3 ms·
Against Rereading
- blueridge 2y agoFrom: https://blog.ayjay.org/re-reading-2/ https://blog.ayjay.org/re-reading-2/ "I have to think that “Against Rereading,” by Oscar Schwartz, is a massive troll, because the alternative — that Schwartz believes himself to be so omnicompetent a reader, so perfect in his perception, so masterful in his judgment, that he absorbs all that even the greatest book has to offer with a single reading — is unpleasant to contemplate. Or maybe there’s one more possibility: that — like Kafka’s hunger artist, who never found a food he liked — Schwartz has never been sufficiently interested in a book to return to it. But surely he makes one important point: the problem with our culture today is definitely all those people who don’t want ceaseless novelty. Definitely. I’m almost certain he’s just trolling, though."
- JohnFen 2y agoI'm strongly in favor of rereading. It's true that a new experience is only new the first time, but it's also true that repeats of that experience brings new, different, and valuable understanding that you don't get the first time.