All books should not be read in the same way. Novels, for instance, are there to be devoured. Reading them is a voluptuous act of absorption, not an act of empathy. The reader does not imagine himself in the hero’s place, but assimilates what befalls him. The vivid report of these experiences is the appetizing trimmings in which a nourishing dish comes to the table.
There is, to be sure, a raw diet of experience—just as there is a raw diet for the stomach—to wit: one’s own experiences. But the art of the novel, like the culinary arts, begins beyond the raw ingredients.
How many nourishing substances there are that are unappetizing in a raw state! How many experiences are advisable to read about, but not to have! Some readers are struck so forcefully, they would have been devastated had they suffered the experiences directly.
In short, if there were a muse of the novel—a tenth muse—her emblem would be the cook. She raises the world from its raw state in order to create something fit to eat, to bring out the fullness of its flavor. One may, if necessary, read the newspaper while eating. But never a novel. These are two conflicting obligations.
~ Walter Benjamin (1892–1940), a philosopher, cultural critic, and essayist
Don’t Eat and Read
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I learned the hard way that there are two sorts of things I cannot read while eating: paleopathology, and equine health articles about parasites. As soon as I see “ivermectin” in the text, I’m off to a different article until the food’s done.
Benjamin may have been right in his day, but narrative has changed drasticallty since then. Readers expect the writing to be immersive in every sense. Otherwise, why read when they can watch a movie or some other form of media?
“…Novels, for instance, are there to be devoured. Reading them is a voluptuous act of absorption, not an act of empathy. The reader does not imagine himself in the hero’s place, but assimilates what befalls him…”
I disagree. When I read a good book, I often imagine myself in the hero’s place. I laugh with him and cry with him. Sometimes, in rare cases, I become the hero in my mind, while I read about him. It’s definitely not just absorption but empathy as well. I guess, it is different for different readers.
Research supports your view. Story is a means by which readers can experience the world without having to be in it. It’s one of the easiest ways for one generation to pass accumulated knowledge to the next.
Depends on who you’re reading and how good they are.
There are good ones out there that will leave you choking/sputtering if you hit the punchline while trying to eat/drink. (The comments on a couple online short story tellers often include the line “You owe my a new keyboard!”
MYMV and your tales leave them with elevated heart rates (rather than putting them to sleep. 😉 )