The Pleasures of Reading

In a world of rapidly developing technology, the old-fashioned pleasure of reading has been replaced by newer pastimes. Many people today prefer to surf the Internet, interact through social networking sites, play video games, or watch television. The attention span of media consumers have decreased. We live in an age where speed and accessibility are premium virtues.

Since Johann Guttenberg invented the printing press, knowledge has become accessible to anyone. The Internet has made possible a search for virtually anything. The ways in which people are reading is gradually changing. The decline of traditional newspapers, for example, means people are accessing news in other ways. Books can now be read through electronic readers.

However, romantics will find it hard to let go of traditional printed books. Smelling paper, feeling the pages, having a book to hold – these are simple pleasures of a reader. On a book’s pages are windows to another world, a creation not only of the writer but also the reader. As English novelist Angela Carter said, “Reading a book is like re-writing it for yourself. You bring to a novel, anything you read, all your experience of the world. You bring your history and you read it in your own terms.”

Thousands of new books are printed every year. However, there will always be those that stand the test of time, books that have given its reader gratitude for the pleasure of their company.  

The classical books are classics for a reason: they are timeless and its themes relevant even a hundred years on. The great playwright William Shakespeare is peerless in his talent for words and story-telling. His stories are still recreated today. Literary greats like Miguel de Cervantes, Charles Dickens, Leo Tolstoy, Fyodor Dostoevsky, Jane Austen, Jonathan Swift, Mark Twain, Nathaniel Hawthorne, Herman Melville, and Gustave Flaubert occupy their own spot in literature’s pantheon.

The works of Greek writers like Homer and Herodotus, and philosophers Aristotle and Plato have molded the minds of many thinkers.

Through the decades, writing has evolved and books have been classified according to a variety of genres. They may be fiction, non-fiction, science fiction, mystery/suspense, inspirational, young adults, and children. In recent years there have cropped up more niches, like chick lit (referring to light novels featuring the travails of modern women like Bridget Jones), travel memoir, and food writing.

Memorable books offer escape to a world, even if fantasy. JK Rowling’s phenomenally successful books on the wizard boy Harry Potter followed the footsteps of masters like JRR Tolkien. Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings series remains unmatched in its imagination of another world and in its mastery of language.

A good book convinces the reader of its reality. Some believe detective Sherlock Holmes exists, even if the character was only invented by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle.  

Indeed, different folks enjoy different books. Reading is not a solitary act, for a good book is like good company: time is well-spent, and memories will linger.