The main bestseller list that I consult is the NY Times at http://www.nytimes.com/pages/books/index.html
Here is my commentary on the current Top Ten sellers in nonfiction.
1) Laura Ingraham - Power to the People
Ingraham is a right-wing hack. I do not read such garbage.
2) Bill Clinton - Giving - Not a book that I will actually read or purchase, but if the former president did a book signing anywhere close, I'd be there.
3) O. J. Simpson - If I Did It
Please, please, please, say it ain't so.
4)Tony Dungy - Quiet Strength
Probably a good book, but one I will never get to.
5) Mother Teresa - Come be My Light
Maybe, maybe, maybe.
6) Marcus Luttrell - Lone Survivor
I'll pass.
7)Geoffrey C. Ward - The War
I've never been a big fan of WW II.
8) Alan Alda - Things I Overheard While Talking to Myself
Probably a delightful book, but one I'll never get to.
9) Rita Cosby - Blonde Ambition
I couldn't care less about Anna Nicole Smith.
10) Robert Draper - Dead Certain
A good one. I just finished it. Concerning the nefarious presidency of George W. Bush.
Friday, September 28, 2007
Richard Wright - Native Son (Book I)
When I first began the book, it struck me as an allegory. I could not relate to the story in a realist fashion. At first I could not relate to Bigger Thomas. I could not connect to the characters and the plot in a visceral way. I could not get inside Bigger's head. Jan and Mary were funny more than anything, spouting their communist slogans. I saw them as two naive, silly young people who thought there was about to be a revolution in this country. I laughed when Mary called her father a "Capitalist." The 30's were the heyday of the Communist Party in this country with the great depression planting the seeds of an "uprising' if ever there was going to be one in this country. I wonder if the author took Jan and Mary seriously. Maybe he did, but they are comic characters to me.
We all know now in retrospect that the center held and once WW II began and the depression ended that was the end of any prospective revolution from below. But we know that Richard Wright was writing this novel around 1940 and he became a communist and his perspective must have been different.
When Bigger kills Mary everything changes for me. The realism kicks in. I find myself pulling for Bigger as Book II commences. All of a sudden the characters and the plot become very real. I am fully connected and involved in the story now. Let's see where it leads next in Book II.
We all know now in retrospect that the center held and once WW II began and the depression ended that was the end of any prospective revolution from below. But we know that Richard Wright was writing this novel around 1940 and he became a communist and his perspective must have been different.
When Bigger kills Mary everything changes for me. The realism kicks in. I find myself pulling for Bigger as Book II commences. All of a sudden the characters and the plot become very real. I am fully connected and involved in the story now. Let's see where it leads next in Book II.
Wednesday, September 26, 2007
Richard
RICHARD – 2078 A GHOST STORY ?
I was working at my desk last Monday around 3 p.m. when I heard what I assumed was the UPS truck stop in front of the house. The UPS truck stops at our house so many times I know the sound of the truck as it comes down the road. Since it’s usually a QVC package my wife ordered or a Thomson book, I seldom jump up and run to the front porch to see what he’s left. The driver, depending on which one it is, and we’ve gone through many drivers since we’ve lived on Wilderness Road, usually places the parcel on the porch and rings the doorbell before he departs. Sure enough, I hear the door bell ring.
I think nothing of it. Around 6 Moyna comes in from her afternoon bridge club and I think to check the porch. At first I don’t see anything. No packages. That’s strange, I think. I heard the truck and the doorbell. Then I happen to look down and see an 8 x 11 manila envelope. On the front it says FRED HUDSON. No address. No return address. No evidence that it was delivered by UPS. Very strange.
I open the envelope. Inside is a single sheet of paper. On the sheet of paper typed in a strange typeface I’ve never seen before are the words
THANKS, FRED!
Richard 2078
Now this is certainly odd. What is this?
I show it to Moyna. What is this?
I don’t know, she says. You say you heard the UPS truck earlier? You didn’t hear anybody else come up the steps?
