The pleasure of re-reading
Saturday, April 12th, 2008Over the years, I find that I’m more likely to re-read a book that I have previously enjoyed than I am to find something new. Weirdly enough, this is particularly true of genres that most people think of as “one-time-only”–like mystery and science fiction. In trying to understand why I am drawn to re-reading, some of the pleasure is knowing the details of the plot, so that I can relish the ways in which the characters do (or don’t) confuse themselves as the plot goes on. In other words, I find myself concentrating on the characters rather than what happens.
Of course, the book needs to have characters that I want to spend time with. It may be embarassing to me to admit, but I have to say that one of my main models for a personal relationship is the relationship of Peter Wimsey and Harriet Vane as described by Dorothy Sayers. Maybe that’s why it took until I was in my 40s to find the right guy.
There is, of course, another variety of re-reading–coming back to a great book after some number of years have passed. It’s not that the book has changed; it’s that I have. Right now, I’m on my second voyage through Marcel Proust’s A la recherche du temps perdu. The first time was about 25 years ago. I have to say that I’m a lot more patient with myself, and with the incrediby convoluted sentences that I have to deal with. But I’ve also lived enough to be able understand somewhat more of what Proust is getting at.
Of course, all this re-reading means that my pile of “to-be-read” grows faster than I can get through it. This isn’t a complaint, just a fact of life.
Bob