[This post was published by Manika]
Having begun my journey into the lives of the epicurean Russian aristocracy (a second time), I was expecting boredom to set in very early on. However, I was pleasantly surprised to discover that my second reading of Tolstoy's classic (or is it Jane Austen's!), is proving to be more interesting than the first (failed) attempt. I cannot help but take that as a good sign.
Anna Pavlovna's soiree is over, Monsieur Pierre has shocked many a guest (and the hostess) with his views and Prince Bolkonski has displayed his displeasure at having to interact with his wife Lise. These familiar scenes seem to take on newer shades and meanings, now that I read them with utmost pleasure. I will just have to wait and see how far this pleasure trip will take me.
Encountering a text a second time has its own interesting fallout. Either we come out of the experience with a feeling of déjà vu, which may not always be very pleasant. Or we might discover hidden insights that escaped us during our first reading. There are few books that I have read a second time, but perhaps it bodes well that whenever I have done so, my re-reading has always added to my understanding of the author’s intent. One such book that I have benefited from reading a second time is Mahatma Gandhi’s autobiography, My Experiments With Truth.
My first reading of the text was under circumstances that can be best described as “testing times”, for I read the book as part of a course I was undertaking at that point. The book was compulsory reading for this course and the exam that followed was going to “test” my knowledge of Gandhiji’s life, apart from other things. The result wasn’t very satisfactory, because I thoroughly enjoyed the book and therefore neglected the study of all other areas that I had to cover. It didn’t matter one bit, for I knew that no course could probably be more enriching an experience than the book I had just read.
I’m still not sure why I picked up the book again. Perhaps I felt I hadn’t done justice to it the first time. Or maybe I wanted to revisit the scenes from Gandhiji’s life simply because they make for interesting reading, and not for some other higher purpose! The second reading delighted me a great deal, perhaps more than the first time. The familiarity of it all was an invitation to revisit all those scenes another time in the future…perhaps.
Some books are like that…others are War and Peace. Though the experience is pleasurable still, revisiting War and Peace is not exactly a walk in the park. And though I never say never, I can safely admit that after my present (hopefully successful) reading of War and Peace, it is highly unlikely that I’ll ever come back again!
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3 comments:
Oh gosh! Manika, you sound so pessimistic. You believe it is highly unlikely you will read the novel again? Ha ha ha ha...
But it is strangely comforting reading your post where you mention Anna Pavlovna's soiree. I mean oh God there is somebody else too who is reading the same stuff. I'm not the only lonely soul!
Look, what insufferable torture we are inflicting on ourselves. Ok, I hope I'm just joking.
Mayank,
Not pessimism...i call it pragmatism...what are the chances that i'll read it a third time. But then "highly unlikely" leaves room for some possibility. For now, we must concern ourselves with the present reading.
You people are brave. I finished War and Peace last week, on the night before an exam. By far I struggled with the 2nd Epilogue where Tolstoy nit picks over free-will and taking the path of least resistance. But it's done and I'm very happy that I read it. It was a challenging book to read at times but the end result was a fantastic story that created over two months of enjoyment on my way to and from work.
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