Yes, I heard the truck and I heard the doorbell ring. I know of no one else coming on to the porch. That’s all I know. But SOMEBODY left this on our front porch. But who?
And what on earth does this mean: THANKS, FRED. Richard 2078.
Who knows.
Maybe it’s a joke. But what kind of joke? It makes no sense. I don’t know what it means.
Neither do I, Moyna says.
The next day I call UPS and speak to a dispatcher. She informs me that there was no delivery to Hudson at 716 Wilderness Road in Pelham yesterday.
Are you sure?
Yes, I’m sure.
OK, What now?
The next day I happen to be scheduled to have lunch with an old professor of mine, Dr. Charles Rose at Auburn. Dr. Rose is a retired professor of English. We try and have lunch about once a month. He tried to get me to go to grad school in English back in 1973. We talk literature and all kinds of stuff because he’s an avid reader like me.
I tell him the story.
Does “Richard 2078” mean anything to you, he asks me.
No, I reply.
So it’s not some kind of joke?
If it is, I don’t get it, I say.
Hummm. . . he muses. What about “Richard?” That name mean anything?
Well, I say, Richard is a common given name in the Hudson and Hankins (mother’s maiden name) families. Actually, now that I think about it, I’d say it is the MOST common given name in the history of both families.
Well, Dr. Rose continues, it seems to me that there are 3 possibilities.
1) Fred, you’re going crazy to put it crudely. You put the note outside your door and you don’t realize it. I know that’s scary sounding, but at this point, we have to say it’s a possibility.
Why would I do that? I say.
I don’t know. Crazy people do crazy things, Dr. Rose says, as he laughs to lighten the mood since I’m sitting there wondering if I’m going crazy.
2) Someone else put it there. A joke? But you say your wife convinces you she didn’t do it. Who else?
No one else. That doesn’t make sense. The note makes no sense as a joke from anybody.
3) Then here is the third possibility. It’s a message from one of your future descendents---Richard in the year 2078. He’s thanking you for something. By 2078 each individual will be able to chart his or her own genetic history, and maybe he’s thanking you for part of his genetic inheritance.
You are kidding, aren’t you, Dr. Rose? I can’t believe something crazy like that.
No, I’m not kidding. You and I have read some of the same popular physics books. Time travel is theoretically possible. All I’m saying is that under the circumstances, given what we’ve established, it’s POSSBILE.
I feel a cold chill entering my body. Oh, boy. Either I’m going crazy or this is a message from the future. Oh, boy. People are going to think I’m crazy either way! Oh, boy.
We conclude our lunch and Dr. Rose says, Let me know if there are any further developments. Maybe you should see a doctor just in case.
So---this is where it stands at the moment. I am really freaked out.
Who knows.
I was working at my desk last Monday around 3 p.m. when I heard what I assumed was the UPS truck stop in front of the house. The UPS truck stops at our house so many times I know the sound of the truck as it comes down the road. Since it’s usually a QVC package my wife ordered or a Thomson book, I seldom jump up and run to the front porch to see what he’s left. The driver, depending on which one it is, and we’ve gone through many drivers since we’ve lived on Wilderness Road, usually places the parcel on the porch and rings the doorbell before he departs. Sure enough, I hear the door bell ring.
I think nothing of it. Around 6 Moyna comes in from her afternoon bridge club and I think to check the porch. At first I don’t see anything. No packages. That’s strange, I think. I heard the truck and the doorbell. Then I happen to look down and see an 8 x 11 manila envelope. On the front it says FRED HUDSON. No address. No return address. No evidence that it was delivered by UPS. Very strange.
I open the envelope. Inside is a single sheet of paper. On the sheet of paper typed in a strange typeface I’ve never seen before are the words
THANKS, FRED!
Richard 2078
Now this is certainly odd. What is this?
I show it to Moyna. What is this?
I don’t know, she says. You say you heard the UPS truck earlier? You didn’t hear anybody else come up the steps?
