Assignment 1 Good readers and writers

Reading  Strategies To Think About

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Bruce Robertson

Eng 102

01-24-11

Mrs. Laura Cline

Good Readers and Good Writers

            Personally, I believe Nabokov to be quite over the top. He insinuates that a story read only once, just hits on an emotional level. In order to be a good reader, one must reread the story 3, 4, or even 5 times. We must dissect every descriptive phrase and analyze it scientifically. He then goes on to say that good readers must have a balance between an emotional and a scientific thought process when taking in a book. In my opinion, becoming a cold, scientific, analytical machine that disassembles writers every fiber of imagery and description is to become devoid of the emotion that makes a story enjoyable. Thus, I find Nabokov’s description of a good reader to be contradictory.

            That being said, I do agree with his assertions that a good reader must have imagination, memory, and some artistic sense. I believe a good reader should take the time to mentally picture what the author is trying to portray. A good reader shouldn’t be naïve enough to let their emotions be twisted without exercising some literary analysis. I guess my point is this: don’t swim so deep in the analytical, that you drown in it. I believe myself to be a good reader in that aspect. I can enjoy a book emotionally and analytically, without having to dissect every letter and send it off to forensics. Call me shallow, obstinate, or naïve; or just call me a good reader.