Being a Good Reader

When we set out on an adventure, it is important to take the necessary tools with us.  On this great adventure, the most important tool to have is the ability to read.  I consider us lucky to live in a place and time where literacy is so common.  Thanks in part to the public education system, and in part to charitable organizations and profit based support groups, most people in our country today are able to read.  But there is more to reading than simply understanding the symbols on the page.

I recently read a selection by Vladimir Nabokov entitled Good Readers and Good Writers. (This is available in the public domain here along with some critical reading questions, but if you would like to purchase a copy to read, it is included in this book that is full of other worthwhile literature.)  If you're not familiar with Nabokov, I suggest that you should be.  He was one of the preeminent authors of the twentieth century.

Photo from Randomhouse.com

Now that we've reviewed Nabokov's authority on this topic, let's take a look at his conclusions.  He recommends that a good reader should display four primary qualities; having imagination, having a good memory, usage of a dictionary, and a sense for the artistic.  Nabokov continues, and explains the way he would like readers to approach digesting his own work.  This insight is invaluable, as the author's intent in his work is one of the most important things for critical readers to consider.

First and foremost, reading requires imagination.  Even reading non-fiction, a reader needs to be able to conceptualize, and envision what it is that the author is trying to get across.  A reader also needs a healthy sense of skepticism.  This is key to both enjoying a mystery novel, and analyzing the information in, or credibility of a biography or scientific publication.  This blend of imagination and scientific appraisal is exactly what Nabokov recommends.  I don't completely agree with his assertion that we can not ever trust a work to teach us about a real place, time, or people however.  Though we need to be vigilant in our skepticism while reading, there is much information that a critical reader can glean from a work.  There are indeed "historical fiction" titles that are downright farcical, but there are others that are extremely well researched and provide a much greater authenticity.  It is part of the readers responsibility to determine which kind of work it is that they are reading.

One of the most difficult elements of being a good reader is the sense of reality.  We each have our own view of reality based on our cumulative knowledge and life experiences.  With every person having their own unique perspective on the world it can be difficult to have a common point of view.  Understanding the cultural and historical context both of a work itself, and of when and by whom it was created, goes a long way.  I believe this is what Nabokov was getting at when he wrote, "everything that is worthwhile is to some extent subjective."

Finally, Nabokov suggests that truly good readers should indeed be re-readers.  Reading once can be enjoyable, but it is only when we read things a second of third time, that we start to see more deeply into a work.  I certainly agree with Nabokov's assertion that re-reading material brings new things to light.  There are certain books that I have reread and continue to discuss with friends.  Years later, we are still discovering new things and having new and different discussions.  Sadly, there are so many books out there, and we have so little time, it can difficult for most of us to devote this kind of time to more than a choice few works.

When I read, I am not always what Nabokov calls a good reader.  There are occasions when I am swept away by the story, and either through identification with the character(s) or fascination with them, find myself carried along, enchanted by the authors storytelling.  In these cases I tend, as I challenge we all do, to miss some of the nuances.  This is exactly why Nabokov recommends rereading so highly.  I generally try to appreciate the underlying lessons in the works that I read.  If you watched my welcome video, you probably noticed that I said I welcome other people's comments and input.  This is one of the things that I think can help when we don't have time to reread for ourselves.  The perspective of others is invaluable.  Hopefully we can both become better readers together from reading and discussing Nabokov's perspective.