Why do Readers Read?

Why do Readers Read?

I’ve spent some time thinking about why I and others write. I’ve also considered what it is that we write about. Today I asked myself “Why do people read what is written?” Because it’s there? I doubt the answer is that simple, otherwise more of you would have gone to Kindle and downloaded “Time Out” by that up and coming author, Cliff Tomaszewski.

I think that it is a given that all authors read. Although I have to admit that when I look at the sheer output of authors such as James Patterson I can’t imagine when they find time to read. I mean think about it, just how much free time did Leo Tolstoy while writing “War and Peace?” Over 1,440 pages in English, and over 587 thousand words. Of course a lot of those words were synonyms for “doom” and “gloom.”

Still Tolstoy probably did take some time off while he was writing, and he probably used it to read. I would think that he looked for something light like “Das Kapital,” Marx’s cheerful look at the capital markets of the day. Of course he might have gone for that fictional uplifting tale “Hans Brinker.” I’m sure you all remember the tale of a young Dutch boy who dreams of wining an ice skating race with wooden ice skates, while fretting over his father who has been injured and can no longer support young Hans, his sister, and mother. Good times those 1860s

But back to the question of the day, “Why do we read?” I’m going to leave aside any discussion of non-fiction works that are published primarily to help insomniacs gain repose. While I enjoy a good discussion of the reasons that American cities are failing, I’d rather not go into the finer points here on this Blog.

I suspect that many, if not most, read to go somewhere else. They are trying to find someplace where they might be happier, more peaceful, excited, or even loved. I’ve been in bookstores (Side note #1: Bookstores were brick and mortar buildings where people would go to buy books that were printed on paper.) where aisle after aisle were loaded with books about finding love. Apparently most of those places have clothing that has serious deficiencies in the front seams of men’s shirts. I assume that the people in those books all find love during the warmer months, as such ripped or torn clothing would be a significant hazard in the colder winter months.

Younger readers seem to gravitate towards books that can take them to places where the characters have some special powers. They can magically turn their enemies into harmless statues or small animals. It’s easy to think about why that would be desirous for small ones trapped in places where they cannot escape their persecutors.  Some of these fantasy places are populated with folks who can turn themselves into powerful beasts, able to overcome all opposition.

When I started out looking at the written word it was found on Mars, or in the jungles of some faraway place where great apes would foster human babies. Adventure fiction was my cup of cocoa. Jules Verne, H.G. Wells, Edgar Rice Burroughs those were writers who could take me to places that I thought I’d want to be. Later in life I learned that Mars was a cold lifeless planet, and my time in the jungles of Panama and South East Asia proved that hot and rainy weren’t much better. Still traveling there in the magical pages of the books written about them was a wonderful experience.

More than a few years back I was in a theater at the midnight showing of the first “Harry Potter” movie. I was surprised as I looked around the theater waiting for the movie to start at the large number of children who were dressed in long black school gowns and were carrying sticks that I’m sure were magic wands to them. They had discovered the world of books and had been carried away to the land where magic really existed. It occurs to me now that those ten year olds sitting in that theater with me waiting to see how the written word would become moving pictures, are now about to graduate from college. I hope that they have retained the love of the written word throughout their school years, and still find the thrill of turning a page as exciting as flicking on a video game.

Of course I find it interesting that those same video games have now been transmogrified into books, where the reader can imagine what they can also see on the screens of their televisions. I wonder which they find more appealing. To be fair I’ve often gone to movies that were made from books, i.e. the Harry Potter series. In these cases I always like to read the books first so that I can see the character in my mind before a Hollywood casting director picks out an actor that they think will bring in the audience to see the film.

I’m afraid to think about why you are reading these words. I hope that you are enjoying them and will return to find more. In case you’re not, be sure to come back anyway just to see if I can write something that will appeal to your tastes.