I am autistic (diagnosed) and I get literally nothing from 'good prose'. It doesn't make me feel anything. This makes it really hard for me to read anything where the appeal is the beauty of language, because I can't see any of it. It becomes a chore and boring. Poetry is even more inscrutable to me. Should I just give up trying to read and focus on my autistic special interests? Or is there a way I can make myself learn to enjoy good writing?
>>25183218Just read Sanderson, Weir and Pynchon
>>25183221Funnily enough I don't like Sanderson, but I do read a lot of poorly written genre sloppa.
>>25183218Just... Don't read works which main appeal is language? You could read about philosophy, psychology, history, religion, etc
>>25183218What have you read? Good proses may share some abstract elements in common, but they are also in the eye of the beholder. If you like fantasy, for example, you should try Gene Wolfe. Fantasy readers are ensorcelled by his marvelous descriptions which I, a non-fantasy reader, often find galaxy brained and self-indulgent.
>>25183218Just curious but do you appreciate any other form of arts? Like painting, music, photography, movies etc? If you do, it may be just a comprehension issue you can work out.
>>25183218you're just low IQ, most people with ASD are.stick to pokemon
>>25183218If reading isn't already one of your autistic special interests, go with the interests and drop the reading.If you're interested in reading, I'd suggest going with philosophy. If you're strongly autistic and aren't looking for beauty of language, Aristotle could be a good start - try the Nichomachean Ethics, it's a really good text. I was like you btw. After I read a lot of philosophy something switched: you consider a lot of different arguments from different positions, learn a lot of technical vocabulary, and things begin to feel weird... You can predict where authors want to go, and poetic language starts sounding cooler, because at least it does something weird/unexpected. Stuff like Deleuze begins having sense not as a "literal" philosophical text but as a text that's doing something special with language. After that, you get to novels and poetry. You begin liking them because they seem like upgrade to language practices you got accustomed to, it's like watching weird porn after getting addicted to vanilla stuff.
Read national romantic literature. It's stuffed full of flowery pretty language. What cunt do you come from?
>>25183289Moslly genre fiction. But I tried a few recommendations here from /lit/ to try to get into "real literature" a few times at different periods but none of those ever clicked with me. Closest it ever got was reading Kafka, I thought Castle + Trial + Metamorphosis were good read, although I'm sure a lot of the intended meaning and subtext flew over my head.>>25183364I do like more visual ones, yeah. Music is similar though, it doesn't do much for me.>>25183372I don't like Pokemon. I like other JRPGs though.
Had to split my post because I kept getting "our system thinks your post is spam">>25183253>>25183387Reading is an interest but I mostly read genre fiction. I will try what you and the other anon here suggested. Maybe reading philosophy will unlock that within me too.>>25183415I am from Poland. But it applies to both English and my native language, I don't think reading Polish stuff in Polish helps with this.
>>25183218>incapable of scrutinizing what makes the language different and considered "beautiful" Sounds like you got the encyclopedic knowledge of Sonic the Hedgehog lore autism instead of the IQ skill type.
>>25183218Interesting. Can you enjoy music or paintings? If yes, do you have any favourites? I'm also lightly on the spectrum, but unlike you I have a very strong aesthetic sense. Nothing makes me lose interest faster than a clumsy written paragraph.
>>25183523Journey to the End of the Night by Celine. Good stylist, similar to Kafka, less of an intellectual, less subtext.
>>25183218>>25183523>autistic>lyrically insensate>still wants to read good writing>liked KafkaBorges. You should read Borges. I'm surprised you haven't read him already, he's right up your alley
