Kaggsy’s post recently (here) reviewed this book and serendipitously it is the first book of a second book club I have joined entitled ‘Books we’ve always meant to read’.
It gave me a good beginning point before picking this book up myself. At the same time I was cruising through some literature sites on You Tube and came across Benjamin McEvoy’s videos. He is a young, Oxford educated man in literature who has a passion for great literature. His enthusiasm is contagious and I watched several of his videos. He has more than 93,000 subscribers. He discusses the ways in which he reads the difficult books of the past in various ways so he remembers it all. He talks about having conversations with the author through the use of marginalia. I quite like that term. I have never been one to write in books. But after digressing to other you tubers who discuss marginalia and seeing the benefits they get from it I decided to try it with the Winter’s Night book. The suggestion is to have a conversation with the author as one reads about 10 pages at a time. Make comments, ask questions, note your observations about what is being observed.
It was stated repeatedly as we studied in school we would highlight lines of text in our books , then keep reading as we studied. Teachers encouraged this, but unless you went back and took additional notes from that text, who ever remembered what they had highlighted. I am not 20 pages into this book and using a pencil (I still can’t come at using ink) , I really got into it. I am finding it really fun. It is as if Calvino is sitting in the room and we are actually discussing his book. I am easily remembering what I read and as this book has a very unusual style I am still right on track. One you tuber stated he did not think writing in books should be a sacrilege. If he were an author he would be flattered the written conversations were occurring. He saw it as a tribute to the author. Now, having said that, there are books of beauty, gemerally hardcover with gorgeous photographs and illustrations and we may not want to mark those up but the humble paperback should be one of our friends who we converse with.
I have to say I am enjoying the process very much. My question to you is- do you imbibe in marginalia? Or are you one of those readers that can read the most difficult of texts and remember and understand immediately everything you read because I certainly can’t. If marking up paperback books gives me this gift I think it will become a new and common practise for me. I’d love to know your opinion on the topic of marginalia. And if you love the old classics give Benjamin McEvoy a listen. Just to be infected with his enthusiasm and love of these old books.
Travellin' Penguin 