Do you consider yourself to be well-read? How important do you think it is to be so? Any English majors here?

[deftones r cool]

Growing up, my absolute favorite subject in school was English. I adored reading, and learning grammar. It was satiating to have a subject which I excelled at; acing my spelling tests to the point where I needed to be provided more difficult words than my peers. High school exposed me to drugs, art, punk girls, and the local heavy metal scene. I took a dark turn, dropped out, and completed a one year film school program. Inevitably, I settled with an Associate's in Liberal Arts from the local community college.

With that said, I often wish I had pursued a higher education in English from a university. My belief that an English degree wouldn't provide enough career opportunities in my home state of Michigan to validate the cost had dissuaded me. I really didn't want to be a teacher.

Reading is still a daily ritual for me. Compelled by the classcis, I set time aside every night, despite my admitted struggle with more difficult texts. My library sells old paperbacks for fifty cents a pop, so I occasionally head down to fill my shelf of celebrated books which I feel the need to expose myself to. This is a cheap habit which satisfies my collecting bug, and keeps my mind sharper than it would be otherwise.

You can learn a lot from old books. The classics are classics for a reason. Their themes transcend time and space, providing an empathetic understanding of the human condition which no other medium can muster. By maintaining a healthy reading habit, I'm filling the void which I would've otherwise drowned myself in student debt to achieve. My friends find reading classic literature to be pretentious, but I fail to see where they're coming from. They critique my love of old foreign films for the same reason.

How about you, Era? Do you consider yourself well-read? How important do you think it is to be so? Any English majors here?

 

[Blue Skies]

Have I read the classics?
No

Am I always reading something?
Yes.

The older I get the more I just want to read non-fiction.

Literary fiction like Donna Tartt, Michael Chabon, Franzen etc. I just don't have time for any more.
So I mostly just read non-fiction and the ocasional thriller.

 

[Deleted member 8861]

I used to read like mad. English minor now.

Getting really into videogames has ruined my attention span for reading, though...

I never liked classics much, however. To me, classics -Western ones, at least- feel more like dead and bygone ways of looking at the world, and something in them almost always puts me off. East of Eden is probably the biggest exception I have.

I like science fiction, though, especially more literary stuff.

 

[Rangerx]

Yeah I think I'm well read, in any modern conversation at least. I go through a book or two a week. I have tried to read a lot of the defining books of the ages over the years. Plato's Republic, Don Quixote, Rousseau's The Social contract and Marx's Capital. I feel it's important to engage with the treasures of history.

 

[Chivalry]

When it comes to fiction? Yes. The rest, not so much.

 

[Adder7806]

I read all the time but I do not consider myself well read. I stick to what I like and rarely break out. Was a much more diverse reader when I was younger.

 

[echoshifting]

Yeah I studied English during my first go-round at university. I've always been a big reader, and of course we read a ton of classic work as students. It didn't lead to any great career opportunities - you were right about that - but I've always appreciated having that solid foundation under my belt. I wish people read them more these days, there is a reason they are classics. Fiction builds empathy, and nobody does it better than Hemingway, Steinbeck, Garcia Marquez, Hugo, Lee, etc.

 

[StrangeRoboMemory]

Yeah, I did a PhD in English. It was a great time in many ways and you get the chance to read a lot, but the bulk of your workload isn't even about reading...there's a lot of other stuff that goes into a humanities education that isn't so fun. In a way, you're better off just enjoying reading on your own. Check the graduate programs at good universities and download some syllabus material, that'll give you some reading lists. Don't listen to your friends who say it's pretentious, of course -- do what you want, reading on your own is a free education that no one can take from you. A library card is a powerful thing.

If you ever want some recommendations on what to read from the course I took, I'd be happy to pass along my reading lists (as well as stuff from classes I taught...I was an English prof for a few years but bounced out because academia is a bit of a drag).

 

[JigglesBunny]

I have a degree in english and creative writing and quite frankly, I never found myself too interested in the classics or other literary cornerstones that many considered to be essential reading. I was into things like House of Leaves and Foucault's Pendulum which informed my style far more than any of the classics ever did.

 

[Clay]

I have copies of both Gravity's Rainbow and Infinite Jest on my Kindle that I'll get around to reading some day. That's about the extent of my well-readedness, I know what I would read if I had the time.

