In re my takeaway from fiction, I came across this in Brad DeLong’s blog.
I’m my previous post, I attempted to explain why reading a good novel demands a second reading. After finishing a book, ideas and takeaway fragments start popping up like toast. This is why in college I would read a novel twice before writing a paper. The second reading required a pencil because I now had an idea of what I was looking for. An abject example of this involved reading “Finnegans Wake,” simultaneously reading Stuart Gilbert’s “A Reader’s Guide to Finnegans Wake” and “Annotations to Finnegans Wake.” I’m not so sure that most people read “Finnegans Wake” so much as they render it. At least, that’s what I did.
I absolutely agree with second reading. I always annotate my margins and mark up my books. To me, reading is like a dialogue with the author. I don’t think I do the thing the author in the article is describing…. I hate reading unless I’m reading deeply. Reading isn’t a fun autopilot zone out thing for me
What did I learn from the book? A more ambivalent perspective on high-tech/AI. The book also inspired me to read a book about octopus brains, a book Powers read when researching this novel: “Other Minds,” by Peter Godfrey Smith.
“Playground” is a novel that should be read at least twice. There are many things going on in this novel. First example, the little girl who begins a work-in-progress art piece that she continues through and past her college years. It begins with bits of plastic waste inside a dead seabird. It reminds me of Queequeg’s coffin. Also, what she does with some splashes of paint on the plastic sculpture is an echo of the cuttlefish scene. Again, these are things that occurred to me weeks after reading the novel. I hope/plan to read it a second time in a year. “Flaubert’s Parrot” is also a novel that should be read twice. Some time after reading this novel, it dawned on me how the notion of the parrot as inspiration for writing worked throughout the book.
I’m not the type of reader as the author of the article, either. For some people, speed-reading is a thing. To my mind, that’s like playing a 45 rpm vinyl record of “Moonlight Sonata” at 78 rpm. A good bit of art resides in the nuance. I agree: reading is a dialog with the author. Also, books speak to each other over centuries. Without Sterne’s “The Life and Opinions of Tristram shandy, Gentleman,” there is no “Finnegans Wake,” Joseph Heller’s “Catch-22,” etc. Think of how many of the major writers in “The Lost Generation” knew the Bible, e.g. Hemingway, Faulkner, et alia.
Also, a great novel you might find of interest is Richard Power’s “Playground.” It may be his best novel.
Ooo what makes you think if it? What did you learn from the book or take away from the book that you wouldn’t have gotten without reading it?
It seems like this productivity trick could go viral....
Most memorable interview to date! I'd love to see you interview more pseudonymous writers on a monthly basis!
I’ll interview whoever writes the best essays! Glad you enjoyed it 🫡
It is a great book in my opinion. Your “Skittles Factory” piece was a multifaceted gem!
Thank you! I really appreciate you reading it🤍🤍
Parakeet . . . And then there is Flaubert’s Parrot.
I just looked up this reference and it sounds like a great book
https://andymatuschak.org/books/?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email
In re my takeaway from fiction, I came across this in Brad DeLong’s blog.
I’m my previous post, I attempted to explain why reading a good novel demands a second reading. After finishing a book, ideas and takeaway fragments start popping up like toast. This is why in college I would read a novel twice before writing a paper. The second reading required a pencil because I now had an idea of what I was looking for. An abject example of this involved reading “Finnegans Wake,” simultaneously reading Stuart Gilbert’s “A Reader’s Guide to Finnegans Wake” and “Annotations to Finnegans Wake.” I’m not so sure that most people read “Finnegans Wake” so much as they render it. At least, that’s what I did.
I absolutely agree with second reading. I always annotate my margins and mark up my books. To me, reading is like a dialogue with the author. I don’t think I do the thing the author in the article is describing…. I hate reading unless I’m reading deeply. Reading isn’t a fun autopilot zone out thing for me
What did I learn from the book? A more ambivalent perspective on high-tech/AI. The book also inspired me to read a book about octopus brains, a book Powers read when researching this novel: “Other Minds,” by Peter Godfrey Smith.
Oh gosh I have been thinking about octopus brains lately. What was that book?
“Playground” is a novel that should be read at least twice. There are many things going on in this novel. First example, the little girl who begins a work-in-progress art piece that she continues through and past her college years. It begins with bits of plastic waste inside a dead seabird. It reminds me of Queequeg’s coffin. Also, what she does with some splashes of paint on the plastic sculpture is an echo of the cuttlefish scene. Again, these are things that occurred to me weeks after reading the novel. I hope/plan to read it a second time in a year. “Flaubert’s Parrot” is also a novel that should be read twice. Some time after reading this novel, it dawned on me how the notion of the parrot as inspiration for writing worked throughout the book.
Oh wow I love books like this. This is an excellent review. Adding to my both to my reading list
The book about octopus brains: “Other Minds,” by Peter Godfrey Smith.
I’m not the type of reader as the author of the article, either. For some people, speed-reading is a thing. To my mind, that’s like playing a 45 rpm vinyl record of “Moonlight Sonata” at 78 rpm. A good bit of art resides in the nuance. I agree: reading is a dialog with the author. Also, books speak to each other over centuries. Without Sterne’s “The Life and Opinions of Tristram shandy, Gentleman,” there is no “Finnegans Wake,” Joseph Heller’s “Catch-22,” etc. Think of how many of the major writers in “The Lost Generation” knew the Bible, e.g. Hemingway, Faulkner, et alia.