Can you read too much? Is there such a thing?
Isn't that sort of like doing "too much charity work" or being "too nice" or "too pretty"?
Reading is not only fun, it's educational and whatnot. Who ever says "You learn too much! Stop learning things."
No one, that's who.
But then, people say, "Everything in moderation."
Does that mean I have to be moderate in my reading? Is it selfish of me to read? If the world was ending and I just sat on my couch and read would I be crossing a line?
I really want to know. Please tell me what you think.
Have you ever read BLEAKHOUSE by Dickens? There's a character Mrs. Jellyby that I thought of with the "too much charity work" thought. Her whole family is in disarray and uncared for. And I've even known people like that.
ReplyDeleteI think, too, there's even too much learning, "much study is a weariness of the flesh." But I don't think it means you stop learning. I think sometimes you have to take a break from learning because your body and mind need to be refreshed by doing something else. My sister LOVES to learn (and read), and though she enjoys a lot of aspects of her dissertation, there is also a point where she has to "stop learning" and go play softball or be weird with nieces. :)
I guess reading is the same thing. If the house was on fire, I probably wouldn't grab the first collection of Jane Austen novels I'd ever read that I have a fond attachment for because my aunt gave them to me years ago (besides being awesome novels!). Nor would I even grab Dickens or Shakespeare or even Stephenie Meyer (had to include her! ;) I'm sure I'd be grabbing the kids and my purse (hey, need credit cards to stay somewhere if the house burned down) and running for the hills. But when I have time (and the house isn't on fire) and I can escape the pressures of daily living and revel in the delights of another person's characters, settings, point of view, and descriptive scenes, then I pick up my novel and read to my heart's content. And for moms who are home A LOT, that novel is the difference between sanity and complete INSANITY. :)
Right now, I'm reading GREAT EXPECTATIONS. I've never read it before. Have you? It's so creepy!!!