Yes, I heard the truck and I heard the doorbell ring. I know of no one else coming on to the porch. That’s all I know. But SOMEBODY left this on our front porch. But who?
And what on earth does this mean: THANKS, FRED. Richard 2078.
Who knows.
Maybe it’s a joke. But what kind of joke? It makes no sense. I don’t know what it means.
Neither do I, Moyna says.
The next day I call UPS and speak to a dispatcher. She informs me that there was no delivery to Hudson at 716 Wilderness Road in Pelham yesterday.
Are you sure?
Yes, I’m sure.
OK, What now?
The next day I happen to be scheduled to have lunch with an old professor of mine, Dr. Charles Rose at Auburn. Dr. Rose is a retired professor of English. We try and have lunch about once a month. He tried to get me to go to grad school in English back in 1973. We talk literature and all kinds of stuff because he’s an avid reader like me.
I tell him the story.
Does “Richard 2078” mean anything to you, he asks me.
No, I reply.
So it’s not some kind of joke?
If it is, I don’t get it, I say.
Hummm. . . he muses. What about “Richard?” That name mean anything?
Well, I say, Richard is a common given name in the Hudson and Hankins (mother’s maiden name) families. Actually, now that I think about it, I’d say it is the MOST common given name in the history of both families.
Well, Dr. Rose continues, it seems to me that there are 3 possibilities.
1) Fred, you’re going crazy to put it crudely. You put the note outside your door and you don’t realize it. I know that’s scary sounding, but at this point, we have to say it’s a possibility.
Why would I do that? I say.
I don’t know. Crazy people do crazy things, Dr. Rose says, as he laughs to lighten the mood since I’m sitting there wondering if I’m going crazy.
2) Someone else put it there. A joke? But you say your wife convinces you she didn’t do it. Who else?
No one else. That doesn’t make sense. The note makes no sense as a joke from anybody.
3) Then here is the third possibility. It’s a message from one of your future descendents---Richard in the year 2078. He’s thanking you for something. By 2078 each individual will be able to chart his or her own genetic history, and maybe he’s thanking you for part of his genetic inheritance.
You are kidding, aren’t you, Dr. Rose? I can’t believe something crazy like that.
No, I’m not kidding. You and I have read some of the same popular physics books. Time travel is theoretically possible. All I’m saying is that under the circumstances, given what we’ve established, it’s POSSBILE.
I feel a cold chill entering my body. Oh, boy. Either I’m going crazy or this is a message from the future. Oh, boy. People are going to think I’m crazy either way! Oh, boy.
We conclude our lunch and Dr. Rose says, Let me know if there are any further developments. Maybe you should see a doctor just in case.
So---this is where it stands at the moment. I am really freaked out.
Who knows.
Tuesday, September 25, 2007
Shelfari
I found this website called Shelfari and it is something you definitely need to check out. I don't even want to try and explain it. Just check it out. Seriously. Now.
www.shelfari.com
My screen name is Iansfan. Look me up. Be my friend. I promise you will not be able to stop.
www.shelfari.com
My screen name is Iansfan. Look me up. Be my friend. I promise you will not be able to stop.
Native Son by Richard Wright (A comedic/Saturday Night Live Approach)
After reading the first 40 pages or so-----
Imagine if you will that we had TV and Fox News in the 1930's. Bigger Thomas is being interviewed by Bill O'Reilly.
Bill O'Reilly: We are pleased to have tonight as our guest a poor Negro man---
Bigger Thomas: You are SO perceptive, Mr. O'Reilly. You figured me out immediately!
Bill O'Reilly: (a bit perturbed) As I was saying, we are pleased to have tonight as our guest a poor Negro man who lives in Chicago's famed Southside. What do you have to say for yourself, sir?
Bigger Thomas: Look, man. First thing this morning I had to kill a foot-long rat to protect my family. The only pleasure I got out of it was dangling it in front of my sister to scare her. My Mother is on my back to get a job. I hang out with my buddies at the pool hall, a couple of us have fun in the movie house, we think about robbing a white man's store but chicken out. I have to rough up one of my own buddies. What am I supposed to say?