Literary fiction like Donna Tartt, Michael Chabon, Franzen etc. I just don't have time for any more.
So I mostly just read non-fiction and the ocasional thriller.

Click to shrink...

I feel the same way. I loved reading fiction when I was younger but as I age I prefer nonfiction. It's really fun picking up an entry-level textbook in a random field and learning something, and I've also become a lot more interested in history. Reading amazing fiction can definitely have an impact on me, but learning more about a different culture or gaining some insight into why the world is the way it is just feels far more gratifying to me now, and like a much better use of time, it makes me feel more connected to other people, makes me want to travel, is just overall far more interesting to me.

When I do read fiction I usually just stick to classics. It seems a little silly to read the latest Oprah Book Club novel when I haven't read all of Tolstoy.

 

[Dyle]

If someone asks me to name a Charles Dickens book I always go with Hard Times over any of his more well known books, so if that's the metric we're going by, then yes. I would say I'm more well-read than the average person but not particularly so

 

[Elderly Parrot]

I like to think Im well read but then I watch Jeopardy and Im like I know nothing.

 

[gutter_trash]

Nope

 

[Conkersbadfurday]

I majored in English. Bachelor of science in writing. I work in administrative at a screen printing company doing all sorts of odds and ends. Sometimes I get to write, sometimes I data entry.

I don't regret the degree and I certainly enjoyed getting it, but I swallowed pretty early on that it wouldn't make me rich.

 

[King Alamat]

Speaking as a former English major, Harold Bloom can choke on all pretentious drivel written by dead white dudes he wants, I'll be over here reading my queer-ass, POC-laden spec-fic.

 

[Blue Skies]

I have copies of both Gravity's Rainbow and Infinite Jest on my Kindle that I'll get around to reading some day.

Click to shrink...

I have a copy of Infinite Jest
I will probably never read it.

Sounds like a book that everyone tricked themselves into liking.

I'll probably read The Stand unabriged again before opening that 700 page "must read"

 

[jukeboxhero2396]

I never really read books, the way I think I developed my vocabulary was just looking at articles online and things I was interested in. I absolutely hated literature because it was just boring as hell for me.

 

[deftones r cool]

If you ever want some recommendations on what to read from the course I took, I'd be happy to pass along my reading lists (as well as stuff from classes I taught...I was an English prof for a few years but bounced out because academia is a bit of a drag).

Click to shrink...

Honestly? I'm curious.

Slip into my DMs ha

 

[Kurita]

School completely killed my interest for books back when I was a teenager.

I majored in Japanese language, so what brought me back to reading are Japanese books. At first it was mostly to improve my reading skills tho.
I'm more of a non-fiction guy, so it's mostly essays/columns compilations by Japanese artists, comedians... I like.

 

[Fiction]

English major. I'm well read and reading is essential to growth. It really doesn't have to be the classics or anything, just please for the love of everything read something.

 

[Dongs Macabre]

Nowhere close to being an English major (studying engineering), but I think it's important to be, if not necessarily well-read, someone who reads. My reading is peppered with non-fiction, scientific papers on subjects I find interesting, and comics, but mostly I read fiction. Since my taste hinges heavily on stylish prose, this tends to be literary fiction.

 

[Wingus]

Took an BA English Literature degree by in the early 2000's, mainly because it was the only subject at school that I excelled at and enjoyed. It didn't lead to an academic job in the field (and I had no interest in becoming a teacher) but I don't regret taking the subject and learning more about literary theory alongside reading.

The degree introduced me the wonderful works of Kurt Vonnegut (Slaugherhouse 5) and a wide range of topics such as 19th Century American Literature, world literature, children's literature and contemporary British fiction. Massively enjoyed the classics as well (Jane Eyre, Frankenstein and various other Charles Dickens works and Shakespeare), none of which I ever see as pretentious. Older works (Chaucer) can be challenging, but it only adds to the intrigue and learning more about how stuff developed over the centuries.

If you ever want some recommendations on what to read from the course I took, I'd be happy to pass along my reading lists (as well as stuff from classes I taught...I was an English prof for a few years but bounced out because academia is a bit of a drag).

Click to shrink...

I'm very interested in your recommendations if you don't mind sharing them. Actively trying to read more again and I miss my university days.

