Tuesday, April 12, 2005

Innocence, Experience, and Reading

To summarize an entry by Sarah Weinman:

...I'm finding more and more that this overly analytical state is seeping into my ability to sit back, relax and read a book, and frankly, that makes me very sad...

Since I think this particular affliction affects those who write, either for a living or for a hoped living, did this sort of "sea change" happen to you, and when? How do you approach reading fiction when there's the distinct possibility that your time will be spent analyzing and deconstructing? And does the brain ever switch back, so you're "just a reader" once more?


I commented:

I don't know that I've ever been able to sit back and enjoy fiction or poetry. My interest in reading developed along with my interest in writing. I've always wanted to know why certain lines work and others don't. Analysis is fun for me (says the English prof). Then again, I'm not a professional reviewer.

Sometimes I do wish I were still awed by certain works or authors, but I wouldn't trade what I've learned about the craft for this sense of awe. Instead, I look forward to stuff I haven't yet read that will engage me to the same degree--if not in the same way--as stuff I have read.

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