William Lyon Phelps
I think that throughout history we have enjoyed the binary - dividing things into two, generally opposing, camps. Black/White; Man/Woman, Rightwing/Leftwing, Rich/Poor, Cultured/Uncultured, Sport/No sport and so on.
Perhaps it helps our busy brains differentiate, simplifies the many complexities of life into smaller packages and makes it easier to answer the question "which side am I on"?
Folk are often surprised to learn how much I love sport; follow sport, watch sport, read about sport, talk about sport - when what they think they know about me is that I am an artistic-reader-maker type. How could I love art and culture and sport?!?
So upfront, the notion of diving readers into two, kind of sort of nags at me a bit. Part of me bristles even at the words "I" and "divide" and "all". Seems so conquering and arrogant.
Nevertheless, I persist with the premise. I might frame it more like " at times, we read to remember; at times we read to forget".
With which I utterly concur (handy since I wrote it!). At time I read to remember - to learn, to digest, to explore and to be able to hold facts or experiences in my head and share them later. I might also read to be reminded of stuff I have known and forgotten; or heard about and been inquisitive to know more.
At times I read to forget - I want the absence from my surroundings or circumstances that reading offers me as it transports me away. It lets me leave where I am and what I am worrying about and lets me disappear down some rabbit hole that empties my mind or utterly fills it with the story, no room for worry left.
I daresay I might enjoy many other of Mr Phelps' quotes, but this one I just had to tone down a bit...
Here I am reading to remember...but had to stop because look at all the red! Amongst the green!
For those interested in language - this was the most AMAZING book. The name (Wordslut) pulled me up short at first, but the inside is fascinating. I wrote so many notes because I wanted to remember everything...
I like your take on the quote much better ... and would dare to say that "reading to remember" = nonfiction and "reading to forget" = fiction ... for me at least
ReplyDeleteto which I would add that I can get so lost in a good novel that I forget to fall asleep ... I recall one in particular that I simply could not put down until I finished it at 3 a.m. ... even though I had a job interview seven hours later (and yes, I got the job)
I recall as a child saying "just another chapter" whenever I was asked to turn out the light, and as an adult I still read way beyond a sensible time (but can't say I ever read till 3am!). You could be right with the distinction of remembering and forgetting for non-fiction and fiction...I like that ponder! Go well.
DeleteF- I also like your take on it - there has been too much binary stuff going on in the past. B
ReplyDeletehear hear!
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