Why I Read

Download or read book Why I Read written by Wendy Lesser and published by Macmillan. This book was released on 2014-01-07 with total page 239 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: "Here the reader will discover a definition of literature that is as broad as it is broad-minded. In addition to novels and stories, Lesser explores plays, poems, and essays along with mysteries, science fiction, and memoirs. As she examines these works from such perspectives as 'Character and Plot,' 'Novelty,' 'Grandeur and Intimacy,' and 'Authority,' Why I Read sparks an overwhelming desire to put aside quotidian tasks in favor of reading. Lesser's passion for this pursuit resonates on every page, whether she is discussing the book as a physical object or a particular work's influence. 'Reading literature is a way of reaching back to something bigger and older and different,' she writes. 'It can give you the feeling that you belong to the past as well as the present, and it can help you realize that your present will someday be someone else's past. This may be disheartening, but it can also be strangely consoling at times.'"--