R C Waldun: Has a great understanding of literature and is a reader veteran therefore has good knoledge of vocabulary Also R. C. Waldun: the thinky thinky
Funny. I had an English undergrad friend who would read books in one or two days, while it took me weeks to finish the same book. I once asked him how he did it and he replied: "Don't think too much. Just let the book take you away. If you feel like coming back to it for a deeper reading, that's when you'll read slowly and with a more analytical eye. But not every book will be worth it. And sometimes you might not be ready for a deeper run through it, so no point in forcing it." I kinda get it, because when I was learning English I would read books in English without understanding most of it. At the end of the book I understood what it was about, even though I didn't get everything. But I just have a bad habit of wanting to know everything, and get everything right the first time. (Hello perfectionism, my old friend) When I read a piece of high literature, or a history/philosophy book, I have to read and reread a paragraph until I feel like I got it. I never enjoy the ride, and that's why I've been reading less. This video is a good reminder to just turn off and let the book carry you. You always pick up something, even if you don't realize it.
Yes!! I had a similar conversation with my mom, it would take her a month to finish a book and the same book would take me about one to two days, it was interesting
Ever heard the line: "He knew everything about literature except how to enjoy it"? That kinda applies here. I never analyze a book or film on the first go. It takes away the magic.
This is interesting, because I do the exact opposite. Im over analytical, like I visit rotten tomatoes, comment sections, book reviews, comments on the book reviews. Because I am easily affected by things I read and watch. I'll definetly try this. I will either suffer or hit the jackpot.
Not only that it makes it a bore. I read of Mice and Men as a fun book and loved it then reread it for analysis which made me appreciate it more but im certain if put my thinking cap on first i would have hated that book.
How do you guys successfully read for pure enjoyment if your bones for analysis creep in while trying to comprehend a text. Oftentimes, I go over passages more than once, and I fear it is because I'm quick to pass off analysis as comprehension, not because I'm eager to look for literary devices. Tips?
@@donphonix128 for me, it’s all about intent. Why am I reading this book? Is it for a class or is it because I feel like it. Am I reading it specifically for analytical purposes, or do I want some good old fashioned literary fun? If I go into a book with analytical intentions, I start to analyze everything. If I go into a spurt of reading with the intention of pure enjoyment, that’s what I do. I recommend setting intentions for your reading time. Say to yourself in your mind “I intend to read this book for pure enjoyment.” And then start reading. It’s that simple. Happy reading!
Seneca suggested to his friends that instead of reading ever more widely, we ought to focus on the works and authors that really inspire us. Most readers don't do this so their thinking tends to be dominated by the last few things they've read and they end up struggling with all these conflicting truths living inside them. Seneca thought our time was better spent developing a deep understanding of ideas that are truly important to us rather than surveying a wide range of opinions without deep contemplation and reflection. And in addition to the chance to read a book with a different purpose, re-reading is worthwhile because while the book stays the same, if you pick it up again after a few years, you're a different person and that allows you to see it in a new way.
Also in his essay on reading, Arthur Schopenhauer recommended the same thing, saying that the second time you read, you will have a different state, and you will look at what you read from another perspective, through reflection you can assimilate the information.
You are so right! The first reading is to get the idea and enjoy the book, but if you stop there you never know what the book is really about. Not unless it's a drugstore romance, of course. I fell absolutely in love with Proust's writing. Luckily, I can read French and re-read my favorite passages in their original language. That's when all the light bulbs went on. I didn't realize it had as many plays on words in it. He has so many clues to the theme that you don't see in English. You just have to read things until you get them. And, like you, I would say that three readings is just about right. Thanks for another great video!
I agree, Anna! R. C. Waldun, whom I discovered about a week ago, has quickly established himself as my literary guide too. I love his content, his enthusiasm, passion, and his unbridled willingness to share his experiences and wisdom.
