Oh yes, reading styles! Just yesterday the wife reminded me that she reads mostly for enjoyment of the story, totally unlike myself who am compelled to slow down and enjoy masterful use of language and metaphor (I believe that language has to be deeply rooted in metaphor to be meaningful). That's the kind of book club I want to be part of, the club that can just sit back and enjoy quoting a memorable phrase or sentence. I even find the language can become even more meaningful for me when taken out of context. Plus, what a blessing to have great teachers. I recall my first day of a class on Milton at my big impersonal public university when the professor asked if there were any theologians in class. Only a couple raised their hands. She was so pleased to see there would be multiple perspectives present. I was sad to hear some years later that she died in a climbing accident. That's the kind of adventure I want to sign up for (not necessarily physically climbing rock faces).
Thanks for the reminder that I don't want to buy into the lie that I don't have time to read other Substack posts. But we all have to be selective. I'm glad I bit this morning, if only for the gratification of finding another Moby Dick fan. Both my wife and I, after bombing out in other more competitive disciplines, both ended our undergraduate studies with English Literature (not American English, mind you). I focused on 15th and 16th centuries, while she landed mostly in the 17th and 18th centuries. What a blessing to carry on into life shelves filled with 400 years of all the best stuff! I thoroughly enjoyed going back and reading her end of the bookshelf. The books that I recall having to take more than one running start with were Tristram Shandy and Bleak House. And yes, two of my very favorites. And thanks for the tip. I just now checked out an ebook copy of Infinite Jest from the library, however in the meantime I'm still trying to make it all the way through Pratchett's Discworld series. Serious fun.
I hated Beloved when I read it! Might have to give it a second read after reading this post. Glad your DC dating days didn’t last long 😂
Unreal banger.
Oh yes, reading styles! Just yesterday the wife reminded me that she reads mostly for enjoyment of the story, totally unlike myself who am compelled to slow down and enjoy masterful use of language and metaphor (I believe that language has to be deeply rooted in metaphor to be meaningful). That's the kind of book club I want to be part of, the club that can just sit back and enjoy quoting a memorable phrase or sentence. I even find the language can become even more meaningful for me when taken out of context. Plus, what a blessing to have great teachers. I recall my first day of a class on Milton at my big impersonal public university when the professor asked if there were any theologians in class. Only a couple raised their hands. She was so pleased to see there would be multiple perspectives present. I was sad to hear some years later that she died in a climbing accident. That's the kind of adventure I want to sign up for (not necessarily physically climbing rock faces).
Thanks for the reminder that I don't want to buy into the lie that I don't have time to read other Substack posts. But we all have to be selective. I'm glad I bit this morning, if only for the gratification of finding another Moby Dick fan. Both my wife and I, after bombing out in other more competitive disciplines, both ended our undergraduate studies with English Literature (not American English, mind you). I focused on 15th and 16th centuries, while she landed mostly in the 17th and 18th centuries. What a blessing to carry on into life shelves filled with 400 years of all the best stuff! I thoroughly enjoyed going back and reading her end of the bookshelf. The books that I recall having to take more than one running start with were Tristram Shandy and Bleak House. And yes, two of my very favorites. And thanks for the tip. I just now checked out an ebook copy of Infinite Jest from the library, however in the meantime I'm still trying to make it all the way through Pratchett's Discworld series. Serious fun.