Some famous English writer from the 20th century whom I've never read -- was it G.K. Chesterton, perhaps? -- said once that re-reading was essential. We should, he said (if it was him), re-read one old book for every new one.
Now, I go back and forth on this one. Sometimes all I do is re-read old books; sometimes I power through five or six new ones. It depends on my mood, and on what's on the horizon. (And sometimes on what my travel schedule is -- I've read ever so many books on Amtrak. Fewer now in airport terminals, because I tend just to pay for wifi.)
Earlier this year, I was re-reading a few novels by P.G. Wodehouse. I also had Haruki Murakami's Norwegian Wood -- a highly suitable one for someone who is living alone in a new city. And I also have re-read a few novels by Lucy Maud Montgomery, that pillar of Canadian literature for children everywhere. Oh, and in this year of bailouts, I also, I must admit, re-read Ayn Rand's Atlas Shrugged.
What do I get out of this? Comfort. These books are old friends, and I know generally where they are going. Continuity. Reinforcement of values. Oh, and sometimes I have changed as a person since I last read them, and I get something more out of them than I did before.
Do you re-read your old favourites, dear readers? I hope you do. It's a tremendously soothing, satisfying practice.
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I don't generally re-read; if I have forgotten a major plot point or detail I will pick up the book again, otherwise it's on to the next thing.
ReplyDeleteI may re-read a specific paragraph months or years down the road, if I am seeking a specific thought, quote or stylistic flourish, but rarely re-read the whole book.
Perhaps I'm missing out.
On the other hand, perhaps that just means that you're actually _doing_ something with your life. :-)
ReplyDeleteTime is a limited commodity...
If it's any consolation I can actually think of a nonfiction travel book I am going to re-read within the next month or two (I am going to quote it extensively on the blog over a series of posts). But not much time has elapsed since I first read it--all of four or five months.
ReplyDeleteBut it's not re-reading for pleasure exactly, which is what I think you were talking about.
There are maybe one or two fiction books I might want to re-read now that a decade and change have elapsed, but I am a little wary of doing so, because sometimes (as I have found when revisiting TV shows or movies of our youth) the bloom is off the rose and you wonder what you ever saw in the thing.
Some things I prefer to remember as I first saw them in semi-infatuation; I would hate to ruin my memories of them by a second, less wondrous encounter.
It occurs to me, my philosophy on travel nicely parallels my philosophy on books. For now, I feel it is best to maximize opportunities. I don't generally re-read books because I would rather read something new, expand my horizons, learn new things. Similarly, to date, I very rarely return to cities I have already seen. When planning trips, I am more inclined to focus on breadth, not depth.
ReplyDeleteThere are, however, exceptions. I like to give Pride and Prejudice a good read every couple years. To Kill a Mockingbird is another one best repeated. I am adding On the Road to the list. These books are the Berlins, Chicagos, and Munichs of my life, places that continue to hold a special place in my heart, as much as for their inherent charms as for the memories I have associated with them (Petersburg would make the cut if not for the whole visa thing...).
Then, there are the books that I read too young to truly appreciate for their full value, and thus rereading them is a part of hoping to understand them better. These are the Pragues, Viennas, and Budapests of my life. Harder to come up with many examples for these, but To Kill a Mockingbird fits that bill (and is now one I re-read every so often). Huckleberry Finn and A Farewell to Arms fit a similar pattern. I might venture to add the Lewis Carrol books are delightful to reread, when the word play and clever writing is more fully appreciated.
But ultimately, these habits hopefully give me a much better sense of what interests me, what is most exciting or fascinating. And hopefully, having been a place or having read a book now will make it that much more interesting to return to years down the line, when personal experience and development, as well as external circumstances, have changed considerably.
On the other hand, my travel habits might be too deeply engrained...