Blog Post #1: Good Readers and Good Writers
What does Nabokov think makes a good reader?
Nabokov had some genuinely good outlooks on how to be a good reader. He talks about being a good reader you have to have imagination, memory, and a dictionary. (615). Nabokov explains that when you are reading you should notice the details even if it takes you a second time reading the book a reader should be able to picture and imagine the details that are being talked about in the book to help understand it. To imagine something in writing can really help you understand and really get into the book. As for memory well that is important because usually throughout the book it will bring up past times for example and you will have to remember what the author is talking about to understand the text. Also if you do not have a good vocabulary many books will be hard for you to read and understand which might make you not like the book or like reading simply because you do not have a good dictionary. I like how Nabokov said “if one begins with a ready-made generalization, one begins at the wrong end and travels away from the book before one has started to understand it.”(Nabokov 613).
Do you agree?
I defiantly agree with Nabokov. I feel that when you pick a book you cannot judge it by its cover or will probably be missed led. I also agree that a good reader has to have imagination, a good memory, and a decent vocabulary. If you do not have a good imagination how do you expect to like a book or really get into the book. As for memory you need to have a good one especially if the reader likes to read a series of books like Twilight. Well for the dictionary part its simple you either understand it or you don’t. If you keep reading though your vocabulary will improve and you will become a better reader.
What do you believe are the characteristics of a good reader?
I think that one of the most important characteristics for a good reader is that you have to personally enjoy reading. You have to have a passion for reading otherwise you’re not reading to your full potential. If you do not like reading then you are probable just doing it because you have to not because you want to. With that state of mind a reader will probably not have a good imagination or memory they are just reading to get through it. So if you want to be a good read try picking something that you are interested in.
Do you consider yourself a good reader?
I do not think that I am a good reader. Probably because I am not very good at reading. Honestly I do not have a very wide vocabulary so sometime reading is hard for me. Also I always say why should I read when I can go outside and do something active. I notice that I also always say I have better things to do than to read a book and that’s probably because I’m not good at reading so I don’t enjoy it. I have had people tell me that I just haven’t found the right book yet but really I haven’t even looked because I choose not to. I feel like there are better things for me to do than to sit around and read. As I am reading all of this out loud I realized that all of my reasons why I don’t like to read are just excuse because I am not a good reader.
Here is a Link on how to become a good reader.
Thanks for replying to my post! I think that a love for reading starts when you are very young. Perhaps when you were in elementary school, a teacher didn't stress reading as an enjoyable part of the curriculum? That could possibly be a reason, because culminating an interest in literature when you are older will definitely be difficult. However, reading is so important in our world, even if it is just flipping through magazines because in America we are so blessed to even know how to read and write. So good luck and be positive! I hope this class helps you! :)
ReplyDeleteShelly,
ReplyDeleteExcellent blog post! I absolutely agree with your definition of a good reader. The Idea of not judging a book by its cover is absolutely essential. Like yourself I also find reading not to come naturally to me because of all the other things out there to do but from my somewhat minimal reading I have found some of the best stories to have a very uneventful appearance to them. Another part of this post I found interesting was the amount of detail you added on your ideas of a good reader and your reasons for why you don’t believe you are a particularly good reader. This made this post much more capturing and easy to read then others.