Thread: What does "well-read" mean?
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Old 12-14-2020, 04:47 PM   #10
JSWolf
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Quote:
Originally Posted by hildea View Post
To me, "well read" is an old fashioned word, it's not natural for me to use it.

The first association I get when I hear it is Darcy talking about his criteria for an accomplished woman (and does "well read" require you to know who Darcy is, and which book by which author he appears in? Should a well read person recognize the quote and remember the gist of it?)

The second association I get is the recent discussion about canon in SF&F, and Jeanette Ng's acceptance speech for the Campbell award (and does "well read" require you to know what kind of books Ng writes? Or what she talked about in her speech? Or who Campbell was, and why the Campbell award was renamed?)
Do we have to actually like these "classics" to be well-read? I find reading Jane Austen to be something I will never do. I know about her and some of her books, but to actually read her books? Heck no!
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