And now let me give six pieces of specific advice upon your reading:
First,read with full sympathy,casting out prejudices and giving yo urselves up wholly to the will of the writer.You must feel him,know hi m."When I am reading a book," said Dean Swift,"whether wise or sill y,it seems to be alive and talking to me." There was a man who had the art of reading.
Second,do not worry too much about allusions you do not understand,or pay too much attention to notes and the commentary of scholars.This writing is for you:do not let some pedant step between you and your fri end,the writer.
Third,read aloud as much as possible.Your roommate,your wife,you r sweetheart,your best friend will probably be glad to listen to you.Y ou will be surprised to find how much more pleasure you get from reading by sharing it.Moreover,reading aloud is a valuable aid to interpretati on.Hardress O'Grady,an English teacher of speech,in a little book ca lled,after pointing out how much attention writers give to the sound o f their words and phrases,urges the reader to do his part as thoroughly.First by taking in with his eyes the written word,next by saying alou d the sounds that compose the words and the rhythms of the sentences,he will,in reverse order,put himself on the same place as the author:he will be imitating those mechanical actions which were the concrete trans lation of the author's innermost being.
Fourth,re-read the parts you like best.You will discover new meani ngs,new beauties,each time you go over a great book,and it will becom e more and more your own.
Fifth,if the volume you are reading is your own,do not hesitate to mark in the margin the passages that appeal to you.My reason for giving this counsel may be briefly stated thus:You are collaborating with the writer when you read his book.Your experiences,ideas,and feelings joi n with his in producing the total effect of the book.Now if you mark th e book,you are leaving an actual physical record of that collaboration;you have stamped the book as your own in a visible way.I hope you will own many of the books you read,and that you will stamp them with eviden ce of your ownership of them.