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"No book, however good, can survive a hostile reading." Is that really true? The first Orwell book I read (Homage to Catalonia) was required for a history clas
by ab9 15y ago
"No book, however good, can survive a hostile reading."
Is that really true? The first Orwell book I read (Homage to Catalonia) was required for a history class -- a class that had previously assigned some truly awful literature. So I was pessimistic and I read it grudgingly at first. But halfway through the book, I realized I loved it.
- chc 15y agoI was actually a hostile reader the first time I read Ender's Game. I was totally turned off by the horrible cover and not very interested in reading it, but it was assigned for school, so I read it and it became one of my favorite books.
- GrantS 15y agoThe original Ender's Game series covers are some of the best science fiction art I've ever seen, by an amazing artist named John Harris (examples below). Did your edition have a different cover? Ender's Game: http://www.igorstshirts.com/blog/conceptships/2009/j_harris_02.jpg http://www.igorstshirts.com/blog/conceptships/2009/j_harris_... Speaker for the Dead: http://www.igorstshirts.com/blog/conceptships/2009/j_harris_05.jpg http://www.igorstshirts.com/blog/conceptships/2009/j_harris_... Children of the Mind: http://www.igorstshirts.com/blog/conceptships/2009/j_harris_06.jpg http://www.igorstshirts.com/blog/conceptships/2009/j_harris_... More art by John Harris here (not my blog): http://colorcubic.com/2010/09/07/the-science-fiction-art-of-john-harris/ http://colorcubic.com/2010/09/07/the-science-fiction-art-of-...
- rubergly 15y agoI don't think the claim is that no book can survive any hostile reading, but that you can always approach a book with enough hostility to ruin it.
- ab9 15y agoThat's not how I interpret him. Here's the quotation with more context: "Of course, those who approached Ender's Game skeptically or because they were 'forced' to read it can hardly imagine their response is valid for those who read it as volunteers or with belief: No book, however good, can survive a hostile reading."
- Hawramani 15y agoMaybe Card's definition of a hostile reading is different from yours.
- ab9 15y agoI'm understanding the term "hostile reading" as Card defines it in the above quotation. A hostile reader is one who approaches a book skeptically or is forced to read it (in the sense of being required to read it to complete a class). A hostile reading is what he does.
- sophacles 15y agoWait... So if someone reads it voluntarily but skeptically it is somehow a hostile reading by the definition you cite? It seems to me you are selectively ignoring the part where he explicitly declares voluntary reading not hostile.
- ab9 15y agoNo, Card does not explicitly declare that in the quotation I posted. (Did you mean elsewhere in his review?) He's saying: It's a hostile reading if it's skeptical rather than "with belief". It's also a hostile reading if it's forced rather than voluntary. You probe his definition by asking, If someone reads it skeptically but voluntarily, does that count as hostile? That's a good question. I don't think we have enough information to answer it, because Card does not state how to weigh skepticism and forcedness against each other.
- nl 15y agoI had the same experience with Watership Down: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Watership_Down http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Watership_Down I was set to read it when I was 14 or 15 in English. What 14 or 15 yo boy wants to read a book about a rabbit? I was wrong, and loved it, then went and read every other book Richard Adams wrote. So I guess it's not impossible, but at the same time I was probably broad minded enough to change my mind. Many people won't.
- puredemo 15y agoHow are his other books?
- nl 15y agoPretty decent from memory - I enjoyed them at the time. But I read them ~15 yo, so YMMV.
- riffraff 15y agoOT, but I can't thank you enough. I read part of this book as a kid in my school antology, loved it butn ever read all of it. Now that I know it's name I can go and fix that missing part of my life :)
- nl 15y agoAlways glad to be of service :)