Today’s questioned was suggested by Janet:
I’ve seen this quotation in several places lately. It’s from Sven Birkerts’ ‘The Gutenberg Elegies: The Fate of Reading in an Electronic Age’:
“To read, when one does so of one’s own free will, is to make a volitional statement, to cast a vote; it is to posit an elsewhere and set off toward it. And like any traveling, reading is at once a movement and a comment of sorts about the place one has left. To open a book voluntarily is at some level to remark the insufficiency either of one’s life or one’s orientation toward it.”
To what extent does this describe you?
I do so love to read. I am truly an unapologetic bibliophile. I do not believe the extent of my love of reading rests solely on the “insufficiency” of my life nor do I feel it is a reflection of my “insufficiency” to my orientation in life. I read because I yearn for knowledge. I crave the beautiful prose and the places I can be drawn into that I would not otherwise have been able to travel, especially in my beloved historical fiction novels. I am drawn to books, as a sensory reader, I crave the feel of the pages, the smell of the books, the words o the crisp pages, for me the entire experience is pure bliss.
Anyone can play along each Thursday with Booking Through Thursday.
I am with you. I get where the author of this quote is coming from, but I don't agree with everything he says.
Here is my post
http://pageturnersbooks.blogspot.com/2010/02/booking-through-thursday-why-i-read.html
Totally agree with you there!
I agree that the sensation of holding a book in your hands is much more comforting than reading it on a hand-held electronic device that is cold and unscented.
I agree! I think many people will be turned off by the quote, whether it's the correct wording the author meant to use or just bad choice in picking. It seems like a non reader sort of thing to say. My husband (how is a magazine and TV person) says I read to escape. Escape what? :O) Any who, I agree.
I agree. Reading is an escape for me but not for the reason Bikerts states.
You said what I was trying to say, but you said it so much more eloquently!
Why can't people say what they mean? What the hell kind of quote was that? I agree with you.
Here's Mine
Well said.
The quote made me mad at first, but the longer I think about it, the more I'm willing to acknowledge a sense of insufficiency is part of why I read. It doesn't mean I don't like my life, though.
I'm with you!
http://fredasvoice.blogspot.com/2010/02/booking-through-why-you-read.html
Janet, I agree with you! It took some thinking for me to realize I agreed with the statement. This has been a fun question!
http://convincingchanelle.blogspot.com/2010/02/i-enjoy-blog-called-booking-through.html
Stopping by from SITS and wishing you a great Thursday!!!
Great points! I love that books take me places too and if that means my life is insufficient, I would have never called it that. I guess Sven and I differ on the definition of that term!
This man is trying far too hard to be profound.
Here is mine
Totally agree…and only a book lover can understand what a book, book store, etc awakens all of our senses.
CMash
I had difficulty understanding the quote since it seemed taken out of context. I read Birket's article in order to figure it out. Reading is truly a sensory, active experience versus the passive act of electronics.
My response is up now.
http://www.mytwoblessings.com/2010/02/booking-through-thursday-why-you-read.html
Completely agree about the feeling of the entire experience. While the geek side of me thinks the Kindle is a very cool device, I just can't let myself be torn away from the actual feel, small, sound of pages turning of an actual book.
Also, I echo what someone else said about the "insufficient" portion of the quote. When I first read it, I thought it meant you read because you had a crappy life but now I can see it as maybe trying to fulfill something we love whether be our imagination, travel, yearn for knowledge, etc. Not necessarily something that's insufficient but a craving of sorts.
I agree with your assessment of the reading experience. I take it you're not a kindle owner either! (ha ha) I also love the look and feel of a book.
Here's my response to this question if you want to check it out:
Every Book and Cranny
I agree with your assessment of the reading experience. I take it you're not a kindle owner either! (ha ha) I also love the look and feel of a book.
Here's my response to this question if you want to check it out:
Every Book and Cranny
my answer to a thougthful and confusing question.
http://blog.readinggroupchoices.com/content/blog/barbara/10/february/btt-225-reading-booksinsufficient-life
Great answer! I too love the feel and smell of books. I love being able to visit places I'd otherwise never be able to experience.
Great response!