Proust is above and beyond... amazing. But it took me two readings to really get it. I recommend this review by BetterThanFood as he said: you really gotta spend time with Proust. ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-ovdZTxBxQIk.html
I really liked what you said around 3:25 about analysis being in retrospect. Recently I read The Iliad, a book that I had given up once before, and which I knew near to nothing about. I skipped the introduction, which was rich in detail that would spoil the book and started reading it. I was initially constrained by the idea that it was a "difficult book", but over time, with some paced reading, I found myself really curious about what would happen next. I knew of course that I was doing a "light reading" of an overly analyzed book and that I would miss a lot of detail. But I still enjoyed it and after finishing it I went back to read the introduction and found it _incredible_, since it made me think critically about things I had read or notice stuff I missed. As a bonus, it also gave me desire to read it again! ...you've earned a new subscriber from Portugal! Looking forward to more videos!
MissBerlinerin One of my goals is to read Proust in the original through learning French. But so far I’m really loving the translation. Camus on the other hand I find relatively easy and enjoyable. Thank you for the comment. :)
The first time I read In Search of Lost Time, I had to make a chart of all the characters. And my volumes are so marked up it's ridiculous. It became a much easier read after that. But thank goodness Proust is worth all the time and effort.
@@RCWaldun Camus is definitely much easier than Proust on a purely linguistic level. (I read La Peste at school; I doubt I would have gotten through Du côté de chez Swann at that time.) But that should not be take to imply that the ideas behind Camus' novels are simpler (let alone less important). When native speakers of French say they give up on Proust, the reason is probably twofold: (1) the many long sentences, which you sometimes need to reread (and which are sometimes syntactically incorrect), (2) the difficulty of finding out what he is getting at (e.g. with his ideas about aesthetics and how that is relevant to the rest of the novel). Based on sales figures, half of the readers of the first volume of À la recherche du temps perdu actually move on to the second volume, and only half of those also move on to the third volume. After that the curve appears to flatten more or less.
My belief is that any student of literature would benefit from reading the first section of the first volume, just until Combray appears. It's sufficient to demonstrate Proust's having captured his own peculiar sense of time, and in so doing to have expanded the novel's possibilities. It does not matter whether one then becomes a devotee of Proust, a serious reader should develop a sense of literature's possibilities by tasting as full a range as they can, in itself this increases one's ability to appreciate, criticize, and evaluate particular works.
First of all, I want to say that I am genuinely in love with your essays. Second, I want to say that everything you say resonates in me in one way that I never experimented before: maybe this channel is what I was looking for. And thirdly... thirdly I want to say that I will stop commenting right now and start to watch the video! hahah
Haha thank you. Essays I consider as more condensed and well-thought-out. But videos are more easy-going and documentation type stuff. Glad you liked my content :)
Thank you man! Trying to dive in some Dostoevsky, its hard at first and I always think that there is something deeper to understand in a simple scene, but you've convinced me to just go with it and 'enjoy' it. THEN come back to it.
These are really nice clips - even though I doubt I'm really your target demographic, having spent the last thirty years working full time in bookstores. I was particularly taken with your take (sorry) on Proust. I had a very similar experience with Thomas Mann's 'The Magic Mountain'. It took me three or four goes to get through it first time round, but every time I started from the beginning again, I was finding new stuff in it I hadn't noticed before - and in the end taught myself enough German to be able to tackle it in the original. Which was hugely worthwhile, and I still go back to it regularly. Proust is also great, but there are large chunks of it I found really, physically, stifling and claustrophobic. But if you read anything about his life story, that makes perfect sense!
Thanks teacher for your helpful advices. I recently discovered your post and I am learning and enjoy it a lot from it. It makes me improve my rusty english. By the way, I realized you like very much the word "sort" since you use it frequently. I like it 😀. Please keep giving us your thoughts, ideas whatever for the sake of literature and arts.