 

[Pau]

According to Goodreads I've read more than 700 books. So I'd say I'm somewhat well read. I read a mix of fiction and non-fiction, but I only started the latter in the past decade. About 10% are comics.

I'm not an English major. (Studied statistics, sociology, and computer science.) I did take two English courses of which I had already read most of the material.

Reading is my main hobby, but grad school has definitely eaten into that. :( In the meantime I've downloaded the syllabi for some of the literature courses...

 

[Briareos]

The older I get the more I just want to read non-fiction.

Click to shrink...

There is a very nice vein of ore to mine where they overlap: Colm Toibin's The Master, Hilary Mantel's work like Wolf Hall, etc.

I don't have an English degree but my wife does (why we got Plantaganets so quickly in today's NYT crossword...). We have similar reading habits although I dive a bit into genre work with sci-fi/cyberpunk when I need a breather where she'll read analysis of the Henriad. We both swap books a lot though, Murakami, Robert Caro, Sally Rooney, Toibin, etc.

 

[Min]

I have so many books I want to read, but I think I might have read a good few, classics and contemporary novels. I'm not sure what the threshold is to be considered well-read though.

I'm also a slow reader so it takes me awhile usually.

 

[citrusred]

I've started reading a lot more in the past 3 years but I wouldn't say I'm well read. Kickstarted back my reading back then by doing the 50 books 50 movies challenge which helped a lot in terms of just picking up any book and giving it a go.

semi-related to the thread I found the secret to reading old classics is taking to time to check if there's a modern translation. It makes things way easier on yourself since your reading a translation in modern english, compared to what some Victorian era dude translated it as.
I'm very (very) slowly making my way through Zola's novels since Oxford's world classics have modern translations for a big chunk of them.

 

[Bradford]

I think being well read, including of culturally canonized works, is important, even while also acknowledging the problems of perspective and class discussions about being well read bring.

However, I don't think I quite qualify as "Well Read" yet.

 

[Yōkai_0h-No]

I've read all the Where's Wally/Waldo books.

 

[Parthenios]

My daughter plays the "literature" position on her school's quiz bowl team, so I've picked up on a bunch of classic literature that way, studying with her over the last three years. I can name the author, setting, characters, plot, themes, and historical importance of the top 200 works in Western literature. I've only read about a dozen of them though.

I think this might be the "life hack" version of well-read. I can make or understand most literary references, but get to spend my reading "time budget" on news and other non-fiction.

 

[Deleted member 8593]

English Lit major here, didn't really do all that much for my career (journalist writing in German now). I read tons of theory but since I didn't read many of the "classics" I don't necessarily consider myself "well read" in that sense. From my experience, university won't really do that for you either. Most people will specialize in one direction and will only tangentially be familiar with the "canon", mainly through secondary sources.

I consider "reading" very important, not so much being "well read".

 

[deftones r cool]

I have a degree in english and creative writing and quite frankly, I never found myself too interested in the classics or other literary cornerstones that many considered to be essential reading. I was into things like House of Leaves and Foucault's Pendulum which informed my style far more than any of the classics ever did.

Click to shrink...

How useful did you find your creative writing courses? What sort of texts do you study in those environments?

 

[JigglesBunny]

How useful did you find your creative writing courses? What sort of texts do you study in those environments?

Click to shrink...

My courses were primarily focused on getting us to put down our own work and influencing our peers by sharing them, less reading texts to pull inspiration or lessons. When we did read, I remember being assigned everything from Troilus and Criseyde by Chaucer to The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson. A lot of the "cornerstones" were tackled in high school - everyone from Shakespeare to Tolkien. My college courses were far more diverse.

My concentration eventually shifted towards screenwriting which never really had mandated reads other than the blanket "go read some scripts" instruction but I personally read the original outline that would be used for The Blair Witch Project, the third draft (which I believe was the shooting script) of A Few Good Men and an original production copy of Dario Argento's script for Suspiria, included his notes and everything but it was also in Italian and since I only speak English (and the bare essentials of Latin thanks to four years of it in high school), I worked on translating specific segments the old school way by using a dictionary which, of course, yielded broken and incomplete translations. I went back to my DVD copy of the film (in english) and used it to fill in the gaps. I found these experiences far more fulfilling than any traditional assigned readings, partly due to the freedom afforded to me that allowed me to choose what I wanted to read, partly because of my screenwriting focus, but also because those were more in my wheelhouse. I have always been inspired by Blair Witch. I have always modeled my dialogue after Sorkin and his "action movie but the characters trade words instead of bullets" approach. It was infinitely more gratifying and ultimately helped shape me more as a writer.