Bill O'Reilly: (musing to himself) Dangling a rat in front of your sister. Boy, that sounds like fun! (composing himself). Look, Mr. Thomas. Do you think this country owes you anything. Get a job! Make something of yourself! You're in the No Spin Zone here! No excuses! You can be anything you want in this country. This is America!
Bigger Thomas: You don't say! YESSIR, boss. Whatever you say. You duh man, Mr. O'Reilly. Why didn't I think of these things before?
Bill O'Reilly: So there you go. Go forth, Mr. Thomas. Glad to be of help.
As the Fox camera cuts away from the set, there is a quick glimpse of Bigger Thomas in his chair, slapping his knee, his face contorted beyond recognition, laughing hysterically to himself, pointing at Bill O'Reilly.
(Fox News now switches to Colmes & Hannity. They are debating President Roosevelt's proposal for Social Security. Colmes is for it; Hannity is vehemently against it).
Imagine if you will that we had TV and Fox News in the 1930's. Bigger Thomas is being interviewed by Bill O'Reilly.
Bill O'Reilly: We are pleased to have tonight as our guest a poor Negro man---
Bigger Thomas: You are SO perceptive, Mr. O'Reilly. You figured me out immediately!
Bill O'Reilly: (a bit perturbed) As I was saying, we are pleased to have tonight as our guest a poor Negro man who lives in Chicago's famed Southside. What do you have to say for yourself, sir?
Bigger Thomas: Look, man. First thing this morning I had to kill a foot-long rat to protect my family. The only pleasure I got out of it was dangling it in front of my sister to scare her. My Mother is on my back to get a job. I hang out with my buddies at the pool hall, a couple of us have fun in the movie house, we think about robbing a white man's store but chicken out. I have to rough up one of my own buddies. What am I supposed to say?
Bill O'Reilly: (musing to himself) Dangling a rat in front of your sister. Boy, that sounds like fun! (composing himself). Look, Mr. Thomas. Do you think this country owes you anything. Get a job! Make something of yourself! You're in the No Spin Zone here! No excuses! You can be anything you want in this country. This is America!
Bigger Thomas: You don't say! YESSIR, boss. Whatever you say. You duh man, Mr. O'Reilly. Why didn't I think of these things before?
Bill O'Reilly: So there you go. Go forth, Mr. Thomas. Glad to be of help.
As the Fox camera cuts away from the set, there is a quick glimpse of Bigger Thomas in his chair, slapping his knee, his face contorted beyond recognition, laughing hysterically to himself, pointing at Bill O'Reilly.
(Fox News now switches to Colmes & Hannity. They are debating President Roosevelt's proposal for Social Security. Colmes is for it; Hannity is vehemently against it).
Saturday, September 22, 2007
A New Species of Reader
In my book meanderings over the years I have discovered a new species of reader: what I call the Young Science Fiction & Fantasy Reader. Note the word "young." That's because this is strictly a youth phenomenon. I have never known a science fiction/fantasy reader over the age of 30. Reading science fiction and fantasy is something that a normal person should outgrow, like bed-wetting and calling old girl friends at 2 a.m.
But alas, they are out there---those young science fiction & fantasy readers. I was once one myself back in high school. I caught the disease from a then brother-in-law (there is a lesson here: don't let -brothers-in-law influence you) but I out-grew it by the time I started college.
I need to talk to my anthropology professors again. No longer will I ask them about the latest theories on cannabalism. I can ask if they are familiar with this new species of homo sapiens, the Young Science Fiction & Fantasy Reader.
Young Science Fiction Readers are the type who will keep mice in their basement for pets. They have a pronounced inability to carry on normal small talk. Ask them what they've been up to lately and they'll look at you like you're speaking Swahili. They stare into space a lot but can never tell you what they are thinking about when they do so. Acne is a major health problem well into their late 20's. Young Science Fiction & Fantasy Readers work in and patronize health food stores. If you see a young person in a health food store holding a book, I'll bet my mortgage that it's a science fiction/fantasy book.
