Hello once again:
Ever since I first became an avid reader of literary fiction (around the time of my high school graduation) it's become a routine of mine to read, watch, and listen to reviews, discussions, and analyses of the books I read before moving on to the next. This helps me to catch any plot points or themes I may have overlooked; it also gives me the chance to explore a point of view other than my own. This all helps me feel more confident in my own opinion and understanding of the books, and I highly recommend this to everyone who reads books in their free time. In doing so myself, I sometimes pondered putting my own ideas out there too, in written or video form. Like many things, this was just an idea of mine, and for months I never acted on this mild desire.
There wasn't a single event that made me change my mind; rather, I slowly found myself putting more thought into it. Quarantine definitely had an impact on my decision. As the weeks turned to months, I grew unsatisfied with my lazy lifestyle, and I started to push myself to do as many "productive" things as I could while I was stuck at home. So, for instance, instead of playing video games all day long, I started taking the time to do other things, such as practicing my piano, learning French, and reading a ton (duh). I've been really happy with myself because of it: sleeping in, eating poorly, and playing games all day left me feeling unfulfilled. Even though I'm still (STILL!) stuck at home and out of work due to the pandemic, I now feel like my lifestyle isn't all bad. In fact, studies show learning skills such as a new language or instrument is good for your brain. This ties in to one of my biggest takeaways from reading Aristotle's Nicomachean Ethics (something I'll dive deeper into in the future): the idea that a life of intellect is the best life to lead.
Another contributing factor was a YouTube video I recently watched from the socio-philosophical commentator, Lana Blakely. The video, titled "How I Stop Perfectionism from Ruining my Life," like all her videos, is worth the watch.
In her video, Blakely makes a convincing argument that life isn't about waiting for the opportunity to perfect something; rather, it's about constant improvement through actually doing something. "Ideas don't usually pop up in our head when we want them to," she explains. "Most of the time, they appear when we're actively doing." To quote Blakely's quote from James Clear, "It's not the quest to achieve one perfect goal that makes you better, it's the skills you develop from doing a body of work." This idea -- that the time you spend learning new things is more valuable than the idea of perfecting them -- encouraged me to create a blog where I can focus not on writing the best analyses ever, but on pushing myself to simply create a body of work I can be proud of. Perfect or not (and they certainly won't be), I'm excited to express myself here.
Another topic I want to touch on is the idea that will be at the core of every post I make here: reading is for everyone, and the classics are no different. When I tell people that I prefer reading literary fiction, I always earnestly recommend that they try some out for themselves, and yet they always respond with an implication that they're not "smart enough." This is an idea that I believe comes from the way our school systems approach teaching students about literature, but that's a topic for next time (hint hint). Whatever the reason, it's simply untrue. I want to make it clear that I'm by no means a literary genius. I'm just a normal guy, and yet reading has given me so much! I genuinely feel this can happen for anyone who gives it a try. People also often say that they simply don't know where to begin, but I'd argue that's part of the fun too. While there are some titles many would consider "entry-level," the truth is you can jump into any book that interests you, and if you don't like it, simply move on to something new after you've finished it. Eventually, you'll have an idea of what you like.
I chose to start ReaDiscover Literature because I think it will be an exciting outlet for me to share my thoughts on literature and more, but this was only after figuring out what exactly I looked to achieve here. I don't expect to be the best literary critic ever, but I just want to have fun and grow from the experience. My main goal, however, is to spread my belief that my own discovery of literature isn't exclusive to me. Everyone should discover literature. Everyone can ReaDiscover Literature!
Thank you for reading, and keep contemplating! :)
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