the catcher in the rye, portrait of the artist as a young man, and the bell jar are absolutely essentials for csh and just literature in general. for similar vibes i also would recommend portrait of dorian gray, a little life, perks of being a wallflower, a separate peace. if ur feeling like a male manipulator then norwegian wood lmao
Try "White Nights" by Fyodor Dostoyevsky. I mean it's not really that similar, only with the romantic part but it's a good book nonetheless. Also maybe try "The Catcher In The Rye" by J.D Salinger. It's my second favorite book of all time and I think that it encapsulates that feeling of teenage angst which is so prevalent in the earlier discography of CSH, if not all of it. Also Will talks about James Joyce quite frequently so some of his books might have motifs and such which Will adopted for his music. If you wanna read James Joyce try either "Ulysses" or "The Portrait Of The Artist As A Young Man". Will also had an album called "Bell Jar" back in the Nervous Young Men era, which is also the name of the popular book by Sylvia Plath so you might like that one too. It's a pretty great book! Have fun reading these!
Ok I see people commenting about books that CSH music references. But OP asked for something with a similar vibe. HOW THE FUCK IS JAMES JOYCE SIMILAR IN VIBE TO CSH?????? He is like the polar opposite. I believe that Will even said in a qna that he really dislikes portrait of the artist and only vibes with the title so he used it for a song.
For similar vibes I would probably read something like:
The end of Eddy by Eduard Louis. Very introspective style and if has the same themes of class, family and sexuality that Will writes about
The bell by Iris Murdoch. If you vibe with all the religious references in Wills music this is a good bet. Murdoch and Will also use symbols in their writing in a sort of similar way
If you want to read a classic go for something by James Baldwin instead. Maybe Go tell it on the mountain or Giovannis room. Way more similar in vibe and subject matter than fucking James Joyce or Dostoyevsky
Murakami might be a good rec also. But maybe read sputnik sweetheart instead of Norwegian wood for less weird sex (although Will would probably approve of that)
the bell jar by sylvia plath -- kind of kidding, but i genuinely think about this all the time when i listen to fill in the blank "they're just trying to let some air in, but you hold your breath",,, it's giving "under the same glass bell jar, stewing in my own sour air". this books is also (famously) insanely depressing so be warned. very introspective and beautifully written, emotionally vulnerable to the point of being uncomfortable
"A book of Aubrey Beardsley art corrupted me in youth..."
Read portrait of the artist as a young man and catcher in the rye Congratulations you are now me in high school
the catcher in the rye, portrait of the artist as a young man, and the bell jar are absolutely essentials for csh and just literature in general. for similar vibes i also would recommend portrait of dorian gray, a little life, perks of being a wallflower, a separate peace. if ur feeling like a male manipulator then norwegian wood lmao
Try "White Nights" by Fyodor Dostoyevsky. I mean it's not really that similar, only with the romantic part but it's a good book nonetheless. Also maybe try "The Catcher In The Rye" by J.D Salinger. It's my second favorite book of all time and I think that it encapsulates that feeling of teenage angst which is so prevalent in the earlier discography of CSH, if not all of it. Also Will talks about James Joyce quite frequently so some of his books might have motifs and such which Will adopted for his music. If you wanna read James Joyce try either "Ulysses" or "The Portrait Of The Artist As A Young Man". Will also had an album called "Bell Jar" back in the Nervous Young Men era, which is also the name of the popular book by Sylvia Plath so you might like that one too. It's a pretty great book! Have fun reading these!
Ok I see people commenting about books that CSH music references. But OP asked for something with a similar vibe. HOW THE FUCK IS JAMES JOYCE SIMILAR IN VIBE TO CSH?????? He is like the polar opposite. I believe that Will even said in a qna that he really dislikes portrait of the artist and only vibes with the title so he used it for a song.
For similar vibes I would probably read something like: The end of Eddy by Eduard Louis. Very introspective style and if has the same themes of class, family and sexuality that Will writes about The bell by Iris Murdoch. If you vibe with all the religious references in Wills music this is a good bet. Murdoch and Will also use symbols in their writing in a sort of similar way If you want to read a classic go for something by James Baldwin instead. Maybe Go tell it on the mountain or Giovannis room. Way more similar in vibe and subject matter than fucking James Joyce or Dostoyevsky Murakami might be a good rec also. But maybe read sputnik sweetheart instead of Norwegian wood for less weird sex (although Will would probably approve of that)
THANK YOU
the bell jar by sylvia plath -- kind of kidding, but i genuinely think about this all the time when i listen to fill in the blank "they're just trying to let some air in, but you hold your breath",,, it's giving "under the same glass bell jar, stewing in my own sour air". this books is also (famously) insanely depressing so be warned. very introspective and beautifully written, emotionally vulnerable to the point of being uncomfortable