Recently I saw a couple in the science fiction/fantasy section of a local bookstore. The guy looked like a black-haired Drew Carey with a U of Alabama shirt and black shorts. The girl had shoulder length blond hair and tilted her head 45 degrees each time she turned to her friend to say something.
They were having this SERIOUS conversation about the books, picking up this book and that book, reading the backs of them to each, talking about authors. I was stunned. I did not know that anybody COULD have a serious conversation about sci-fi/fantasy. But they were going at it.
I felt like grabbing a notebook and asking them if I could follow them around the science fiction section taking notes as if I were an anthropologist observing some so far undiscovered tribe on some newly discovered island.
And let me say this. Young Science Fiction & Fantasy readers read ONLY science fiction and fantasy. If you ask them if they've read Faulkner or Proust, you'll get that Swahili look.
And the science fiction/fantasy section of the bookstore. Have you ever looked at that stuff? You don't have to see the people. Just look at those weird books and you'll stay away from the people who read this stuff.
Manga? Quest? Poltergiests? Tolkien? Well, okay, maybe Tolkien. We were reading Tolkien when I was in college in the late 60's and early 70's. Then Tolkien made a comeback with the movies. I'll give you Tolkien, and Jasper Fforde, but NOTHING ELSE.
When I am in a bookstore with a science fiction/fantasy section, I always take a look at the people in those aisles. I feel like I'm in a sci-fic/fantasy alternative universe being around these people.
But alas, they are out there---those young science fiction & fantasy readers. I was once one myself back in high school. I caught the disease from a then brother-in-law (there is a lesson here: don't let -brothers-in-law influence you) but I out-grew it by the time I started college.
I need to talk to my anthropology professors again. No longer will I ask them about the latest theories on cannabalism. I can ask if they are familiar with this new species of homo sapiens, the Young Science Fiction & Fantasy Reader.
Young Science Fiction Readers are the type who will keep mice in their basement for pets. They have a pronounced inability to carry on normal small talk. Ask them what they've been up to lately and they'll look at you like you're speaking Swahili. They stare into space a lot but can never tell you what they are thinking about when they do so. Acne is a major health problem well into their late 20's. Young Science Fiction & Fantasy Readers work in and patronize health food stores. If you see a young person in a health food store holding a book, I'll bet my mortgage that it's a science fiction/fantasy book.
Recently I saw a couple in the science fiction/fantasy section of a local bookstore. The guy looked like a black-haired Drew Carey with a U of Alabama shirt and black shorts. The girl had shoulder length blond hair and tilted her head 45 degrees each time she turned to her friend to say something.
They were having this SERIOUS conversation about the books, picking up this book and that book, reading the backs of them to each, talking about authors. I was stunned. I did not know that anybody COULD have a serious conversation about sci-fi/fantasy. But they were going at it.
I felt like grabbing a notebook and asking them if I could follow them around the science fiction section taking notes as if I were an anthropologist observing some so far undiscovered tribe on some newly discovered island.
And let me say this. Young Science Fiction & Fantasy readers read ONLY science fiction and fantasy. If you ask them if they've read Faulkner or Proust, you'll get that Swahili look.
And the science fiction/fantasy section of the bookstore. Have you ever looked at that stuff? You don't have to see the people. Just look at those weird books and you'll stay away from the people who read this stuff.
Manga? Quest? Poltergiests? Tolkien? Well, okay, maybe Tolkien. We were reading Tolkien when I was in college in the late 60's and early 70's. Then Tolkien made a comeback with the movies. I'll give you Tolkien, and Jasper Fforde, but NOTHING ELSE.
When I am in a bookstore with a science fiction/fantasy section, I always take a look at the people in those aisles. I feel like I'm in a sci-fic/fantasy alternative universe being around these people.
Friday, September 21, 2007
Native Son by Richard Wright
This novel has more insight and understanding about being black and poor in America, especially during segregation, than anything I've read.
