Monday 16 August 2010

Man Booker What purpose a book?

I've been thinking about why I read, and about why other people read. What really is the purpose? I started out with entertainment and enjoyment and then went onto:

instruction

education

inspiration

moralising

escapism

experimentation

story-telling

propaganda

recording history

boundary-pushing

conscience-raising

I'm sure I'll add a few more to this list.

But in the meantime, why do I read? Is it 'simply' for pleasure? If it is, is that enough? Should I not want to be educated? Should I not want my conscience poked and prodded?

I'm gonna give that some thought and get back to y'all.

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1 comment:

  1. David T. Macknet17 August 2010 at 08:03

    Reading is part of your dialogue with your self - that other person which constitutes your conscience. Without it, and without reading things which challenge it, you'd simply be going through the motions of life.

    So says Hannah Arendt, at least.

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