Having seen Proust on the cover, I am amazed. He is main reason why I am trying to learn French. Also I am glad you also think second reading would help to be more analitical because I were getting nervous about not being analitical but only reading for literary joy. Thank you a lot😊
I totally agree with you on how you should appreciate a work for what it is, for whatever it gives you at face-value, before trying to dive deeper into it. And I also agree with how utterly normal it is to not understand whatever it is you just read. That second thing is probably the most difficult fact to normalize -- especially with my students! A lot of my kids tell me all the time how much they hate reading books, but when you sit down with them to talk about why, most of the reasons why is surprisingly because they think that if they don't understand something after they've read it once, they think they're dumb or that reading isn't something for them. It's a mindset that's hard to shrug off; I once told them I have to read emails/messages from my colleagues/boss numerous times (sometimes 2-3 times) before I actually understand what it is I gotta do, and a lot of them think I'm lying to make them feel better 😭
I needed to hear this as I'm about to tackle some of Thomas Pynchon's books. Please, I'd love if you posted videos more regularly, your content is amazing. Also, could you maybe do a video talking about your experience reading in other languages? Because it can be frustrating to be facing a lot of unknown words and having to stop the rhythm of your reading, I bet you have a lot of things to say about the subject. Thanks!
Esteban Mejía I plan on tackling Pynchon’s Gravity’s Rainbow over my semester break. And I definitely would try to upload more. It is a little overwhelming balancing writing a new novel, school and the blog. :)
What a wise young chap. I recently watched a TED talk on speed reading. I question the comprehension of reading vast quantities of literature over a short period of time. How can u possibly absorb the content to gain a thorough understanding of all the ideas and themes potentially contained within? Given my initial thoughts this little presentation (IMHO) is absolutely cracking advice! Take your time & more importantly enjoy the book! Think about it and come back to it if it strikes a chord and you will invariably take more out of it on further reading it again. Great stuff RC! 👌
Bleep Bloop You May be correct on that! However my own personal thoughts are that a degree of digestion and rumination to absorb the content and examine the context which ultimately leads to other frameworks of reference tends to be a time consuming experience! Don’t get me wrong...I’d love to be like Data from Star Trek TNG but I just can’t do it 🤦♂️
When i read a book i read through it once like a reader pushing all analyzing thoughts aside. To immerse my self and enjoy the story before picking it apart by reading it a third time. This only happens when i really love the book
Great advice, I would apply this to all the arts. I just started listening to "serious" music, and the more I did, the more I figured out what my taste is. Now I know enough to analyze that.
i am the exact opposite. first, i read to pick everything apart and then i read it again for enjoyment. i've been like that since i dived into the classics, like when i was 14 or something. 🤣
The thing for me is that I want my time reading books to not be wasted. Yes, the experience of reading is all well, and some books are not meant to be understood, but I've begun to hate the feeling of forgetting a book because I wanted to experience it and move on. I would take his advice when it comes to sampling literature and getting a feel for the book's argument and worldview. Background research on the author and text facilitates this process. But I don't see how racing through books is compatible with the view that people should read and thoroughly discover only a select few books. Love the content and thought pieces btw. How do you feel about rereading earlier passages on the first go when a book relies heavily on misdirection, scattered clues, and gradual discovery?
I absolutely agree with you, but 1984 is definitely a "thinky-thinky" book. I really feel like you have to analyze the book as you read it to truly understand everything. But then again, I am someone who enjoys analyzing books and also needs to analyze to be able to understand things, so maybe that's just me! I might reread it because it has been a fairly difficult book for me so far, but I am thoroughly enjoying it.
Me, a teen, who’s cup of tea is YA and Jane Austen: *nods* ah yes, only on the second read may I analyze the deeper underbelly of the love triangle For real though, not entirely sure why I’m here but I do agree. I love to write, and I need to quiet some of that analytical/critical brain and just enjoy the popcorn stories. And even when I do dip my toes into the freezing waters of classic lit., I know that I’m not going to get anywhere near full comprehension of what’s going on, let alone the subtleties. Awesome video my guy. Sending good vibes.
How do you go with books that have a lot of unknown words on a new language ? I have a lot of trouble keeping a good reading habit, but your tip from another video of reading two books at the same time is helping A LOT! xD But as soons as I tried The Divine Comedy I discovered that my english isn't near as good for reading that type of books :( ! So my strategy was to learn the vocab of the first 5 chapters with Spaced Repetition and then try going back to it when I feel more comfortable with the vocab... If you have any especific tips for this situation, I would love to hear!! Just discovered your channel last week and I really like the content you're putting out! Cheers from Brazil!