Set in 1930's Chicago, it centers on the black Bigger Thomas, who kills a young white woman, Mary, and a young black woman, Bessie. With the aid of Mr. Max, his lawyer, a sympathizer who recognizes the social conditions that led Bigger to murder, and who dedicates himself towards fighting for equality, Bigger comes to realize the truth about himself and his relation to the world, and so too the emotional and psychological climate of race and poverty becomes evident to us.
In killing Mary, there was no motive; it wasn't even planned. She, like Mr. Max, treats Bigger kindly and as a human, not a black. They met only hours earlier, when Bigger took a job with her father as a chauffeur, to help provide for his mother, brother, and sister. But that night, when Mary's blind mother came into her bedroom, Bigger felt only fear: fear that his presence would be betrayed by Mary's drunken mumbling, leading him to smother her with a pillow. He knew, being black, he'd be in trouble if caught with a white woman in her bedroom. Indeed, all his life, white people told him how to act, where to live, how much education he could get; they told him what he can and can't do, how to speak, what jobs he's allowed to work. Basically, he always felt a white oppressive force upon his life, keeping him from fulfilling his dreams and from seeing himself as part of, not separate from, the world. All he knows is fear, hate towards whites, guilt and shame for being black, because everything has told him he's nothing, and Bigger believes it. This is what it means to be black, and that is what thrusts him to kill Mary. As Bigger puts it, it means he "'was guilty before he killed!'"
Wright doesn't justify Bigger's actions. But what this novel does is deftly depict race and poverty and the social conditions therein. I can see why this novel is considered one of the important books in twentieth century American fiction.
Monday, September 17, 2007
What I've Been Reading
I know I haven't posted anything original in a while and I apologize. Here are some thoughts on what I have been reading recently.
The History of Love by Nicole Krauss - Great story of the powers of imagination, creating your own reality in order to survive, and the amazing power of literature to change lives. I thought it an excellent novel.
Madame Bovary by Gustave Flaubert - I originally tried to read this book several years ago and had trouble with it but read it last month for book club and sped right through it. I think I understand Emma's conflicts and did not really hate her as perhaps I should have.
Year of Wonders by Geraldine Brooks - Brooks, who won the Pulitzer in 2005 for March, writes with a journalist's eye. This historical novel covers a year during the plague and the story of one remarkable woman who survives.
The Painted Veil by Somerset Maugham - His wit and amazing power to describe human relationships makes this book amazingly current. It was written in 1925 but if you didn't know better you would swear it was just published.
Blink by Malcolm Gladwell - I don't read much in popular psychology but I found the case studies in this book to be very fascinating. I have completed Harvard's IAT tests several times. You should give them a try.
Also read/reading: Coraline by Neil Gaiman, The End of the Alphabet by CS Richardson, Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen, Five Quarters of the Orange by Joanne Harris.
I have been reading a lot of current fiction, don't really know why, just in that mood I guess. I know this is a lot to say without much detail on any one book but if anyone has anything to comment on any of these titles, I would love to chat!
The History of Love by Nicole Krauss - Great story of the powers of imagination, creating your own reality in order to survive, and the amazing power of literature to change lives. I thought it an excellent novel.
Madame Bovary by Gustave Flaubert - I originally tried to read this book several years ago and had trouble with it but read it last month for book club and sped right through it. I think I understand Emma's conflicts and did not really hate her as perhaps I should have.
Year of Wonders by Geraldine Brooks - Brooks, who won the Pulitzer in 2005 for March, writes with a journalist's eye. This historical novel covers a year during the plague and the story of one remarkable woman who survives.
The Painted Veil by Somerset Maugham - His wit and amazing power to describe human relationships makes this book amazingly current. It was written in 1925 but if you didn't know better you would swear it was just published.
Blink by Malcolm Gladwell - I don't read much in popular psychology but I found the case studies in this book to be very fascinating. I have completed Harvard's IAT tests several times. You should give them a try.
