Time for a lofty definition?

“I am intrigued by the divide between those people who say “I haven’t time to read”, and those for whom reading is like breathing and who, though they may be caught up with all sorts of texts, always have a novel on the go. For some people, the consumption of stories is a barely conscious function that turns parallel to eating, sleeping, having sex and earning a living. How do you live life without stories – live in just a single narrative, and that one you won? Show me a man – it’s usually a man – who “doesn’t see the point of fiction”, and I’ll show you a pompous, inflexible self-absorbed bore.

The people with no time to read play computer games and watch TV.

But even within the group of daily readers, there are differences that are hard to reconcile. There are people who declare “I love reading” which is a lame-brain statement, like “I love children”. When any one refers to the pleasure of “escaping” into a good book, you can be sure they have no idea what books are for.

 

They are not there to allow you to “escape”, but to give you information about the human condition… they help you grow up, they help you to become a self-aware and critical reader.

 

The constant reader is sceptical, irreverent and fickle.”

Hilary Mantel Guardian 2/08/08