

[@rickharsch8797]

Zettel's Traum: You FRAUD!

[@LeafbyLeaf]

I was wondering if you’d seen that yet! Don’t worry-you’ll still beat me to it in terms of really reading it.

[@ModernLitCollection]

Very informative video! For an even deeper dive check out some digitized items from the J R files of the William Gaddis Papers: omeka.wustl.edu/omeka/exhibits/show/mlc50/william-gaddis/jr

[@LeafbyLeaf]

Oh! Thanks for sharing!

[@rickharsch8797]

No ground work: right.

[@LeafbyLeaf]

Not sure what this refers to.

[@nedmerrill5705]

Got 40% of the way through this. It sucks. It gets to the point you don't know who's talking, or it gets too tiring to sort it out. Try talking me into reading another Gaddis novel😆

[@LeafbyLeaf]

Not an uncommon complaint at all, my friend. I suggest taking a stab at Carpenter’s Gothic or Agapē Agape. See whatcha think.