Also read/reading: Coraline by Neil Gaiman, The End of the Alphabet by CS Richardson, Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen, Five Quarters of the Orange by Joanne Harris.
I have been reading a lot of current fiction, don't really know why, just in that mood I guess. I know this is a lot to say without much detail on any one book but if anyone has anything to comment on any of these titles, I would love to chat!
Friday, September 14, 2007
Patricia O'Toole - When Trumpets Call
This is a splendid biography of Theodore Roosevelt in his post-presidential years. TR was quite busy after leaving office in March of 1909, but he had a rough time of it without political power. He ran as a Progressive in 1912 and lost and probably never recovered from the loss. TR was probably the most amazing and interesting person to ever occupy the office of President.
Sunday, September 9, 2007
Bookstore Weakness
"Alas," wrote Henry Ward Beecher, "Where is human nature so weak as in the bookstore!" Mine is relatively strong at Barnes & Noble, because I know that if I resist a volume on one visit, and someone else buys it, an identical volume will pop up in its place like a plastic duck in a shooting gallery. And if I resist THAT one, there will be another day, another duck. In a secondhand bookstore, each volume is one-of-a-kind, neither replaceable from a publisher's warehouse nor visually identical to its original siblings, which have accreted individuality with every change of ownership. If I don't buy the book now, I may never have another chance. And therefore, like Beecher, who believed the temptations of drink were paltry compared with the temptations of books, I am weak.
-Anne Fadiman, EX LIBRIS
-Anne Fadiman, EX LIBRIS
Saturday, September 8, 2007
The Common Reader
I believe in the power of serendipity in the reading life. While browsing in a Barnes & Noble in Montgomery this week, I came across a marvelous book called EX LIBRIS by Anne Fadiman. This is a neat little book of personal essays by the author on reading.
In the book the author makes reference to an essay by Virginia Woolf called "The Common Reader." The bookstore had this Virginia Woolf volume. Wolfe describes what she calls the common reader. I quote from Woolf's essay because this describes me. I am a common reader in the Virginia Woolf sense.
"The common reader, as Dr. Johnson implies, differs from the scholar and the critic. He is worse educated, and nature has not gifted him so generously. He reads for his own pleasure rather than to impart knowledge or to correct the opinions of others. Above all, he is guided by an instinct to create for himself, out of whatever odds and ends he can come by, some kind of whole---a portrait of a man, a sketch of an age, a theory of the art of writing. . . Hasty, inaccurate, and superficial, snatching now this poem, now that scrap of old furniture, without caring where he finds it or what nature it may be so long as it serves his purpose and rounds his structure, his deficiencies as a critic are to obvious to be pointed out; but if he has, as Dr. Johnson maintained, some say in the final distribution of poetical honors, then, perhaps, it may be worthwhile to write down a few of the ideas and opinions which, insignificant in themselves, yet contribute to so might a result."
So now I see my place. I am a common reader.
In the book the author makes reference to an essay by Virginia Woolf called "The Common Reader." The bookstore had this Virginia Woolf volume. Wolfe describes what she calls the common reader. I quote from Woolf's essay because this describes me. I am a common reader in the Virginia Woolf sense.
"The common reader, as Dr. Johnson implies, differs from the scholar and the critic. He is worse educated, and nature has not gifted him so generously. He reads for his own pleasure rather than to impart knowledge or to correct the opinions of others. Above all, he is guided by an instinct to create for himself, out of whatever odds and ends he can come by, some kind of whole---a portrait of a man, a sketch of an age, a theory of the art of writing. . . Hasty, inaccurate, and superficial, snatching now this poem, now that scrap of old furniture, without caring where he finds it or what nature it may be so long as it serves his purpose and rounds his structure, his deficiencies as a critic are to obvious to be pointed out; but if he has, as Dr. Johnson maintained, some say in the final distribution of poetical honors, then, perhaps, it may be worthwhile to write down a few of the ideas and opinions which, insignificant in themselves, yet contribute to so might a result."
So now I see my place. I am a common reader.
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