I so appreciate your inclusion of how much people read by age, as well as how much those we consider successful read. It’s interesting to see! You also mention your concern with reading “well” — for you, what does this mean? Canonical texts? Literary fiction? I always feel myself pushing back against these markers of “good”
Thank you, Randi. I appreciate your comment. Perhaps one way to think about markers of “good” is to follow Matthew Arnold suggestion about reading “the best that’s been thought and written.” In other words, to read well is to ant least engage those texts that have remained in circulation for as long as they have because they still have something to say to each generation. Personally, I believe the idea of the Western Canon has merit, even if there’s disagreement and flexibility about what is included.
Perhaps, another word way to think about markers of good might be to consider the fact that we will never read everything there is to read—unfortunately—so it behooves us to be selective and reach for the best any particular genre of interest has to offer when the opportunity presents itself.
What do you think? Is there merit to reading well? When you say you feel yourself pushing back against the markers of “good,” do you mean you see the markers as being otherwise or are you saying the idea of “good” is subjective—or something else?
I love your articulation of being selective in our choice of reading material, and I do think this thinking actually lends itself well to my hesitation with the Western Canon. I don’t disagree that the canon has merit — so many of my favorite reads are well established as canonical. My resistance here actually stems more from the undeniable whiteness and maleness of the canon, but with your emphasis on being selective, we can work to expand the canon to include other amazing historical and overlooked texts.
I think there is definitely merit to reading well, but I do believe that “reading well” may look different for us all. Being selective and very intentional in our reading, as you seem to prioritize here, is reading well, no matter what that looks like. :)
I so appreciate your inclusion of how much people read by age, as well as how much those we consider successful read. It’s interesting to see! You also mention your concern with reading “well” — for you, what does this mean? Canonical texts? Literary fiction? I always feel myself pushing back against these markers of “good”
Thank you, Randi. I appreciate your comment. Perhaps one way to think about markers of “good” is to follow Matthew Arnold suggestion about reading “the best that’s been thought and written.” In other words, to read well is to ant least engage those texts that have remained in circulation for as long as they have because they still have something to say to each generation. Personally, I believe the idea of the Western Canon has merit, even if there’s disagreement and flexibility about what is included.
Perhaps, another word way to think about markers of good might be to consider the fact that we will never read everything there is to read—unfortunately—so it behooves us to be selective and reach for the best any particular genre of interest has to offer when the opportunity presents itself.
What do you think? Is there merit to reading well? When you say you feel yourself pushing back against the markers of “good,” do you mean you see the markers as being otherwise or are you saying the idea of “good” is subjective—or something else?
I love your articulation of being selective in our choice of reading material, and I do think this thinking actually lends itself well to my hesitation with the Western Canon. I don’t disagree that the canon has merit — so many of my favorite reads are well established as canonical. My resistance here actually stems more from the undeniable whiteness and maleness of the canon, but with your emphasis on being selective, we can work to expand the canon to include other amazing historical and overlooked texts.
I think there is definitely merit to reading well, but I do believe that “reading well” may look different for us all. Being selective and very intentional in our reading, as you seem to prioritize here, is reading well, no matter what that looks like. :)