The Lost Art of Reading
| Published 10/15/04

Graphic by: Tyler Johnson

During the college years, many of us pass the time listlessly, toying with the Internet, playing video games, studying (rarely), chasing down every sexual opportunity and a few of us even dabble in substance abuse. These days, students often neglect the world of literature. Due to excessive amounts of required course reading, or an extreme aversion to books, it's rare to find collegians immersing themselves in any other realities beyond those that are drug-induced.

It's easy to understand that the busy schedules we all face leave little time for pleasure reading. On the other hand, maybe our busy schedules should include time set aside for the luxuries introduced to the imagination by literature.

On a trip to Roanoke yesterday, I decided that I had a little extra cash, and what better way than to spend it than on some classic literary works? I invested $26 into George Orwell's "Animal Farm," Machiavelli's "The Prince," J.D. Salinger's "Fran and Zooey" and Fyodor Dostoevsky's "Crime and Punishment."

The store clerk said something to the effect of presuming I was buying these books out of academic necessity, which mildly frustrated me. Apparently, young adults have no desire to see the world through others' eyes and minds, and money spent on such products must surely be a sacrifice when I have plenty of beer, cigarettes and condoms on my shopping list as well, right?

The literary world has no bounds, and while much of it can be seen as trite, dull or just uncool, the payoff of becoming a well-read character is immense. Reading leads to a deeper understanding of culture, humanity and life itself, in addition to an expanded vocabulary, a greater knowledge of history, more abstract thought and a growing willingness to aggrandize one's knowledge.

Length (or, time that must be devoted) shouldn't be a factor in the decision to read; however, our hectic lives call upon that factor all too often. Thankfully, some of my personal favorites can be read in a couple hours, which translates to some sixty sessions of toilet activity.

These titles include the aforementioned "Animal Farm," Voltaire's hilarious "Candide" and perhaps the oddest of the three, Kurt Vonnegut's "God Bless You, Dr. Kevorkian," a collection of fictional interviews conducted by Vonnegut himself outside Heaven's gates.

Reading shouldn't be considered time-consuming drudgery, but rather should be viewed as a gift passed from one human to the next. But be warned: literature, when applied correctly, can become an exceptionally potent addiction.