On the merits of slow reading

14 comments on “On the merits of slow reading”

1. miette says:
   March 20th, 2008 at 10:23 am

   Every time I force myself to slow down with a book (and I’m not a natural slow reader), it’s tantamount to the moment I discovered I could change the car oil my own self. The benefits of reading slowly don’t stop with the heightened sense of awareness of the text or the almost tantric consciousness of the relationship between reader and text, though that stuff’s all there — It’s taking responsibility for the health and operation of the text, realising you can be in control of it, getting your hands greasy and (to carry the analogy to its mechanical end) taking gravel up your shirt for it.

   Which is to say: definitely worth it.

2. Brian says:
   March 20th, 2008 at 12:35 pm

   Reading slowly (and rereading slowly and rereading again) is the only way to approach an understanding of a text. We forget sometimes that the reading process calls us to existence as a creator. Books are not old-fashioned TV. We aren’t flooded with images and sounds that eliminate the need to excercise our imaginations. Books exhort us to something else, something much richer and more beautiful. When we read, we develop our inner-selves. We need to read slowly to appreciate all of the subtleties of language (for language is a many-splendored, nuanced thing) and experience it to the fullest.

3. Frankie the C says:
   March 20th, 2008 at 4:12 pm

   Reading slow is the only way to go.

4. Rob in Victoria says:
   March 20th, 2008 at 4:18 pm

   I would reply, but I want to take the weekend to read this article.

5. George says:
   March 20th, 2008 at 4:31 pm

   Rob says he “would” reply, but doesn’t say if he will, or when–unless that’s something he covers later in his comment.

6. Roland says:
   March 20th, 2008 at 4:37 pm

   I’ll just say what’s on the tip of evryone’s tongue: people who read fast are dicks.

7. Kathryn says:
   March 20th, 2008 at 5:07 pm

   tip?

8. Rob in Victoria says:
   March 20th, 2008 at 5:21 pm

   Roland, I was going to disagree with you, saying something along the lines of “but reviewers read fast”, but then I realized I’d be creating a redundancy…

9. Monica says:
   March 20th, 2008 at 5:52 pm

   ok..as a fast reader, i take offence to that remark. I am not a dick.
   I can’t help it. I do find myself rereading stuff, sometimes, tho. If
   its a particularly nice passage.

10. susan says:
    March 20th, 2008 at 8:54 pm

    Heh, Heh, Kathryn, the boys ignored you there!(Unless I’m the only one with a dirty mind.)

    But in defense of fast readers, in whose company I usually belong, we got that way having to read quantity not quality, and can change gears when we actually have an opportunity to savour good writing.

11. Matt S says:
    March 20th, 2008 at 10:45 pm

    As a grad student, I was going to say that not all fast readers are dicks, but then I realised that I, too, would be creating a redundancy.

12. seoman says:
    March 23rd, 2008 at 4:02 pm

    Am in total agreement. I usually read a page every two minuets, any quicker and I feel I’m not getting the whole story.

13. George says:
    March 23rd, 2008 at 4:37 pm

    You read in 3/4 time and only one page per two dances? Sorry, I couldn’t resist.

14. Monica says:
    March 23rd, 2008 at 9:06 pm

    George, FTW

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