While discussing the ways in which to read this book in class, I became incresingly annoyed that this was a discussion we even needed to have. When I read a book, whether for class or for entertainment, I don't want the book telling me how to read it; I want to read the way I want to read.
I do agree with some of the class, however, that each book needs to be read differently in order to understand the concepts it is trying to get across. But in reading books that are very different from each other, I still find myself following my own personal reading style. It makes me so mad that Italo Calvino is trying to disrupt his readers reading habits with this unlinear and confusing book. It is like Calvino is doing this just to mess with our minds.
In Chapter 5, Ludmilla says something that I find interesting: "The novel I would most like to read at this moment should have as its driving force only the desire to narrate, to pile stories upon stories, without trying to impose a philosophy of life on you," (92). I believe that a books main purpose is to tell the reader a story, so, when reading, I do not want to have to figure out so philosophical point that the author is trying to make. I do not want to be left to put pieces of a book together to make it seem more logical- this is the authors job! Calvino is essentially trying to teach us how to read.. just like when we were in 1st grade.
I agree to an extent, however, books are not meant to be completely superficial. I'm sure most of the books you have ever read stroked a deeper string within your mind than what was exactly happening. Stories are a way of using the fictional world to relate to the real world. Sometimes things can't be laid out right in front of us to understand, and sometimes we need a literal euphemism to accept what is going on. I agree that we should not be told how to read, but I think we should at least give the author a fair chance to convey his thoughts; if not, we close the book and move on.
ReplyDeleteI agree with the previous comment.I think books are pointless if they don't make us think. We should have to figure something out. The author's "job" should be to craft a story that is entertaining, but also thought provoking. The stories that you have to think about are the ones that stay with you.
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