u/Historical_Swim1064 — reddlx

1984

Chaotic.

I have a lot of questions around reading fiction. Some background about me would be that I JUST got into reading and ended up finishing two books so far. It had been an interesting journey until I started reading 1984 by George Orwell.

I mean, WTF???

Do authors intentionally write novels so damn difficult to be perceived to make it "beautiful"? And I know I may come across immature in asking that.

I understand that in order for content to be interesting, complexity is inevitable. But it can at least be intelligible which I'm not getting why it isn't.

No sentence from the book is something which is making me question either "what" or "why"?

I understand that I was never a reader for ALMOST all my life but that doesn't mean I have problems with either reading or comprehension.

How will I even be able to finish reading a particular story if I'm not able to comprehend anything that's being read.

I also am aware of the nature of the novel, that it's dystopian, which is one and maybe the only reason I bought it, because I like the genre. Which is the reason I'm expecting that I'd at least understand it superficially, if not minute details.

I've, simultaneously, been reading How to Read a Book by Mortimer J. Adler, which, as one of the reading levels, talks about Inspectional Reading. It suggests to:

Skim the book systematically
Reading the book superficially.

And then reading it for the second time to make it make sense. However, I don't seem to have been able to apply that tactic in reading 1984 considering I'm not getting any of this.

One might argue that I may be zoning out in the middle of my reading it but I'm not. I don't wanna be going about spending minutes in understanding a single sentence and there's a hundred sentences from the chapter that I don't seem to understand.

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u/Historical_Swim1064 — 11 days ago

▲ 71 r/IndiansRead

3rd one. The book is changing/altering my thoughts for good.

I guess, never in my entire life, I had thought of reading in a way that this book is making me feel about reading. I'd been juggling 2-3 books together. Coupled Sapiens with an encyclopedia and for some reason, there were many things that were bothering me. I'd ordered "How to read a book" by Mortimer J. Adler and decided that I'd not be reading until this book gets delivered.

There are things in this book that are changing my view towards reading, not that I'd had a pessimistic view but the way I feel about reading after reading some of this book is way better.

Not only the book talks about the practical methods, but also, motivates you towards reading in a way.

I'd felt the urge to read this one before anything because a lot of people talked about it and the title of course.

u/Historical_Swim1064 — 12 days ago

▲ 5 r/IndiansRead

Read my 2nd book a while ago

Been an overthinker all my life and not sure what is making me create this post. Having these kinda thoughts since I'm scared of considering myself superior in comparison with today's typical youth, JUST because I was able to read.

Letting my thoughts flow freely and letting them jot themselves down freely..

So my first book, that was able to FINISH, was a non-fiction read and was something I posted here about as well.

This morning, I was finally done reading Animal Farm by George Orwell (The shorter version) and had a taste of novel, how it feels, reading a novel, for the very first time. And, man it had been an amazing journey.

The reason why I ended up reading the shorter one because I had not known that it was a shorter one and that the ACTUAL one exists.

It was my very first read and, at times, I felt lost, and might have expected things that I shouldn't have (unrealistic things) out of reading it because I had seen movies based on novels.

I'm not sure what next I should be reading.

Most of the books I have are of the non-fiction genre. I have some novels as well: White Nights by l Fyodor Dostoevsky, again, the shorter one, then I got Perfume by Patrick Suskind, Sophie's World.

I'm also inclined towards thought-provoking non-fiction like Sapiens, which I possess.

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u/Historical_Swim1064 — 15 days ago

▲ 24 r/IndiansRead

Finally, I was able to complete my first book, had started a week ago or something. I mean, I'd read Word Power Made Easy by Norman Lewis before but that, I think, doesn't count since it's considered more of a workbook.

I have had questions through my reading this book and while I just am able to discuss couple of those, I hope those questions may, eventually, get discussed in the thread.

I still didn't happen to understand the meaning of Courage. I mean I can guess, but if courage is the concept the book is revolved around, what's the points of the practical methods discussed in the book?

While some concepts ACTUALLY helped me decode a lot pf stuff happening in my life, at times, I felt, the book contradicts itself.

This response from the philosopher on page 259: "I think the discussion has now reached the water's edge. Whether you drink the water or not is entirely up to you."

Hein?

Wasn't the point of the whole discussion was to get to a level to be able to drink the water? If I'm making any sense.

I can't also digest the fact the the youth, strangely, stopped asking counter questions to the philosopher. I really liked the nature of the youth in the beginning when he kept asking questions to the philosopher, getting dissatisfied with almost all of his responses. However, when the book almost comes to an end, the last chapter, the youth effortlessly accepts everything.

I'm also referring to a possibility of getting the gist of this book by both reading it again and applying the methods in my life practically.

u/Historical_Swim1064 — 25 days ago