Monday, June 26, 2006
Theory #28 : Readerly Theories: the myth of the "good reader"
This must be a holdover from my childhood, and the more I read, and the more I listen to authors, the less I believe it, but it still pops up from time to time.
Where the "good reader" concept causes problems is when I feel that the author's testing me to see if I'm a good enough reader. When there's a lot of backstory up front that I have no foundation for, or even those casts of characters some authors put at the front of their books, I feel like I should be taking notes for the eventual quiz. Or if an action scene is confusing, or all the names are similar, it feels like a test to see if I'm paying close enough attention. And those detailed scenery descriptions? I'm expecting to be graded on my land nav skills in the story world.
No, I don't consciously or seriously think authors are testing me. But my anxious-to-please inner child does, and she gets defensive, which makes my conscious self annoyed. Since I figured out the "good reader" theory, though, I can attribute those things to the author's inattention, lack of skill, or simple mistake, which is a lot easier to forgive than the alternative.
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Categories: Theories, Reading
- The "good reader" catches all the little plot and character clues the author put in the book, and ignores all the things that are just there for effect.
- The "good reader" reads the descriptions carefully and builds a picture of the setting and the characters in her mind.
- The "good reader" remembers the date in the chapter heading and doesn't have to flip pages to figure out how much time has elapsed between chapters.
- The "good reader" doesn't have any trouble whatsoever distinguishing between Mike, Mark, and Mack regardless of how thoroughly they're each described.
- Above all, the "good reader" reads the book the author intended to write.
Where the "good reader" concept causes problems is when I feel that the author's testing me to see if I'm a good enough reader. When there's a lot of backstory up front that I have no foundation for, or even those casts of characters some authors put at the front of their books, I feel like I should be taking notes for the eventual quiz. Or if an action scene is confusing, or all the names are similar, it feels like a test to see if I'm paying close enough attention. And those detailed scenery descriptions? I'm expecting to be graded on my land nav skills in the story world.
No, I don't consciously or seriously think authors are testing me. But my anxious-to-please inner child does, and she gets defensive, which makes my conscious self annoyed. Since I figured out the "good reader" theory, though, I can attribute those things to the author's inattention, lack of skill, or simple mistake, which is a lot easier to forgive than the alternative.
...more
Categories: Theories, Reading
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I must be an arrogant reader because I'd never even thought of these things as being problems.
I have almost no visual imagination, so I can't picture anything. That makes descriptive passages a bit boring for me unless they have some emotional content too, or unless I'm analysing them for clues about character.
I flip backwards and forwards to work out how old the characters are or to remind myself of names. And I think that's fun. But then, I read the ends of books sometimes before I settle down to read, and sometimes part-way through if the action is getting too worrying and I want to make sure there's a HEA. I check even though I'm reading romance and a HEA is guaranteed.
And then I spend time wondering about the author, and how their character/experiences have shaped the book. I'm so busy thinking about what the author's let slip about her own views/outlook on life that I'm not thinking about what she might think of my responses as a reader. Maybe that's because it's only relatively recently (i.e. compared to years in education) that I've been reading works by authors who are still alive.
I have almost no visual imagination, so I can't picture anything. That makes descriptive passages a bit boring for me unless they have some emotional content too, or unless I'm analysing them for clues about character.
I flip backwards and forwards to work out how old the characters are or to remind myself of names. And I think that's fun. But then, I read the ends of books sometimes before I settle down to read, and sometimes part-way through if the action is getting too worrying and I want to make sure there's a HEA. I check even though I'm reading romance and a HEA is guaranteed.
And then I spend time wondering about the author, and how their character/experiences have shaped the book. I'm so busy thinking about what the author's let slip about her own views/outlook on life that I'm not thinking about what she might think of my responses as a reader. Maybe that's because it's only relatively recently (i.e. compared to years in education) that I've been reading works by authors who are still alive.
# posted by 
: 6/27/2006 12:20 AM
: 6/27/2006 12:20 AM
never thought being a good reading demanded so much :) but in fact i fit the bill. maybe that is why it takes me a decade to finish a book, mainly because i do not read and jump 5 lines at a time. I read, digest, ruminate, chew, chew some more. I love the details, i stop and think and try to picture it in my head. Think about the plot in bed before i go to sleep. Sometimes i wish it could be transcribed to film and i try to figure out who would play who. I did that with the Da Vinci code and i was extremely dissapointed....Tom Hanks for the role - NEVER!!!!
Food for thought there, Darla! Thanks.
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Food for thought there, Darla! Thanks.
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