Effects of Reading

[andave_ya]

I'm not sure if this thread should be here or in chat...I daresay the Admin. will move it if need be...Thanks Admin! :)


How has reading affected you? I am going to do a speech encouraging people, those attending school especially, to read. For myself, I've got a vivid imagination, wide vocabulary, and strong background because of the lovely books I read. Not only that, but I want to learn Latin --Latin-- because one of my favorite book series has Latin in it. And because my favorite author, Dorothy L. Sayers, strongly encourages it. By getting your replies, I'll be able to show the pros and cons (cons? are there any?) of reading, not to mention establishing credibility. Thanks, and may your shadow never grow thinner! :P

[Bysshe]

More than anything else, reading has inspired me to write. To me that seems to be one of the most important effects of reading, as without having read novels in the first place, most writers wouldn't have gone on to write their own books.

Reading a bad book, or at least a book that you don't think much of (in my case, Anne Rice's "Interview with the Vampire") encourages you and makes you think "I could probably do better than that." And then of course, reading a good book gives you something to aim towards...

[Neo_Sephiroth]

How has reading affected me? Hmm...Well, because of reading, I have a little more knowledge of certain things. I wouldn't consider myself "smart" by any means. I just enjoy reading...Well, when it comes to stuff that catches my interests.

Besides, reading nowadays is, dare I say, important?:D Believe me, if I couldn't read and understand instructions on something I have to set up...I'll kill myself.:sick:

[B-Mental]

I was reading a Vonnegut, 'Fates Worse Than Death', and he goes off on all the psychological and physiological benefits of reading. I can honestly say that I never get bored, if I always keep a book around (which I do, by the dozens).

[manolia]

I agree with all the above (especially with the rich vocabulary and vivid imagination part). Also reading has increased my eloquence (which is very usefull for my work). And most important it helps me relax and forget. I lead a stressfull life and i always cherish those moments during the night when i can read a few lines of a good book.

[manyreddevils]

reading the right books is like laser eye surgery for your soul.

[EAP]

Reading is entertaining. Knowledge also makes for good conversation starters.

[grace86]

Eloquence...yes I agree. I am smarter in the sense of constructing sentences that are more worthwile. I am an editor at my job, so in the practical sense reading has taught me more about spelling, vocabulary and sentence structure.

On a more intimate basis, my perspectives on the world alter according to what I seek out (and not what is fed), my imagination has gotten wider so I am therefore able to create (in many senses). Another benefit is that I get to experience times and places I never could in real life. I've got a great view of England and I must say I've never looked up photos online. :p

It takes patience to read, so I think that I've greatly improved upon my patience even with others.

And it is just one of my chosen ways to be entertained...and greatly cherished.

[metal134]

Reading made me a more eloquent person and has opened my mind to want to absorb more information on a variety of topics, which has in turn made me a more well rounded person. As far as patience? That's a more difficult one to answer. I am patient in certain aspects, such as when it comes to reading a book that moved slow or a wathcing a movie that moves slow, etc., but when it comes to life in general, I would say that I am a somewhat short tempered person.

[bazarov]

I've never meet a person who reads a lot, and is not very clever.
Cons??? I know some people who got ''crazy'', they've lost sense for reality...They forgot to end the book and return to their world.

[andave_ya]

They forgot to end the book and return to their world.

forgot?...I think I envy those people...As long as I am a student, though, I will always be pulled back to reality. Sigh.

[loe]

I know some people who got ''crazy'', they've lost sense for reality...They forgot to end the book and return to their world.

Yes - especially the russian literature is a "dangerous" example for this.;) You get swallowed from these books, and at the end your are (hopefully) thrown out again - maybe as a new human being.
And that's for me the fascination of reading :)

Greetings

[JBI]

Reading has emptied my wallet (students don't have much money), drained my time, and caused me eye pains from staring at the book too late ate night.
But I loved every minute of it.

I personally enjoy books because it enriches the life I live. Like going to a museum and seeing some art, or listening to a great piece of music, reading makes life that much more enjoyable. Just think of all those people in the world who can't read. Scary isn't it.

[Neo_Sephiroth]

For someone who already enjoys reading and literature, this is a silly question.:p

But, I have been thinking about it, and the answers are obvious on how reading has affected me.

