Response to Vladimir Nabokov’s “Good Readers and Good Writers”

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Response to Vladimir Nabokov’s “Good Readers and Good Writers”

Nabokov believes that a good reader is one that is open, open, open; open in their mind, open in their heart, and open to all possibilities where the artist, the author, wants to take the reader.  Nabokov states that “we should always remember that the work of art is invariably the creation of a new world, so that the first thing we should do is to study the new world as closely as possible, approaching it as something brand new having no obvious connection with the world we already know.”  This is a great challenge to the reader.  It is difficult to disconnect from the world we know to enter more fully into a world unknown to us and created by the artist.  I can see how we could delight so much more fully in this approach, but often it is not the way we approach anything in life. We carry with us all our experiences, wherever we go. Nabokov is asking us to be an explorer, a Christopher Columbus, if you will.  He asks us to set out on an adventure to an unknown world not being sure of what we will find, but nonetheless committed to the journey, come what may.  I agree with Nabokov in that the more open the reader, the greater the adventure.  The more open we are in mind, heart, and imagination, the better we can connect with the world that the author has created for us. 

I believe the characteristics of a good reader are similar to what Nabokov describes in “Good Readers and Good Writers.”  I would add the characteristic of being focused and dedicated to what you are reading.  I know for me, at times, it is a challenge to remain focused and dedicated to what I am reading.  I will often catch myself leaving the words on the page and start thinking of other things in my life not related to what I am reading and before I know it, I have read a page or two and have no real understanding or appreciation of what I just read.  Obviously, the relationship is mutually shared between the writer and the reader in keeping the focus and dedication to the work of art.  For the reader that may drift off, they must find ways to re-engage the writing.  I consider myself to be a good reader for the most part.  I guess it depends on what I am reading.  If it is a subject that I have interest in, then I will consume and digest every word and hunger for more, however if the writing is a subject that may not engage me, then my ability to be a good reader decreases pretty quickly.  I lose interest and unfortunately my appreciation for the author’s work of art is lost in my lack of interest.  After reading Nabokov’s lecture about being a good reader, I hope to re-dedicate myself to being a good reader.  Again, I feel that a good reader is one who is open, open, open.

Here is the link to Nabokov's article:http://www.en.utexas.edu/amlit/amlitprivate/scans/goodre.html