Getting back to reading

I’ve been thinking a lot about getting back into reading, for real. See, here’s the thing.  I adored reading as a child and adolescent; it was a wonderful escape, worlds to explore without leaving my couch, and it was the best therapy.  However, now that there’s the easy internet, I tend to spend my “waste” time scrolling social media.  It’s a completely lazy form of reading (watching, wtv) and I miss the feeling of being completely enthralled in a book.  There’s nothing to compare with that feeling, and yet, I’ve neglected it for the past um….  bunch of years.  Luckily, I’m in a book club, so I’ve been pretty faithful to reading at least one book a month for all this time, but they’re not always the books I would choose and I often read them hurriedly.

However, I spend lots of time doing nothing of consequence so I’m thinking it’s time to delve into some heavy books; the classics like Marcel Proust’s, A la recherche du temps perdu, Moby Dick, Clarissa, Don Quixote,  Shakespeare’s plays, Anna Karenina (which I read as a teen and not once since, though it was one of the very best books I’ve ever read).  These are the historic classics that I’ve avoided because they were “too hard” (well, not Anna Karenina).  I read Don Quixote for our book club, but I didn’t give it the reading it deserves, and the same thing goes for Swann’s Way, which is the first volume in Proust’s great oeuvre.  When you read these books, you’re reading history without all the annoying facts.  

I recently discovered “The Hardcore Literature Book Club” hosted by Benjamin McElvoy on Youtube, and it’s got me intrigued with the idea of slow reading.  I mean deep reading, something I don’t think I’ve really ever done.  This would mean keeping a journal by my elbow as I read, jotting down notes, looking up unfamiliar references and words, etc, and above all, rereading.  IOW, really trying to understand the context and nuances of what the author has written. As you might do if you were studying literature at university.  Since the advent of high speed internet, it’s way too easy to spend time scrolling, playing games, etc, etc, etc.  There’s no end to the internet entertainment available, but is it worth it? Is it superior to what you can learn reading the great authors?  I absolutely know it’s not.  Time spent can’t be refunded, so how do I want to spend my time?  

One of the aspects of this kind of reading that McElvoy emphasizes is the therapeutic affect.  It can help you deal with the sadness, the terrors, the anxiety of every day life.  Reading authors who have been through all the things can be very comforting.  You might also get some insights on how to get through something yourself. 

So, you read it here first, I will be diving into deep reading.  I have downloaded Joyce’s Dubliners, which turns out to be very easy reading..  I expect that Ulysses will present more challenges. I’m excited about this!  Dave has even agreed to read Proust along with me.  My conundrum is: do we buy two sets of “A la recherche”?  Seems a bit excessive.  We’ll figure it out.  

This sounds like an attainable goal, but I know it’s not going to be so easy.  The draw of FB etc, can’t be understated.  How will I (undiagnosed ADHD person) actually avoid all the lures of easy entertainment?  How will I fit all my knitting in as I do this? We shall see, and I will report back.