THE ART OF READING

Here are some interesting points from Henry David Thoreau's essay about 'Reading' found in his book Walden that I have collated and commented on.

Thoreau’s residence near the shores of Walden Pond afforded him a place more conducive to serious reading than any university could. He believed that our mornings should be dedicated to the pages of great literature, specifically the classics or the finest works. He even expresses disdain on how people chose to devalue their mornings by doing house chores or working.

He emphasized the value of classics by stating, “For what are classics but the noblest thoughts of man” and describing them as, “the only oracles which are not decayed… we might as well omit to study nature because she is old. Reading well is a noble intellectual exercise.”

Thoreau made it clear that, “books must be read as deliberately and reservedly as they were written”. To read deliberately, it behooves us to engage in a noble exercise comparable to that of an athlete’s training – intense focus and commitment.

He described written words as, “the choicest of relics… not only be read but actually breathed from all human lips.” The second part of the sentence is very insightful. Thoreau was able to conjure up a fresh view or perspective on reading books. This made me see books or any written word as phenomenal. Thoreau noted that authors of the greatest works exerted a more profound influence on humankind than any king or emperor. Thoreau has repeatedly expressed his admiration to the authors of old by describing the works thereof as “heroic literary labors of the ancients”.

Thoreau lamented on how people stopped short with what can be considered as elementary reading – basic reading. The kind of reading that could only go as far as to equip us to do our daily business and not get cheated. A means to get by. A mere tool. He urged us, instead, by saying, “having learned our letters, we should read the best that is in literature.” To go on reading books that are over our head and not be satisfied with the wisdom of one good book.

Since most men have little to no interest in the classics, as a result, there’s no depth to our communications, and thus, we ended up having feeble intellects. Thoreau went on to explain or rather described his observation of the people, who’s supposedly a college bred, do not have the slightest interest in English classics, a language which all can read and speak fairly well. You can imagine how tragic one feels after enjoying a classic book, finds that he has no one he could discuss it with, and thus, forced to keep quiet. Thoreau experienced this isolation in Concord, and I would argue that it’s a feeling still relevant today.

People in his day, and nowadays if I may add, were more motivated to make money rather than seek wisdom in written words. He strongly declared that men were “under-bred and low-lived and illiterate”. And then goes on by stating that there’s not much difference between those who cannot read and those who can but very much far from being well-read.

Thoreau went on to illustrate that books contains words addressed to our present conditions which provide us perspective we didn’t know then. They contain words uttered effortlessly by authors, which to us, seemed unutterable – addressing questions we struggle with, so that we only need to look back and read their accounts. Viewed in this light, books can actually save us.

Reading, as Thoreau saw it, is a powerful tool for deep thinking. He mastered the art of reflective reading, seeing how he never failed to put great light on the very nature of reading even calling it a "noble intellectual exercise".

I’ll close with a quote from another great reader and writer, Mortimer Adler, author of How to Read a Book: “All great writers were great readers.”

Image is A.I. generated using Freepik