My volcabulary is growing each day with every...Nay! My volcabulary grows with ANYTHING that can be read.

My interests in literature grows with the findings of old and new writers alike.

Dante *The Divine Comedy*, for example, has inspired me to learn Italian. Not only that, but because of the depth of Dante's work, I became interested in the Holy Bible more than before. But that's not the end of it, in the Divine Comedy, Dante mentions other great writers, poets*i.e. Virgil...Among others, of course*, and many folks in history's past of historical importance. *Okay...Maybe not important...But enough to pique my curiosities in finding who they might be and what connection that they might have with history*

Oh! So much more! *Ahem* But I'll stop there...:D

[grace86]

Reading has emptied my wallet (students don't have much money), drained my time, and caused me eye pains from staring at the book too late ate night.
But I loved every minute of it.


Well said in every respect. ;)

[Thatch]

I haven't read a book in a while, so I have an empty feeling. I must say, though, that having read really helped to connect the dots about ideas that were always swishing around in my head. Two books that really did this was Papillon and War and Peace. On the other hand I have a real problem with vocabulary. Every time I read a book I must have my Oxford mini-dictionary on hand. One book in particular that I enjoyed was Hard Times, but every page I had to look up about 10 words. That put a real strain on my enjoyment. And, yeah, reading is great.

[bazarov]

Yes - especially the russian literature is a "dangerous" example for this.;) You get swallowed from these books, and at the end your are (hopefully) thrown out again - maybe as a new human being.
And that's for me the fascination of reading :)

Greetings

Surely a much better human.:)

[Martian Poet]

- An increased vocabulary, for one thing!

- A better understanding of who I am as a person, why I feel the way I feel at points in my life, and literature has even helped my understand my motivation and my lethargy.

- My intelligence is increased, as is everyones, every time something is read. It doesn't matter if someone is reading drivel by Anne Rice or Atlas Shrugged by Rand, the intelligence level is definetly increased with every word that is read. Unless you're reading James Patterson....;)

- My interests have expanded. Reading the Dialogues of Plato inspired my interest in philosiphy in general, and to an extent: psychology. I always felt Plato was an unrecognized early pioneer of psychoanalysis, constantly disregarded. It is indeed he who said "The unexamined life is not worth living". I have discovered Classical music through many different works that refrence Classical music, Jazz music through the poetry of Philip Levine, etc.

- As someone mentioned before: I get no sleep and am constantly broke, as well.

[Pensive]

- Command in the language in which I read the book, whether it is English or Urdu.

- Escapism.

- Knowledge, which gives me this grand feeling that at least I am aware of what is going around me.

To sum this all in one word: reading has brought this thing called "fun" or "entertainment" in my life with all other things I like.

[andave_ya]

reading has played a very large part in making me secure in who I am.

[l'étranger]

Too much of reading never make good writers, but analysts.

It stimulates and stunts the imagination at the same time.

[Annamariah]

I've read a lot since I was a little child, and that has had a huge influence in my life. I've learned much about history and other things just by reading novels, which doesn't feel like studying at all but really makes you wiser :D

Reading is a very cheap hobby, too. When I want to read some book, I don't buy it but I get it from library, which doesn't cost anything at all. I only buy the books I know I'm going to read many times, and often I can find those books from flea markets or second-hand bookshops.

[Daizee]

yeah, I definitely believe that reading encourages people to write. At the school at which I teach, it is clear from students' writing who reads regularly and who doesn't. It is also clear when doing SATs reading papers that those who read often tend to do better, since they can read their booklet twice in the time it takes another student to read it once. So YES, reading is fab!! :p

[Shannanigan]

I have to agree with everything here, and add...

-I have experienced many things through reading that I never would have, and possibly never will, in real life. Good writers have helped me feel what it would be like to live in other countries, other cultures, other time periods, and even in nonexistant universes...

-Reading also gave me a really solid base of knowledge when I was younger. I was always the one other kids turned to for answers because I just seemed to know so much, when really I was just always reading stuff. Some teachers thought that I came from a wealthy family that travelled the world because of all the stuff I knew, but I have still never left the US (sad, I know). I know stuff because I read stuff...

