zlacker

Purely in the domain of writers and endings, Patrick O'Brien has one of his characters say they think unfinished novels don't need a conclusion any more than an unfinished work of music does: you can imagine how the story goes on for yourself.

Vikram Seth does the same thing with the ending of "a suitable boy" as does Anne Proulx in "the shipping news"

Writing of one's own mortality in these situations obviously invites the final word, but it actually doesn't have to be cast as such.

For this author the situation is terrible, but the writing doesn't have to echo that finality, there's a choice to be made.

>>ggm+(OP)
Houellebecq's Annihilation is also a good example of this. It starts out a political technothriller, certain threads are worked through towards a resolution, but then the protagonist is diagnosed with terminal cancer and the book's tone changes entirely. The resolution of those technothriller elements is alluded to, but you actively have to fill in the blanks for yourself. I thought that it was very cleverly handled.

>>ggm+(OP)
>unfinished novels don't need a conclusion any more than an unfinished work of music does: you can imagine how the story goes on for yourself...

>...there's a choice to be made

and if the auteur does not finish it, you won't know that choice

unfinished works exist, yes, there's no denying it, but that's not the same as "unfinished works are just as good as finished". let me unfinish by saying this: I have a very short proof of Fermat's last theorem I'd like to share with you! I've encoded it in the form of a novel, but brief though it be, it won't entirely fit in this textbox... I'll get started, but I'm sure you can imagine it for yourself!

T'was a dark and stormy night when young Fermat put pen to paper...

>>A_D_E_+78
Houellebecq is an interesting author. You love him or hate him, but his writings raise questions (some controversial).

He is also a (one-time) porn actor :)

>>ggm+(OP)
Under this theory we can then say that George Martin isn't obligated to finish Game of Thrones

https://medium.com/luminasticity/obligations-of-the-author-0...

>>Brando+x9
does one-time mean he did it once, or it was his profession once upon a time, if he did it once having done the equivalent of porn summer stock hardly seems worth mentioning.

>>bryanr+Pb
Well, an arguably famous writer (with a mix of philosophy and politics), well-known in France for his positions who suddenly foes porn in a Dutch movie is not exactly usual.

Whether it is worth mentioning is a matter of preference, it certainly adds colors to the character.

>>ggm+(OP)
To me, this author's blog (and others like it) do echo the finality of the end of our existence by remaining in their questioning, unfinished state. That's really just how it goes with our mortality and I think there's something poetic to be said about that, but I have trouble articulating it. We leave life with many questions left unanswered and things left unfinished, no matter how hard we try, it seems.

To the individual, here is, in effect, never enough time. There never will be.

>>benchl+Sd
One starts off life with little conscious awareness of life’s big questions. If we’re lucky, we might gain some clarity about the most important questions and share what we learn with others.

From evolution’s point of view, individuals are only a bundle for the survival of genes. It is no surprise that we want more, hence society.

For society, one could argue that its core principles (liberty, freedom, security, flourishing, pursuit of happiness, shared narratives, etc.) are only provided to each individual in a time-bounded way. Individuals may be heartened when they have confidence these principles will carry on to the next generation.

>>xpe+he
> Individuals may be heartened when they have confidence these principles will carry on to the next generation.

I like this and care deeply about what happens to our world after I am gone, but I worry (excessively, actually) that most others do not. Greed, immediate gratification, etc, these things cloud our judgement so greatly that even I have trouble remembering that the future exists with or without me in it.

It's an interesting problem to think about, but I have no idea what branch of philosophy it falls under, so pardon my sophistry. I do wonder, though; how do we get people to care about this?

>>bryanr+Pb
It's much odder than what you are thinking.

* https://lithub.com/how-did-reactionary-french-novelist-miche...

>>JdeBP+0t
OK it sounds like the kind of thing I was thinking would happen, if you know these kinds of people. I mean, the wife suggested that he get naked on camera to "counteract his gloom" and then the creative differences over the art of the porn.

I mean sounds pretty boring stuff really.

Although I didn't know he was an incel celeb.

>>benchl+di
There are many ways. One would be to find your people and talk about your goals and find people who can help you and you can help. Another is find a community you want to serve. Instilling such values is easier when people are young and not too jaded.