Active Users:842 Time:24/11/2024 11:26:01 AM
Back to Messageboard Post New Thread Search Help Stats Rules
So...Bill O'Reilly's out but Aleister Crowley is in, right? Tom Send a noteboard - 14/09/2009 06:34:38 PM
7. Do you consider books about the occult to be non-fiction or fiction? Why?

Interesting question. I'm gonna have to go with non-fiction. Because fiction generally sets out to tell a story, and books about the occult don't do that. Besides, if The Secret gets to be non-fiction, then so does Tarot Cards for Dummies.

I found myself wondering about this when I read the Carlos Castaneda books. While I think that he did document some valid conversations with practitioners of shamanism and ideas regarding shamanism, there are serious reservations that many people have regarding the authenticity of his experiences even when the drug-induced states and "visions" are removed. At the same time, his books say "Non-Fiction" in the classification at the front.
Political correctness is the pettiest form of casuistry.

ἡ δὲ κἀκ τριῶν τρυπημάτων ἐργαζομένη ἐνεκάλει τῇ φύσει, δυσφορουμένη, ὅτι δὴ μὴ καὶ τοὺς τιτθοὺς αὐτῇ εὐρύτερον ἢ νῦν εἰσι τρυπώη, ὅπως καὶ ἄλλην ἐνταῦθα μίξιν ἐπιτεχνᾶσθαι δυνατὴ εἴη. – Procopius

Ummaka qinnassa nīk!

