Doris Lessing
As I thought about this one, I checked back to see that Ms Lessing was speaking of literature. Without that word it is simply about reading and I have to say it is possible to read a lot of rubbish and trash and conspiracy and not learn to think for yourself at all.
I guess she is also careful to refer to keeping at least a part of yourself immune to indoctrination and she doesn't say that you will, but that you can, learn to think for yourself.
So with all of that in mind, as ever, I became caught up pondering who or what defines literature. I feel at times it is a social and class divider - if you have to ask, then clearly you don't understand literature. Could just be a chip on my shoulder.
I think fiction can encourage empathy and understanding. I think non-fiction can give brilliant insights in to lived events and existences. I think literature can teach moral lessons and behaviour.
In the end it does come down to not simply that you read, but what you read, and one should try to read the best writing that one can.
Some of the worst of indoctrination - documents from Auschwitz.
during the twelve years I spent as a school librarian, I was keenly aware of the false dichotomy between fiction and non-fiction ... how there can be so much truth in fiction and so much deception in non-fiction (and here I'm thinking especially of biographies, where sins of omission can lead a reader to patently false conclusions)
ReplyDeleteone of the organizing principles for book selection was determining who chose to publish any given work ... implicit in that was the assumption that the "better" publishers would take more care with editing and fact checking ... and in these latter days, I do tend to gravitate toward certain publishing houses when adding to my personal collection (when in doubt, I try to check a book out from the library first)
either way, what ultimately captures and holds my attention is good writing, followed by appealing book design ... bad writing will cause me to abandon a book faster than anything else
and here I stop to contemplate how I would even begin to define "bad" writing ... hard to do, except to say I know it when I read it ... ha!
Oh Liz - such true words spoken about non fiction and fiction and where truth can lie... I love all the things I learn from your librarian experience - the publishers who go the extra mile etc. I agree re knowing bad writing and as I sit and ponder I think that for me it entails too many words and too many adjectives and sometimes too 'flowery' language. A good thought to ponder! Go well F
Delete