Quote:
Originally Posted by issybird
I frequently find that it's a revelation when I read a book that I last read in adolescence or early adulthood. I bring so much more to it now, in both understanding and appreciation of context.
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Yes, the experience of reading is a fusion of our self with the author's creation; it will be a somewhat different experience for every reader, and since our selves may evolve, it is possible to have a radically different experience on a re-read.
That's the value of a good book club. Having a conversation with someone who had a different experience can modify your own experience.
I was just reading something like that in
Ursula K. Le Guin : conversations on writing - Ursula K. Le Guin interviewed by David Naimon, where she describes the experience of a good book interview:
"It’s a conversation between people who have thought about what they’re talking about, and are thinking about it now in the light of what the other person is saying. This leads each of them to say things that they may be just discovering. They may not agree, may even have quite fundamental disagreements, but such differences, spoken and answered without belligerence, can take the conversation to a high level of intensity and honesty."