*MySmiley*
Reply to message
Non-Fiction survey Tom - 14/09/2009 05:38:04 PM 1153 Views
Heh. jh - 14/09/2009 05:58:59 PM 839 Views
You associate non-fiction with work? Are you a non-fiction book reviewer by day? Tom - 14/09/2009 06:35:59 PM 660 Views
Nah... jh - 14/09/2009 06:56:41 PM 689 Views
I like non-fiction as long as it's not preachy. Darth_Katie - 14/09/2009 06:25:42 PM 849 Views
So...Bill O'Reilly's out but Aleister Crowley is in, right? Tom - 14/09/2009 06:34:38 PM 745 Views
I didn't say I wanted to read occult books. Darth_Katie - 14/09/2009 09:40:40 PM 1292 Views
Fun. Legolas - 14/09/2009 06:31:28 PM 934 Views
Machiavelli is a good case study for translation vs. original language Tom - 14/09/2009 06:48:46 PM 691 Views
Fact not fiction. Rebekah - 14/09/2009 06:43:32 PM 876 Views
I loved Radzinsky's Rasputin bio Tom - 14/09/2009 06:58:46 PM 755 Views
Re: I loved Radzinsky's Rasputin bio Rebekah - 14/09/2009 07:10:01 PM 778 Views
You're going to force me to start a Dan Brown discussion in a different thread. Tom - 14/09/2009 09:00:32 PM 692 Views
Well, I can do it here, no worries, just think of it as non-non-fiction. jh - 14/09/2009 09:06:34 PM 750 Views
This is pretty much it. Rebekah - 14/09/2009 09:09:18 PM 752 Views
Re: Fact not fiction. Cockatiel of Doom - 17/09/2009 12:40:31 AM 795 Views
Re: Fact not fiction. Rebekah - 17/09/2009 03:08:34 PM 687 Views
Re: Fact not fiction. Cockatiel of Doom - 17/09/2009 11:57:22 PM 646 Views
Re: Non-Fiction survey mapthis - 14/09/2009 07:25:20 PM 682 Views
Legacy of Ashes sounds interesting Tom - 14/09/2009 08:59:38 PM 705 Views
Re: Legacy of Ashes sounds interesting mapthis - 14/09/2009 09:09:30 PM 701 Views
So nossy - 14/09/2009 10:14:47 PM 669 Views
Re: So mapthis - 14/09/2009 10:35:40 PM 654 Views
I do read sometimes. Craig - 14/09/2009 08:01:03 PM 884 Views
If you liked Jesus, Interrupted... Tom - 14/09/2009 08:58:26 PM 742 Views
Added to The List. *NM* Craig - 14/09/2009 10:28:14 PM 309 Views
I read it quite a lot, obviously. Camilla - 14/09/2009 09:20:40 PM 773 Views
I have Antonia Fraser's bio of Oliver Cromwell. Tom - 15/09/2009 05:14:06 AM 720 Views
Re: I have Antonia Fraser's bio of Oliver Cromwell. Camilla - 15/09/2009 08:07:28 AM 776 Views
Re: Non-Fiction survey random thoughts - 14/09/2009 09:24:35 PM 889 Views
I'd be interested to know the title of that Lincoln book. *NM* Tom - 15/09/2009 05:11:14 AM 338 Views
Tried by War by James M. McPherson random thoughts - 15/09/2009 07:01:30 PM 755 Views
Thanks! *NM* Tom - 17/09/2009 03:07:50 PM 348 Views
Re: Non-Fiction survey ranagrande - 14/09/2009 10:05:56 PM 683 Views
I'm sorry. I just can't take "pro wrestling" seriously enough to comment on it beyond this. *NM* Tom - 15/09/2009 05:15:13 AM 328 Views
What, pro wrestling is awesome! ranagrande - 16/09/2009 05:59:44 PM 910 Views
Sweet nossy - 14/09/2009 10:09:21 PM 845 Views
My problem with Fisk is his naivete Tom - 15/09/2009 05:10:00 AM 733 Views
If you're referring to the passages I think you're referring to... Legolas - 15/09/2009 11:06:04 AM 836 Views
I need to read more American Indian books random thoughts - 16/09/2009 07:01:21 PM 690 Views
Good survey! smaug - 14/09/2009 11:40:58 PM 828 Views
Ah...but where do you draw the line on the occult? Tom - 15/09/2009 05:07:14 AM 673 Views
Intent. Craig - 15/09/2009 06:02:39 AM 706 Views
Yea, I would tend to agree. smaug - 15/09/2009 11:10:03 AM 733 Views
Re: Non-Fiction survey Chas - 15/09/2009 12:25:57 AM 724 Views
You should consider reading more non-fiction. *NM* Tom - 15/09/2009 05:04:55 AM 359 Views
It's under consideration. Chas - 15/09/2009 11:50:47 PM 595 Views
I read a lot of it for my classes, so I read very little of it for leisure. Ghavrel - 15/09/2009 12:46:23 AM 771 Views
As someone who read Ab Urbe Condita in Latin...the book you reference "delenda est". Tom - 15/09/2009 05:04:05 AM 702 Views
It's infuriating, yes. *NM* Ghavrel - 15/09/2009 06:22:36 PM 334 Views
Mea culpa; the book in question is Zoch's Ancient Rome. Ghavrel - 15/09/2009 06:45:22 PM 633 Views
Re: Non-Fiction survey Vodalus - 15/09/2009 01:07:13 AM 752 Views
I did a survey about personal libraries, too... Tom - 15/09/2009 05:01:12 AM 715 Views
great survey. Avendesora - 15/09/2009 02:17:26 AM 900 Views
Re: great survey. Tom - 15/09/2009 04:56:50 AM 746 Views
Interesting questions! Sophy - 15/09/2009 07:20:05 AM 843 Views
I'm not sure if it's a translation issue, but Tom - 17/09/2009 03:10:49 PM 790 Views
That's the English titel yes! Sophy - 18/09/2009 07:03:45 AM 974 Views
Re: Non-Fiction survey Jonielle - 15/09/2009 11:35:48 AM 936 Views
Try reading something new you think you'd like and post a review! *NM* Tom - 17/09/2009 03:11:47 PM 294 Views
Books on Napoleon.... Napoleon62 - 15/09/2009 08:03:55 PM 725 Views
Narcissist. *NM* Craig - 15/09/2009 08:21:44 PM 300 Views
David Chandler's The Campaigns of Napoleon is wonderful. *NM* Tom - 17/09/2009 03:13:03 PM 294 Views
i like non-fiction! temeraire - 15/09/2009 09:40:40 PM 772 Views
Lots of people have recommended The Omnivore's Dilemma to me *NM* Tom - 17/09/2009 03:14:09 PM 343 Views
Re: Non-Fiction survey Cockatiel of Doom - 17/09/2009 12:49:35 AM 974 Views
Re: Non-Fiction survey ajah - 26/09/2009 01:49:16 AM 757 Views
Back to Messageboard Post New Thread Search Help Stats Rules

Reply to Message

Block Quote Paragraph Quote
Formatting
Smiley Codes