I have always been a re-reader. Of course most children begin as re-readers, or demanders of re-reads from their parents. But so often I hear readers say they haven’t got time to re-read, as there are so many books out there they haven’t read. However I never feel re-reading is reading the same book again, you rarely absorb everything in a book first time. Attention focuses on particular aspects perhaps, there is some simpatico with a particular character or subject being described. Re-reading may draw your attention to something you only saw out of the side of your eye before, or something you missed altogether.
I have read The Great Gatsby 20+ times and still I will come upon a line I think I have never read before. Of course I have read it, but it didn’t resonate with me in the same way that other lines, other moments did. But for some reason on this occasion, that line stood out. And then of course your life’s experience may have changed your response to the book drawing you further into it, possibly even alienated you from it for some reason – some reason worth pondering upon perhaps.
With writers such as Virginia Woolf, for example, the multi-layered quality of her work takes at least 3 reads for me before I want to give a proper opinion of it. I know I will see things I missed before, but also the tone and momentum is what I am seeking.
Books become alternative ‘homes’ for their tone and momentum for me. A moment in my life demands a certain sensation that can be filled by a particular book, and if you have never read it before, you can’t guarantee you have the right home for yourself at that time. The right voice whispering in your ear. The right adventure, then the book may become my boat. Journeys require special companions.
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Couldn't agree more about rereading. I find that a book I read in my 20s becomes a very different story read decades later (Mrs. Dalloway, case in point). Some rereads are comfort reads, like a good cup of tea or a visit with a cherished friend.
ReplyDeleteT - you hit the nail on the head about a book being like a 'cherished friend', that is very much how I feel about certain books.
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