The value of follow-through?

If you've been paying attention, you will remember that during my month-long February challenge I started reading Anna Karenina. It had been sitting on my bookshelf unfinished for years despite my constant reassurance that I would, indeed, go back, start over, and finish it one day. Despite Anna Karenina being over 800 pages long, I thought it would take no longer than a month. I was bold and optimistic and I believe I even wrote in caps.

Well, I have an update for you all. A couple of days ago I gave up on Anna Karenina...despite having read over 500 pages.

It was a difficult decision to make because I felt that by giving up on the book I had failed in achieving my goal but, also, inadvertently saying that my word means jack-shit. This whole thing has got me thinking about what books we read and why we read them and the value of follow-through and keeping promises to other people and to yourself.

Maybe I can explain this better...

I used to have a friend who believed that classic literature was the best kind of writing and that most other genres, and contemporary novels, were trite and vapid. Basically, he was a literary snob. However, since I had very limited exposure to classic literature, at the time I felt rather insecure about my reading habits. I thought that maybe he was right. I decided that I would become more 'cultured' and actually read some of these books he so dearly loved. I read Catcher in the Rye, The Little Prince, The Great Gatsby, Animal Farm, Emma, The Fall, and The Bell Jar...and I have to say that I really enjoyed reading them (except Emma and I'm not sure why). But I felt like it wasn't enough so I kept making lists of books I should read and the list grew longer and longer. And this continued even after he and I were no longer friends.

Anna Karenina fell on that list, obviously, because it was a classic novel, and when February rolled around and the challenge popped up, I thought that it would be a great opportunity to keep going with my 'Literary Education'.

But I now realise that what I was doing was totally misguided.

The thing I'm trying to say is that everyone should read, I do believe that. Reading can be such a wonderful experience. It has been shown to improve communication skills, writing skills, spelling, but it also ignites imagination and is a healthy form of escapism. But, really, it doesn't matter what you read or how you read. There is no better genre, there is no better formula, everyone's going to have their own taste*. And as a side note, 'Top 100 Books of All Time' lists are completely arbitrary.

Everyone is free to develop their own tastes and have their own opinions. Reading a novel should be an enjoyable activity even if the enjoyment is from learning, challenging yourself, thinking critically about a particular topic, or just because the story is exciting.

I stopped reading Anna Karenina for a number of reasons but it all boiled down to the fact that I wasn't enjoying it, by whatever measure you choose. It was exhausting. The only reason I didn't stop reading sooner was because I hoped that the storyline would improve and that the characters would somehow magically grip me. But mostly because I wanted the bragging rights; I wanted to be able to say that I had read it.

But that's not what's important, should-ing yourself into reading a novel is a never a fun experience. I mean, you probably have to do it while you're still in school so you can pass and write a damn good essay. But once you're out of school you tend to read for a different purpose. Reading classic literature, or only reading classic literature, does not make you a cultured person nor do you receive bragging rights. Also, not finishing the novel is no a reflection on the value of my word.

My decision to quit was a very considered decision and sometimes you just need to know when to call it a day.

There is still part of me that feels like I failed (and perhaps it's true to some extent) but to be quite honest, I feel freer. The book no longer hangs over head and tortures me. I gave it a go and it just didn't grab me. And that's okay.

Onto the next literary adventure.


*I do concede that there is a science to writing a good story and that certain plots have particular undesirable implications on the readership, but I don't want to talk about that in this entry so much.

What's been goin' on? My life in pictures.

It's been some time since I last updated this blog. So here I go, updating it with pictures.

 

Got to be honest, March and April kinda kicked my arse. BUT I am determined to make May better.

Edit: I also saw two of my favourite music artists in concert but, alas, I didn't take any photos at either one. Both concerts were absolutely magnificent, though.