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Jul 05, 2024
acx

Your Book Review: Don Juan

27 min • 3,682 words • 98 comments • 81 likes • podcast (22 min)
A verse review of Lord Byron's 'Don Juan', analyzing its plot, style, and themes while mimicking Byron's poetic form. Longer summary
This review analyzes Lord Byron's epic poem 'Don Juan', written in ottava rima. The reviewer summarizes the plot, highlighting Byron's departures from the traditional Don Juan legend, and discusses the poem's style, themes, and historical context. The review is itself written in verse, mimicking Byron's style and incorporating numerous literary and historical references. It concludes with reflections on Byron's life and the poem's potential message about agency and adventure. Shorter summary
Aug 26, 2022
acx

Your Book Review: Kora In Hell

24 min • 3,248 words • 131 comments • 44 likes • podcast (24 min)
A detailed review of William Carlos Williams' 'Kora in Hell: Improvisations', analyzing its structure, themes, and literary context within modernist poetry. Longer summary
This review analyzes William Carlos Williams' 'Kora in Hell: Improvisations', exploring its structure, themes, and literary context. The reviewer discusses the book's title, its improvisational nature, and Williams' approach to poetry. They compare Williams' style to contemporaries like T.S. Eliot and Ezra Pound, highlighting his focus on American experiences and the present. The review also examines the book's structure, Williams' use of commentary, and his relationship to improvisation and composition in art. The reviewer concludes by discussing the various ways to approach and interpret the text. Shorter summary
May 26, 2020
ssc

“My Immortal” As Alchemical Allegory

53 min • 7,395 words • 164 comments • podcast (55 min)
Scott Alexander humorously analyzes 'My Immortal' as an alchemical allegory, combining medieval alchemy, Rosicrucian writings, and Goethe's Faust. Longer summary
Scott Alexander presents a satirical analysis of the infamous Harry Potter fanfiction 'My Immortal', arguing that it is actually a complex alchemical allegory combining medieval alchemy, Rosicrucian writings, and Goethe's Faust. He breaks down the story's structure, characters, and symbolism, drawing parallels to alchemical stages and concepts. The post is written in a tongue-in-cheek manner, mimicking academic literary analysis while applied to a notoriously bad piece of writing. Shorter summary
Mar 14, 2019
ssc

Gwern’s AI-Generated Poetry

17 min • 2,349 words • 186 comments • podcast (18 min)
Scott Alexander examines AI-generated poetry produced by Gwern's GPT-2 model trained on classical poetry, highlighting its strengths and limitations. Longer summary
Scott Alexander reviews Gwern's experiment in training GPT-2 on poetry. The AI-generated poetry shows impressive command of meter and occasionally rhyme, though it tends to degrade in quality after the first few lines. Scott provides numerous examples of the AI's output, ranging from competent imitations of classical styles to more experimental forms. He notes that while the AI sometimes produces nonsensical content, it can also generate surprisingly beautiful and coherent lines. The post concludes with a reflection on how our perceptions of poetry might be influenced by knowing whether it's human or AI-generated. Shorter summary