Start from the ground up. I’m learning French and made the mistake of trying to read books that were way beyond my level. Find the sweet spot, don’t read the divine comedy yet. (Even native speakers struggle with The Comedy). Hemingway’s a really good place to start in my opinion.
You know what you save my life, especially nowadays when there are only little things to do due to pandemic. I started to read books at the beginning of this wild event, just to challenge myself, and I find it difficult for me to read stuff. Which I tend to overanalyze things at once or at first glance. I forgot to just enjoy things and its deep meaning will eventually come in my mind.
I think it's good advice for people that read. I have these conversations with people reading Toni Morrison. When Oprah asked Morrison was she supposed to read a paragraph or a page twice, Morrison said, "it's called reading." I think many people don't realize that Morrison also taught. It doesn't hurt to read widely and nonfiction. I too think it's fine not to understand upon the first reading. I read a couple of Morrison's books and find myself still thinking about them despite reading them a year ago. It's also great to discern writers who are storytellers as strange as it may sound, not all writers are great storytellers but are excellent writers to convey their ideas and thoughts.
I've just come across your channel. Fantastic to say the least but I was wondering about your thoughts on poetry. Do you read it? Hate it? Any recommendations?
I totally agree ! Allow yourself to feel the book first. If you can speak more than one language, try switching translations. They offer different experiences so you can pic your favourite.
I have been reading all my life, but even in my twenties I would tell people I've read Shakespeare, the King James Bible and Plato, so I didn't think much out there would pose a problem Wrong! I loved Visconti's movie Death in Venice and was charmed by the movie Annie Hall conversation, when Woody Allen's girlfriend said he insisted she read every book with "Death" in the title, resulting in her enjoying the novella Death in Venice. So I, Colleen, read it ( in English, translated from German, Bantam publishers.) That is the hardest book to read I ever encountered. It was brilliant, and matched Visconti's movie precisely, but SO difficult to read. The author Thomas Mann, also wrote The Magic Mountain. That book, along with Proust's Remembrance of Things Past and James Joyce's Ulysses, were/are considered the three major hitters of the Twentieth Century. So I got nuthin' to be shamed about! :)
How many individual books do you reckon you read through the entire course of a year given you re-read multiple times. Also would you recommend re-reading every book with this style of 1 faster paced then 1 slower more analytical after? Thanks!
okay i know this is random for this video, but i clicked on this and realized your voice sounded a lot like my cousin’s who passed away a couple years ago so thank you.
I think also when you return to a book years down the road, you're a different person. Not only having read more, but have gained more wisdom, can appreciate more about life and art, and thus books can unfold themselves upon a re-read. And I think even if I hated a book upon slogging my way through it, there's always a part of me that says "One day I want to try that again and see if I can get something from it this time around".
I had to read Swan's Way for college and I couldn't finish it for this very reason (faked my way through tests). That was like 8 years ago, but even now that I know all of this, I still can't pick it up... this video was great though, might give Proust another try after watching!!
I was wondering if you read using a kindle at all? Also, what your thoughts are on reading electronically (with a kindle, etc) or physical books. I love both personally and it's hard for me to definitely decide which I like best. I like both for separate reasons. I like books because I like the smell and feel, but I also like them because it is fun to see my progress as I read. However, I like kindles because I can theoretically carry over a thousand books on me, I like that I can highlight easier and also look at my highlights later; I like that I can read in the dark and have no need for a light, sometimes with reading at night with a book I never get tired because I am constantly stimulated by the light, but with a kindle, I find I eventually get tired. On the topic of reading literature, I was curious about your thoughts on this matter. I feel like physical vs electronic reading has become this sort of new-age question.
My two cents on electronic vs hard copy: I appreciate kindle when I’m reading classics from the likes of the Brontë sisters, George Eliot, William Thackeray, etc. because it’s easier to quickly look up an unfamiliar or archaic term. It’s also quite helpful when books are lengthy, like Dune, which I recently finished or when there are numerous footnotes. However, hard copies are near and dear to my heart, especially hard cover, whenever I am reading (or more likely re-reading) a very good book/series (like Harry Potter) or one that particular book I go back to for reference and to re-examine at a later stage of my life. There’s also a lot to be said for pursuing the library or a favorite bookstore for fun.
