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Jan
19
Could there BE a nerdier addiction?
2010 at 10am Posted by Rebecca Joines Schinsky
Two nights ago, I started reading Lewis Carroll’s beloved classic Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland. I haven’t read it since childhood, and it fulfills my goals to read more classics and complete the LOST Books Challenge, and I thought it might be a nice way to remind myself of the story before embarking on Melanie Benjamin’s Alice I Have Been.
Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland is a short book—the Barnes & Noble Classics edition I purchased is only 144 pages—and as I settled in to begin reading, I enjoyed the thought that I might finish it in one sitting. I mean, I read this book when I was ten, so how much brain power could it require, right?
Wrong.
As many editions of classics do, this one contains introductory material, including a brief biography of the author, background information about the history and politics of the time in which the book was written, and an essay about major themes and concepts. In this short book, the intro material takes up about 20 pages, but in longer or more difficult classics, I’ve seen it take 50 or 100 pages, and while it’s helpful, it can certainly slow the reading process down.
Nerdy reader that I am, I feel compelled to read the introductory material, and I’m usually glad that I do it. It helps me understand and appreciate the work on a deeper level, see where it fits into the canon and why it is considered important, and get more from the reading experience than just a good story.
So now, as I’m reading about Alice’s conversations with imaginary creatures and enjoying Carroll’s nonsensical language and ironic wordplay,I’m thinking about WHY HE WROTE IT THAT WAY and WHAT IT ALL MEANS.
Don’t even get me started on my love for Norton critical editions and the myriad ways in which they enrich and complicate the reading experience. Annotation and helpful footnotes (emphasis on helpful)? Yes, please!
For contemporary books, I often find myself searching the interwebs for additional information on the book’s topic, the author’s life, etc. And now that I’m a book review junkie, I visit the author’s website (when it’s available) and go back to read media reviews and interviews with the author, and I occasionally watch book trailers or videos of the author reading from the book. And I love NPR author interviews. And book podcasts.
But sometimes I wish I could skip all the “stuff” and just dive right into a book. And sometimes I read the book first and then go back to the introductory material so it can help me make sense of everything after the fact. But I always read it. I just can’t help myself. I don’t want to miss out on anything that could make the experience better. When it comes to these things, I’m all GIMME MORE!
My name is Rebecca, and I’m a book “extras” addict.
So what about you? Do you read the introductory material, the footnotes, the author bio, and all the goodies? Do you want the info, or do you just feel compelled to read every page in a book? Or is it all about the story and you could care less about the extras? Does it depend on the genre or topic, fiction vs. nonfiction? Tell me all about it.
And please, someone, validate my addiction. I need some enablers.
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It depends on the book. I rarely read all the “extras” but always read footnotes if there are any.
I love it! I don’t usually read all the “extras” (though I too love Norton Critical Editions), but I feel like I need to start, especially as I begin reading more classics.
I don’t read any extras until *after* I’ve read the book. I hate reading introductions first, because I don’t like spoilers or having my reading experience influenced by such material.
Once I’m done reading, then I go back and look at the other things.
I completely agree about the spoilers. They should put analysis of the ending or surprise twists in a separate section so it can be avoided.
I read the book first, and then if my interest is piqued, I’ll go back and read the intro stuff.
Sometimes after I read a book, I find myself going back to pieces of it or wondering “what if?” In those instances, I almost always go back to read the other stuff or at the very least, peruse the author’s website for more info.
Like Beth, I don’t read the “extras” (except footnotes) until after I’ve read the book itself. But then I love to read them. Which is why I’m so excited to dig further into Francine Prose’s The Mrs. Dalloway Reader, which not only has the novel, but companion stories and diary excerpts, and critical essays. Ah. Heaven.
I almost always want more context on a book I read, so if there isn’t some in the book itself I go online and try to find more. The Norton Critical Editions are amazing resources.
In the Barnes & Noble and Penguin Classics type of book, I read the introduction – but only after I read the book. I’ve had too many plot point spoiled for me in the introduction when I read that first. And I love explanatory notes, whether they be footnotes or endnotes – I prefer footnotes, so I don’t have to page back to the end of the book.
I used to think that I needed a book with footnotes in order to understand a “classic,” but I’ve started reading some classics in my e-mail through DailyLit, and amazingly enough, the lack of explanatory notes doesn’t seem to effect my reading experience at all!
I’m totally hooked on the Norton Critical Editions as well! I own several classics in this format. I avoid the spoilerific portions in the front until I’ve read the book, then I go back and read them. You learn so much about the authors intent, etc. from those introductions!
