Lost in the funhouse
fiction for print, tape, live voice.
by John Barth · first published 1968
7mentions
5recommended by
6HN commenters
2019–2024first – last mentioned
83% recommend17% neutral
Why HN recommends it
Experimental short-story collection whose title piece offers an inventive, mind-jarring style. Its approach reshapes how readers approach fiction, and it rewards repeat reading with a fresh shift in perspective.
Summarised by Claude from recommending comments
A collection of 14 short stories.
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…exciting; middles are gratifying; but endings, boyoboy.” — John Barth, On With The Story Boyoboy, indeed! What a way to end to a dismal day! Many years ago (feels like ancient Sumer now) I came across his "Lost in the Funhouse" and was thunderstruck, and not only by the vagaries of his style: I felt a deep kinship to the proton its. It's still my favorite short story. (It was good luck, too, that I read it on its own, the other…
on “John Barth has died” ↗I read "Lost in the Funhouse" some 20 years ago and it has always stuck with me - https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/1967/11/lost-in...
on “John Barth has died” ↗Damn. He was my favorite living author. Got introduced to his "Lost in the Funhouse" in senior seminar in high school, was hooked immediately. His stories (and especially his writing style) changed how I approach literature and writing at large. RIP.
on “John Barth has died” ↗I'd suggest Lost in the Funhouse. It's a collection of short stories and showcases a wide range of his authorial style. I'd suggest a paper copy for reasons that will be clear by page two (maybe page one).
on “John Barth has died” ↗I’ll never forget the experience of reading Lost in the Funhouse the morning after a decent dose of LSD. Definitely something I wish I could do a second time
on “John Barth has died” ↗RIP Mr. Barth. I carried a dog eared copy of Lost in the Funhouse with me through 20 years of my life, picking it up and putting it down whenever I needed something to shift my perspective or jar me out of a rut. Psychoactive writing at its best, the titular story…
on “John Barth has died” ↗Barth asked first: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lost_in_the_Funhouse This piece title is from that opening line. The DFW connection is quite striking, as Wikipedia sums up: > The story "Lost in the Funhouse" had an overt influence on David Foster Wallace in the final…
on “For Whom Is the Water Park Fun?” ↗