Proust's novel (all seven volumes) was the best thing I've ever read. I read it three times over twenty years, allowing about a year for each reading. Read it slowly--maybe ten pages/day--is my advice.
I'm reading Iliad and people look at me like I'm crazy. Some of my classmates have asked why the hell was I reading that, what was the interest in that big book. I just smile and say that they should read it to understand it.
I related the concept of second time reading being better because of _Catcher in the Rye_ . The first time I read it as a teen I loved it, but when I reread it, it was like reading a whole different book because I saw how messed up the main character really is. I still love the book.
The only exception to this I can currently see is Hegel's phenomenology of Spirit. Like sure, you can TRY to just read it once and see what you can derive out of it, but I personally need my notes and have to go line by line just to make sense of the basics of his sentences
As a film and literary analysis student myself, I don't really agree on a personal level with your 'method'. Although I think it works great for you and is a totally legit and hopefully helpful way to read and reread difficult books, I don't do that at all. I rarely reread books, because I prefer to read it slowly over a longer span of time (unless it was homework ofc). Even in a slow reading I of course don't get everything of it and sometimes I do reread, getting a different analysis out of it, but to me that doesn't mean I got a better understanding of the authorial intent. I support the idea that authorial intent is just one of the readings of the book and a text can lead to different interpretations, which can diverge or be contradictory, but still be equally convincing, depending on the arguments. I do totally support the idea that if someone is struggling while reading a book, a helpful solution could be to try analysing less. Rereading is however, even if you do like a book, is a personal and time management decision in my opinion . I do enjoy your channel so far, I am definitly going to explore it some more in due time. Thank you and keep up the interesting content!
High School is when I started to hate reading. I was expected to analyze everything and I was never very good at it. It's as if the school system was trying to turn me off on purpose. I've since taken reading back and have made it my own process. I don't even try to analyze anymore, I just read.
*pause* looking up harbinger even though I am so old it is one of those I should know because I've heard it loads of times, harbinger of... truth? damn I'm dumb but I suppose it's okay. I just haven't invested the time that others have... that's it. har-bin-ger, just remember har-bringer as in someone who brings. *play*
"and none of them can write, not even Mr. Kerouac.” What they do, he added, “isn’t writing at all-it’s typing.”- Truman Capote. A funny quote from a list of writers throwing insults at each other.
Just want to study....I really need to study... Ny whole future depends on it.... And not just mine.... Wish I could study.... Maybe not wishing hard enough... And I want to be a writer..( and I have been working on it but not very social so don't know what to do...).. I just Have amazing stories but I just don't know what to do about it... Any guidance ?
our professor in college asked us to focus on analyzing short stories technically . like relating the technical devices with the plot . examining the story thematically is forbidden . all that confused me and i hope someone could gives us some help THANK YOU
march 2020 4 months before my brain stroke, where i had the good brain i was born into up to 50 years old.. shit happens.. and you can never turn back time
Good literature defies analysis on the first read. No one in their fascination of that which is transpiring questions the muse on the bounty of gifts ferried in.
In deed, the English literature is difficult and now i feel that i don't understand anything 😢 I regret because i I specialized in literature . I'm Arabic and i face difficulty. Please, help me what I have to do?😭
Maybe... just maybe if you don't like a book and you don't "get" it... it's just not fopr you. Not to say there's noo value in trying to connect to it and enjoy it or perchance even "understand" it, but I know there are some books that just don't appeal to me, and I think that's okay. I'm not going to re-read a book I didn't like just to try to make it make sense. There are too many good books. And everyone's tastes are different. I've tried a million times to get my mom to read Jane Eyre because I think the language so lovely, the themes so poignant, and it's a story she's familiar with already, having seen the Master Theater... but she likes modern action-filled suspense novels. And that's okay. And she often tells me about the themes that the protagonist is struggling with, etc. It's okay. A lot of it has to do with your reading tastes, your stylistic preference, and your language proficiency.