 

[Deleted member 16516]

Well read, certainly.

Nothing formal at school though, just the standard English literature/language at GCSE level and an A level in English literature.

Reading's been a lifetime passion for me and I've read more since leaving school, than I ever did at school.

 

[FaceHugger]

I thought I was until I met an English major. I read some Shakespeare, a lot of genre fiction, etc. Turns out that's average. She read books in their native language.

 

[Deleted member 9241]

No, I am not.

In my teens I hit many of the high notes. Looking back now, I am actually impressed at my list of completed books. However, I haven't read for anything but pleasure since my mid 20's. Once in awhile I read a horror or schlocky sci fi novel and that's it.

 

[meowdi gras]

Glad to see the usual intellectually-insecure coterie has refrained from attacking the serious readers in this thread.

I'd say I'm a definite bookworm. Have always read more than any other recreational activity. Although I went through a long period of several years when I was on Effexor being unable to concentrate on any text longer than article-length. Fortunately with a recent medication change, I'm back into books again. I currently have a list of 214 various titles I'm aiming to explore (and re-explore) for pleasure and to make up for lost time. (Have already knocked out three.)

 

[deftones r cool]

My courses were primarily focused on getting us to put down our own work and influencing our peers by sharing them, less reading texts to pull inspiration or lessons. When we did read, I remember being assigned everything from Troilus and Criseyde by Chaucer to The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson. A lot of the "cornerstones" were tackled in high school - everyone from Shakespeare to Tolkien. My college courses were far more diverse.

My concentration eventually shifted towards screenwriting which never really had mandated reads other than the blanket "go read some scripts" instruction but I personally read the original outline that would be used for The Blair Witch Project, the third draft (which I believe was the shooting script) of A Few Good Men and an original production copy of Dario Argento's script for Suspiria, included his notes and everything but it was also in Italian and since I only speak English (and the bare essentials of Latin thanks to four years of it in high school), I worked on translating specific segments the old school way by using a dictionary which, of course, yielded broken and incomplete translations. I went back to my DVD copy of the film (in english) and used it to fill in the gaps. I found these experiences far more fulfilling than any traditional assigned readings, partly due to the freedom afforded to me that allowed me to choose what I wanted to read, partly because of my screenwriting focus, but also because those were more in my wheelhouse. I have always been inspired by Blair Witch. I have always modeled my dialogue after Sorkin and his "action movie but the characters trade words instead of bullets" approach. It was infinitely more gratifying and ultimately helped shape me more as a writer.

Click to shrink...

I enjoy screenwriting also. More for pleasure than anything else. I've felt creatively bankrupt the last few months or so however. Picked up Story by Robert McKee recently, and would have assumed creative writing courses would have books in line with that on the curriculum, a la Stephen King's On Writing, etc.

Cool story about the Suspiria script though. Not my favorite Argento but translating the text by hand must've been something

 

[Random Painted Highway]

Yes, I've been through all of F. Scott Fitzgerald's books.

 

[Davilmar]

I am an English major graduate, but my depression has crippled my reading habits. I haven't read a book outside school or my job in about five years.

 

[shoptroll]

Not sure I would consider myself well-read, but I have rediscovered an enjoyment of reading in the last year after a serious dry spell post-graduation. Although to be fair, I really didn't enjoy reading that much in elementary / grade school with certain selections being forced on us and having to write reports on everything.

But I have a list of books I want to read spanning a variety of topics and I'm enjoying working my way through it.

 

[Pikachu]

Not at all. I just don't read these days.

Obviously, the news, yes. But for pleasure / ascending to a higher plane of existence / learning, I just don't do it. I feel a little bad about it, but I get home from work and have about three to four hours being awake and I'd rather spend them watching new movies, TV, or.... Twitch.

 

[Deleted member 8468]

I'm most certainly not 'well-read' by any means, but I've read a ton of books. Mostly fiction for enjoyment, but some non-fiction here and there as well. I'll read a few books a year typically.