I always read the fun extras but I always read them at the end if I haven’t read the book before. Too many of those introductory essays give away plot points and I like going into books without much information. I can always think about them deeply and whatnot after I’m done reading it myself.
Alright Brittney! Actually I am here to validate. I don’t always have the time to pick through all the “stuff”, but if a book captures my heart and imagination, and I can’t sleep for thinking about it, I will start to dig. I do have a habit of including YouTube videos that I find in my reviews. I’m especially manic with true stories. I always want more pictures, more info on what happened after the book.
I’m the same way! I love those intro pieces and read all the extras before I get to the story.
I have too much ADD to read all the wonderful and no-doubt helpful info. I find it agonizing to have to read a preface or introduction when all I want to do is read the book. Then to stop and read foot notes and stuff, by the time I get back to the text, I’ve forgotten where I was. On a rare occasion, I like a book well enough to read that stuff after, though. Or, like with Classic lit books, I will read the Sparknotes online after each chapter, but I find that they never really help me, other than to just restate what I just read. Sadly, I think you could actually read the sparknotes version without the original book and pass a test, but of course you’d miss out entirely on the experiece of the book.
Told ya I had ADD.
I will read the introduction occasionally, it depends on who wrote it and my mood. But when I do read it, I won’t do it until after I’ve read the book, to avoid spoilers. I always read the footnotes if the book has them, but it depends on what the “extras” are at the end of the book, if I’ll read them or not.
I always read the whole book, including the copyright page. You are not alone. I find most new releases don’t have spoilers in the front matter, except for maybe on the flaps (which I avoid for that reason). I agree, though, that sometimes I wish I could just read the book.
Norton rocks! I love the footnotes. If you ever feel compelled to read the Scarlet Letter (which I cannot recommend) read the Norton. I think maybe the footnotes alone got me to finish the book. There was one that was seriously half a page long. And the critical essays in the back of Pride and Prejudice were great, too. I especially loved that they included an interview with Colin Firth after his iconic performance regarding his take on Darcy’s character. I was quite impressed by how intelligent and articulate he is. As for the intros, I usually read them after if it’s a book I’ve never read. Too often the intros have major spoilers.
I usually read all the extras at the end, but I always skip the introduction because of the spoilers. I rarely go back and re-read it either. I alway read footnotes, but I get irritated when the footnotes are useless. I remember reading the B&N edition of The Inferno and they had a footnote to explain that “e’er” was poet-speak for “ever.” Please. If that’s not obvious to you, you’re never going to make it through the entire book. Helpful footnotes are great though.
I don’t always read the extras, but if I do, I’ve learned to wait until after I’ve read the story…I don’t wnat the in-depth analysis until after I know what happens!
And while I love footnotes in fiction books (usually because they’re humorous asides), I loathe then in non-fiction…they interrupt the flow.
I read most of the information in the front. It depends on how much there is and how dry it is.
I read absolutely everything there is to read. I start at the back with every book – I’ve found way too much helpful information back there (glossaries, pronunciation guides, author’s notes) to read the whole book and then find them. I read everything in the front too, including the copyright page. I can definitely validate your addiction, Rebecca, because I share it!
I’m with the “after” group. Or at least I try to be – sometimes I read the intros first and then I usually regret it.
I sometimes read the extras first, but usually after I’m done so they don’t spoil anything. I don’t usually read the introductions- sometimes I’m just not in the mood to be all analytical about something I was reading just for enjoyment- but if I want more information on the author I’m more likely to look online.
When it comes to Alice, I’m a “during” footnote-reader: the Annotated Alice by Martin Gardner has them printed all along the sides of the text.
I will read introductions if they’re in the edition I’m reading., but in general I don’t search for extras. I’ll read footnotes, most of the time but not always. To be honest, I tend to enjoy relaxing and just reading the story.
I read it all – sometimes before I read the book (usually for editions of books I’ve previously read) and sometimes after. I love B&Ns, Nortons, Oxfords, and Penguins
[...] at The Book Lady’s Blog wrote about her love for book extras like introductions and footnotes. I love those [...]
In a case like this, I’d advise going back and reading the critical stuff at the end. Sometimes that helps me to enjoy a book, and then at the end when I read all the other stuff, I’m like, oh, yeah, now I get it…
[...] I’m addicted to introductory material, notes, and bookish extras, the best part of revisiting this story was learning more about Lewis Carroll (whose real name was [...]