"Books help to constitute our identity."This quote is from her book The Female Imagination. Of course, after noting that quote I backed up and read the actual review. The review is for another of her books, published in 2011, titled On Rereading; which, of course, I must read.
I don't do a lot of rereading because I always have so many "new to me" books on my reading list. This is a shame, really, and I've been contemplating this idea of rereading. I want to revisit those books that I loved when I read them the first time; dangerous, I know! After all, what if I no longer love those books? But I'm willing to take that chance. I'm getting old enough that I want to reread books that I read as a young woman. I want to see what my middle aged self thinks about those books. For instance, I read To the Lighthouse by Virginia Woolf nearly 25 years ago. I loved it. It had special meaning for me at that stage of my life. Now I want to see if I still love it ... see if and how it speaks to me now. I'm guessing it will speak to me, but in a different way. I'm hoping that a reread of this book will be an even richer experience than the first time through.
Ms. Spacks argues the case for rereading in her book On Rereading. This brings me back to the quote from The Female Imagination. "Books help to constitute our identity." Rereading helps us see who we were and who we are. It helps us see how we have both changed and remained the same. I suppose I'm at a more reflective stage of life; there is more to reflect upon. I'm curious to understand how I've changed and remained the same. Reflecting on this will involve a certain amount of embarrassment (oh, youthful arrogance), but hopefully it will also prove to be reassuring. I have grown. I have matured. I have a greater capacity to think before I speak. I've learned that in the face of an adamant youthful response it is often wiser to simply smile when I disagree; after all, in another 20 years I might find I think differently after all.
Patricia Meyer Spacks, ON REREADING from Harvard University Press on Vimeo.
I try to reread several books a year, although since I've started book blogging my TBR stack keeps growing so much more rapidly it's hard to keep doing that. But I usually get so much more out of books on rereading them - you can pay more attention to the details and it does tell you more about yourself and how you react to it at different times in your life.
ReplyDeleteBeautiful post.
ReplyDeleteWhile I still reread a few books through my project list (I think that before I started I had read 80 or so of the 250), I don't reread nearly as much as I used to. I bet that before I starting reading from my list 50% of the books I read were rereads. I love visiting old favorites, or reading a passage I loved. I really miss that part of my reading "diet," because I always found more to love in books I read multiple times.
As a kid, I reread all the time. Shadow Castle, Secret Garden, etc. As an adult, I've stopped, for the most part. It seems like when I love a book and try to reread it, I end up hating it--not hating the book, but hating the reread. It's like the surprised delight I have in reading them the first time is gone. Don't know why.
ReplyDeleteI'm always terrified to reread books that I loved upon first read for fear that couldn't possible live up to my memory of them. Although I've made an except with all of Jane Austen's books and every one of them has been more even more enjoyable on reread so I may have to give some of the others a chance.
ReplyDeleteI really like this post. I love the idea of how books helps to constitute our identity and how when we reread a book we read when we were much longer, we get a glimpse into the person we were back then. I think this is an encouragement to actually reread books. I keep hearing people say that after they started a book blog or got on goodreads or the like, they've stopped re-reading because they're constantly exposed to new exciting books they want to read. Myself included. I rarely reread nowadays. But I have a small list of books I want to re-visit and I think I'll make it a priority to do so soon.
ReplyDeleteI LOVE rereading; I feel like the book gets better with age -- at least in the case of the classics. Every time I reread, I feel I get more out of the book that the first time. And I very much agree: "Books help to constitute our identity." ;)
ReplyDeleteI usually reread 30-50 books in a given year. Last year, I reread 80. I love revisiting books because, as you mentioned, they give me a handle on who I am now compared to who I used to be. Rereading lets me explore familiar ideas from a different perspective. It's also an opportunity for me to spend more time with characters I love, and to inhabit settings that mean a lot to me.
ReplyDeleteGood point of view, I haven't thought about the effect of rereading. Perhaps I should do this more often, without prejudicing my past reading experience. Thanks for the post!
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