Reading vs. "Reading"
Ann Althouse links to this NYT article about the debate between reading "purists" and people who listen to audiobooks in addition to or instead of reading them. The article itself is kind of interesting, just because it introduces the idea of reader snobbery and a few of the differences between how people comprehend books visually and auditorily (and yes, that is a word - I looked it up to make sure).
As usual, though, Althouse's post and her commenters add a several layers to the discussion. It's always interesting for me to recognize my own habits (most of which I've never noticed before) in someone's comments. For instance, in the comments, Althouse mentions that when she reads a book, she remembers where certain ideas are placed on the page. I'm exactly the same way - something I relied on when taking history, government and art history tests. When I didn't remember something immediately, I could work backwards from placement to content. (In my senior year in college International Organizations class, I was one of the only people to get a question about the Sullivan papers correct - entirely because the description was in a footnote, not the regular text, so I remembered where it was. Random.)
Overall, my take on the "reader snobbery" thing (as someone who reads a lot but has never listened to a book) is that it's ridiculous. I wish I could listen to books. Much like I wish I could read in the car. Or walking. Or on a treadmill (I did read a lot of Kavalier & Clay on an elliptical machine and I almost fell off more than once). Unfortunately, if I'm going to finish a book, I need to concentrate. (That said, I read most books while watching TV. But I also only finish about 30% of the books I read - no patience.)
If I listened to a book on tape, I'd literally have to take notes to understand it (unless it was a really, really simplistic book. Like a children's book. But even a simple one of those.) Not that I mind taking notes, but that would defeat the purpose of listening to a book. I certainly couldn't do it while driving.
As usual, though, Althouse's post and her commenters add a several layers to the discussion. It's always interesting for me to recognize my own habits (most of which I've never noticed before) in someone's comments. For instance, in the comments, Althouse mentions that when she reads a book, she remembers where certain ideas are placed on the page. I'm exactly the same way - something I relied on when taking history, government and art history tests. When I didn't remember something immediately, I could work backwards from placement to content. (In my senior year in college International Organizations class, I was one of the only people to get a question about the Sullivan papers correct - entirely because the description was in a footnote, not the regular text, so I remembered where it was. Random.)
Overall, my take on the "reader snobbery" thing (as someone who reads a lot but has never listened to a book) is that it's ridiculous. I wish I could listen to books. Much like I wish I could read in the car. Or walking. Or on a treadmill (I did read a lot of Kavalier & Clay on an elliptical machine and I almost fell off more than once). Unfortunately, if I'm going to finish a book, I need to concentrate. (That said, I read most books while watching TV. But I also only finish about 30% of the books I read - no patience.)
If I listened to a book on tape, I'd literally have to take notes to understand it (unless it was a really, really simplistic book. Like a children's book. But even a simple one of those.) Not that I mind taking notes, but that would defeat the purpose of listening to a book. I certainly couldn't do it while driving.
posted by Kit Pollard at
1:00 PM
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