The real secret of re-reading is simply this: It is impossible. The characters remain the same, and the words never change, but the reader always does. Pip is always there to be revisited, but you, the reader, are a little like the convict who surprises him in the graveyard — always a stranger.
My advice. Don't read Jane Austen until you are at least 25, or you will have no idea about the violence, comedy, and sheer human tragedy you are reading. Then reread all her six books every ten years until you die.
PS. I think you can read Dickens or Hardy earlier
PPS. I gather Aniat Brookner does not make sense until you are over 50, so I am waiting.
No comments:
Post a Comment