Discussion»Questions»Books and Literature» Ten years ago, at 58, I found Hugo's Hunchback boring within the first 50 pages. Today I find the same translation virtually unputdownable.
Ten years ago, at 58, I found Hugo's Hunchback boring within the first 50 pages. Today I find the same translation virtually unputdownable.
What might have happened in the intervening years to have made such a difference? My reading habits hadn't changed significantly; and 10 years in 68 isn't such a significant chunk of my life either.
Ten years ago I watched a movie. Now I don't have that much patience.
John Green at mentalfloss.com got so much feedback that he now provides a transcript of his shows so people can read at their own convenience, rather than pausing the video.
I don't read books any more, I only read online so I can enlarge the font. Even though I can't read a whole line at a glance, I can still read about three times as fast as people talk, so I get bored listening to a talking head.
We mature. We understand others better. I find it with the Australian author, Patrick White. At 18 -25 years, I found his writing bleak. Now I gape with awe at the simplicity of his lyric prose, the sweep of his view of Australian society and landscape, and his sense of history and change. My mother once told me that a great novel improves with age. It took till after she died to know what she meant.
This post was edited by Benedict Arnold at October 30, 2019 8:27 AM MDT
I agree with your mother's words. I noticed this with Dickens' Great Expectations and Somerset Maugham's Of Human Bondage. Both were re-read after about 25 years.
Benedict Arnold 