Nabokov feels that a good reader should have a good imagination and also have an artistic sense. The reason for this is, is because one must be able to read a story and understand that is just that, a story. He is not saying that you cannot get “into” the book, but that you must be able to come away from the story and know the difference of real life and make-believe. He also says that a good reader is a re-reader, someone who can read a novel several times so they can completely understand and identify with the story.
I agree with Nabokov, that in order to be a good reader you must have an understanding of the story. In order to fully understand, you should read the book more than just once. You need to be able to feel what the characters are feeling. This also ties into having a good imagination, if you cannot visualize what is going on in a story, then you are not truly involved with the characters or story line. I consider myself to be a good reader, when I have the time to sit down and get into the storyline 100%.
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I agreed with him as well. One thing I would add to the list is patience. I used to give up on a book after just a few pages if it didn't grab my attention right away. Later I began to force myself to read the first three chapters, and it helped. I now use this tactic with my son, and he has become a very avid reader. This way of reading for me has also opened up doors into different genres of books. I just seem to enjoy reading much more.
ReplyDeleteI agree to the point that the reader should have imagination and the artistic sense, but I think you should be able to get "into" the story, then you might be able to agree or relate to the story better.
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