-Reading is so personalized; kids don't tend to think of it that way. They think all people who read are bookworms, and that they must be reading classics. You don't have to read classics; I personally enjoy science fiction, fantasy, and horror alongside my classic, non-fiction, and interest books. I really think that the variety of writing out there really needs to be more emphasized to kids. All I ever read in elementary school was the Goosebumps book series by R.L. Stein. Far from great literature, but it was my gateway to a broader perspective.

[andave_ya]

I'm right beside you there.

[beat wanderer]

I think reading can be alot more than just entertainment and escapism. For me reading also can have alot of therapeutic qualities. I think it can be extremely comforting to see ourselves in characters, and thereby almost experience what they are going through when we would have never had the chance to experience such things in our own life. I think reading can also give us a much expanded view of human behaviour and alot of psychological insights. A good author usually has a good grasp of what makes people tick, despite the fact that the characters themselves are not real. Books can also be a cure for loneliness in some respects. When we have ideas, thoughts or feelings that otherwise go unmentioned in our immediate environment we may feel alienated and alone. It can be extremely comforting to see these given creedence in a book thus giving them some grounding in normality and legitimacy. Of course these only happen in really good books!

[grace86]

All I ever read in elementary school was the Goosebumps book series by R.L. Stein. Far from great literature, but it was my gateway to a broader perspective.


Goosebumps and The Baby Sitter's Club!

[Asa Adams]

Goosebumps and The Baby Sitter's Club!

YAY GOOSEBUMPS!!!! I loved to read those silly books! :lol:

[aeroport]

Too much of reading never make good writers, but analysts.


I think I could do with a few more "analytical" writers, myself.



And, in my case, reading has benefited me by allowing me to participate on LitNet! Plus some other stuff...

[hyperinsomnia]

It's an addiction! I can't think of anything I would rather do than curl up with a book. They get you out of the tiny rutt you live in and take you somewhere else, whether it's a real place or not..

[DahliaBlood]

Reading makes me forget about the world. When I am with my book I feel as if I am one with the book.

It is reading that provoked me to want to write my own stories and at least try to give joy to the people who read them.

Creative writing is never a problem for me in school and English is my favourite subject.

Most girls my age prefer to read magazines and not novels. I admit that I sometimes indulge myself in a magazine or two but my love for books will never waver. Magazines are just pages of who this celeb is dating but books, well that is completely different. They tell a story. You become involved in it. Everything is alright lol.

I currently work with children who are mentally slow and I teach them how to read. This is my greatest pleasure in life. It makes my day just to see their faces light up when I come in with my book. Even if it is just a picture book.

I think it is a fab idea to encourage people to read. Because without it, where would we all be?

There are a few cons.....I read constantly during my exams hehehe. It helps me relax but unfortunately drives my mother insane. So studying is often put off to finish my book. But still...one can hardly call that a con. That is an addiction lol. And yes My main purpose in life is to buy a new book every week and drive my mother to bankrupcy. But I would die if you took away my books. Also sleep is something I have not had in a while :D

Lauren xoxox.

[SleepyWitch]

all of the above
plus: gives you something to do when you're on the train/bus/underground or when you're bored

the more you read the easier it becomes. --> if you read books in your free time, it'll be easier for you to read other texts (text books, instructions, manuals, newspapers etc)
( i think one of the reasons some kids don't like reading is because they are slow readers, but the more your read the better you get and then it's fun)

[andave_ya]

Yes!!

[AChristieFan]

Reading for me has opened up my imaginaton so much that I wanted to be a writer but I've stopped writing. I'm thinking I'll start writing again.

[Lioness_Heart]

I just love reading so much. It's not really possible to say all of the good things about reading because it gives you so much! Reading has definately made me who I am today.

If I was going to say the ONE BEST THING about reading, I would say... the escapism: reading allows you to leave your life behind for a while and go somewhere else. It broadens your mind so much! And your imagination... It means that even at a young age, you can have experienced so much and have a proper insight into people and the human condidtion...

That's more than one thing. But like I said, it's hard to say just one thing! And another thing reading is good for: it encourages thought, and linking of ideas... it encourages waffle in me though... :(

[optimisticnad]

Huh! Ha! Reading! Where to start! Because of reading I am not sure about anything, like someone once said, the more I read the less i know. i didn't know much to start out with and now I bloody know less!

But...I LOVE READING. IT ROCKS.