You can get something positive from just about anything you read, whether it's fascinating information, an hour's entertainment, or the realization that your favorite breakfast food includes laboratory ingredients with indecipherable names (yes, I've been that bored). What matters is what you do with it. But I get more out of Homer and Hugo than the spicy books of the hour, and I can actually talk about them with my students and friends.
Thank you. This morning, because of “real life stressors” I began thinking about picking up some light fluff. Because I need a little simple joy to balance things. I normally read everything, but have been heavy into bleakness for some time—dystopian fantasies and sci-fi where people are—people, just normal, heinous, humans. I need some fluff, and (although I didn’t really need it) you gave me permission! ;)
You can learn as much about the world reading lowbrow things as you would highbrow things- and usually the former don't dress it up in formal university techniques.
To me, whatever you read, the more interesting question is: “How deeply read are you?”
You can get something positive from just about anything you read, whether it's fascinating information, an hour's entertainment, or the realization that your favorite breakfast food includes laboratory ingredients with indecipherable names (yes, I've been that bored). What matters is what you do with it. But I get more out of Homer and Hugo than the spicy books of the hour, and I can actually talk about them with my students and friends.
Thank you. This morning, because of “real life stressors” I began thinking about picking up some light fluff. Because I need a little simple joy to balance things. I normally read everything, but have been heavy into bleakness for some time—dystopian fantasies and sci-fi where people are—people, just normal, heinous, humans. I need some fluff, and (although I didn’t really need it) you gave me permission! ;)
You can learn as much about the world reading lowbrow things as you would highbrow things- and usually the former don't dress it up in formal university techniques.