I tried getting into audiobooks but it just isn't the same. Good for long drives though.

 

[Ubik]

Yes, I've been through all of F. Scott Fitzgerald's books.

Click to shrink...

You are very well-read, it's well known.

 

[Aske]

I'm also a voracious reader. I devoured all the classics as a child, for I was precocious and willful. Whilst my parents slept, I would creep outside into the garden with my trusty flashlight, carrying a satchel filled with bread and apples, and a hearty stack of tomes pilfered from the highest shelves of the family library. I would sit beneath a twisting magnolia tree, and let my imagination soar as I cracked the spines of well-thumbed, dog-eared hardbacks such as R. L. Stein's The Babysitter III, or Escape from Camp Run-For-Your-Life, by R. L. Stein; or 101 Vacation Jokes, which was a compendium of caustic comedy compiled by renowned tomfool, R. L. Stein.

I've been trying to encourage my nephew to engage with literature in a similar way, and can often be found sitting cross-legged with him in the Wendy House, clutching him tight to my bosom as I narrate R. L. Stein classic The Horror at Chiller House at ever-increasing volume in order to drown out his vocal protests, and in reaction to his bites.

 

[Sacrilicious]

I read a lot, but I wouldn't say I'm well read when it comes to literature. I still enjoy fiction but I only dabble in it these days. I'm currently working through ASOIAF and have a soft spot for older sci-fi and hard-boiled pulp.

I work in STEM and one the years I mainly shifted to nonfiction, mostly academic writing on science, history, psychology, etc.

 

[Mik2121]

Most definitely not. I got myself in a bit of a weird situation where my mother tongue is Spanish, yet I haven't used it in a frequent manner for the last fourteen years. My second language is English, and I read all the books in that language (unless it was written in Spanish originally, but that hasn't been the case for many years now). However my knowledge of English is very far from perfect.
My third tongue would be Japanese, but I definitely don't read books in that language since it would take me longer to go through them.

I would definitely like to improve and increase my vocabulary, so I'm, to an extent, forcing myself to go through books here and there. If only so that it helps my D&D sessions :)

 

[Aureon]

I read 20-30 books a year, so a decent round.

The classics, especially the english classics, are not my jam at all though.
The only one i've been through happily is 1984, and even that..

The Catcher in the Rye is probably book i hated the most, and i've read a ton of goddamn drivel.

Seriously, that shit was supposed to be relatable to a 16yo Italian reader in the 2000s?
Ridicolous. Maybe it was relatable to american youth in the 1970s, but update your goddamn cultural references.

I honestly think you can get around fine with movies and tv series for genres you don't particularly enjoy.
I'm all-in on historical\speculative fiction for books, and non-fiction, because there isn't any other medium with such variety.

 

[ninnanuam]

I wouldn't consider myself very well read. I enjoy reading but usually I need to be into the subject matter. I'll usually fall off quite quickly otherwise.

I've never been able to finish anything by Tolstoy for example.

Also I just don't have as much time for it as I used to so I move on quickly. It something isn't grabbing me in the first hour I'm moving on.

 

[deftones r cool]

I'm also a voracious reader. I devoured all the classics as a child, for I was precocious and willful. Whilst my parents slept, I would creep outside into the garden with my trusty flashlight, carrying a satchel filled with bread and apples, and a hearty stack of tomes pilfered from the highest shelves of the family library. I would sit beneath a twisting magnolia tree, and let my imagination soar as I cracked the spines of well-thumbed, dog-eared hardbacks such as R. L. Stein's The Babysitter III, or Escape from Camp Run-For-Your-Life, by R. L. Stein; or 101 Vacation Jokes, which was a compendium of caustic comedy compiled by renowned tomfool, R. L. Stein.

I've been trying to encourage my nephew to engage with literature in a similar way, and can often be found sitting cross-legged with him in the Wendy House, clutching him tight to my bosom as I narrate R. L. Stein classic The Horror at Chiller House at ever-increasing volume in order to drown out his vocal protests, and in reaction to his bites.

Click to shrink...

Wow... just, wow.

Have you read 1984 or Brandon Sanderson?

 

[Z-Beat]

Reading was competitive in grade school so I got a lot out of the way. Quite a few classics, kids books, young adult books, etc