Read it Again, Sam

Looking through my bookshelf is effectively viewing a timeline of my life thus far as a reader. Some of the “chapter books” I began savoring as a first grader sit, collecting dust, not reread since I discovered Harry Potter. Then there is, of course, the Harry Potter series, all seven books, the companion books written by JK Rowling, and an extra copy of the third one, because it was my favorite book for at least five years. There are Babysitters Club novels, Agatha Christie mysteries, and Lee Child thrillers. Among the middle and high school-assigned readings are the ones I read the obligatory time, if even that, and the ones that became instant favorites on my shelf. The ones that I loved but haven’t touched since and the ones with pages falling out from use. Two books have severe water damage—a young adult novel that a friend borrowed and then returned after dropping it in the bathtub, and one that I’ve cried while reading so many times over the years that it may as well also been plunged into a full body of water.

Dedicated readers have a few books on the shelf that they just know: exact scenes, chapters, pages, even lines that have stuck with them for years. They can select a familiar spine, feel its familiar weight in their hand, and flip almost effortlessly to their pages of choice. Rereading may be a guilty pleasure of sorts, but it also offers a lot of novelty and value. Just ask any English teacher.

ClassicBookStack_zps38bf6f0dMy parents used to hate that I reread books. They wanted for me to keep expanding my library and literary education. I distinctly remember being “caught” rereading a book and receiving a bizarre chastisement from my mother. She argued that there was no merit, no growth, from reading a book more than once. Fast forward to high school English classes, where standard procedure involves reading a book twice, annotating, highlighting, bookmarking key passages, skimming notes for themes and motifs, and close reading certain pages.

 Clearly, this exhibits that there is value in rereading; it is simply not expected that someone will glean all the information a book has to offer from just one go through. An article published on bustle.com illustrates a similar mindset to mine—the author is in love with second and third and tenth readings of her favorite books, and with a mother who simply “can’t” do it. She links to a bbc.com article that deems rereading a “guilty pleasure” and a “security blanket.” Revisiting a childhood library probably corresponds more with this idea. You probably will not discover a profound literary statement reading From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler. Rereading a novel assigned in middle or high school though, with added years and a broader vocabulary and just a different perspective, can totally change a person’s perceptions of a book. In some ways, rereading a book is also more challenging because the surprise and novelty is gone. While a second read offers the comfort of familiarity, it also grants the reader a chance, even a dare, to look further and think more deeply.

Harry_Potter_and_the_Prisoner_of_Azkaban_(US_cover)

I have read each of my favorite books time and time again, with new interpretations and observations and life experiences coloring the way they are read. Just like children like to hear their favorite bedtime stories, I will always love flipping through Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban. The plot, the characters, and the magical setting are of course, captivating for young readers, but only in a more mature rereading do themes and motifs, even hidden meanings, begin to surface. For example, Prisoner of Azkaban draws strongly on themes of innocence and justice among many different plot lines. It is also wrought with symbolism in character names and animals. Until the book is experienced through the lens of a reader who knows to think more deeply and critically, it’s just about a bunch of kids on brooms and an escaped murderer. Just like a film enjoyed by people of all ages, or a work of abstract art, many of the more intricate nuances go unnoticed by a young or unfamiliar viewer. A second impression reveals a deeper look, guided by the knowledge that comes from age and learned approaches to viewing and reading.  Would you debate the merits of listening to a piece of music more than once, or seeing a famous Van Gogh more than once?  Would anyone question the merits of rereading, say, the Bible?

Revisiting a piece of writing certainly provides a different experience then the first read-through and creates an exciting mix of familiarity and new discoveries. So the question is, how many times have you read your favorite?

— Emily Danzig


Rereading: Virtue or Vice?

I am what you might call a rereader.  That’s right, I said it.  I am a chronic rereader.  The books that I like, I read again.  The books that I love, I read again and again and again.  I first read Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice at the tender age of thirteen, and I honestly cannot tell you how many times I have witnessed Darcy and Elizabeth find romance since that fateful first reading.  But don’t think that Austen’s are the only novels that I return to for second helpings.  I was the kid who reread all of the previous Harry Potter books before the release of a new one.  (I also did it before each movie came out in theaters…)  I reread books that were required in high school, hoping I would get something more from them outside of a classroom full of less-than-enthusiastic students.  Basically, unless I hate it (and let’s be honest, I even reread books that I hated the first time around), chances are I’m going to read it again at some point in my life.

They say that admitting you have a problem is the first step, but is rereading really a problem?  Yes, I know what’s going to happen.  Yes, I’ve already experienced the delights and dilemmas of the main character.  Yes, life is short, and the canon is large.  But I have found that I personally get just as wrapped up in the characters’ lives a second time around as I did the first.  For instance, no matter how many times I read J.R.R. Tolkein’s The Fellowship of the Ring, my heart jumps at the first mention of Tom Bombadil because it means the hobbits are finally out of the Shire, and Tolkein’s extensive background information can give way to the actual journey through Middle-earth.  Even though I know the moment is coming, it doesn’t stop my physiological reaction to the author’s words.

On Rereading - Patricia Meyer SpacksIn a different way, it amazes me how much more I comprehend upon rereading a novel.  Whether due to a difference in age, experience, or simply my specific state of mind while reading, I always pick up on different things: a character’s tone of voice, a detail that I missed, nuances of the author’s language.  Perhaps this ability to rediscover literature in a new way is the reason that so many of us return to the same books over and over again.  I actually just read about a recently published book that chronicles a retired teacher’s year-long project of rereading dozens of different books.  Entitled On Rereading, Patricia Meyer Spacks details her impressions from rereading books from childhood, books she frequently rereads, books she hasn’t touched since adolescence, and books she taught in the classroom, among others.  Throughout the book, she attempts to answer a number of interesting questions regarding why people reread at all.  An avid rereader myself, I definitely plan to check it out!

So what do you think about the concept of rereading?  Are you among the ones who don’t quite see the point?  Do you belong to the camp that would consider it a bad habit and nothing more?  Or do you find yourself going back to the same worn, dog-eared book on your shelf to sink into a familiar setting with characters that you already know and love?  For the umpteenth time, I’ll be spending the holidays at Pemberley.  What about you?