Reading – A Very Short Introduction

It is a nice form of reflexivity to be reading a book about reading, and this book does indeed make fascinating reading. It begins by considering the nature of reading itself in terms of making sense of things, moving on to a history of reading as it developed out of oral traditions and the transition from reading out loud to silent and indeed solitary reading in the 13th century. Readers appreciate the magnitude of the effects of the invention of printing, also in relation to the growth of cities and later of democratic literacy. The author considers the development of the novel in relation to individualism, and also highlights reading patterns of educated women in the 18th century. The later chapters discuss censorship and forbidden reading, the role of literary criticism and the value of rereading – an altogether riveting read.