In the past week or so, Wuthering Expectations and Novel Readings have both discussed gaps in their reading. The gaps weigh on me, but at the same time the subliminal burden of them probably pushes me even more toward the unnecessaries.
My perennial question is whether it is better to focus on a single area at a time, and read at least a little bit deeply, or to hit just the few really major things. The thing is, I’ve certainly focused generally on Anglo-American literature thus far and there are still tons of major things I haven’t read. Such as:
Tristram Shandy
Pamela
Far from the Madding Crowd
The Tenant of Wildfell Hall
Anything by Trollope
Virginia Woolf
Evelyn Waugh
That’s really barely scratching the surface even. I mean, that’s not including anything American. It’s not even including the huge number of Gothic novels I’d like to read. Ugh.
In French lit I have even less of a background, and I’m too hard on myself to read it in translation. So I still need Les Liaisons Dangereuses, Flaubert, Zola, Proust… Oh, and George Sand.
Then there’s Germany and Italy, which I’ve not done too badly for compared with most Americans, I think. Still some big holes, though. The Magic Mountain. Am I really going to read that? It’s not at the top of the list, at least.
The Russians are pretty neglected. Based on Crime and Punishment I am not a Dostoevsky fan, but I’d like to give him another chance. War and Peace, naturally. Pushkin, Goncharov. And more Gogol because I looooved Dead Souls.
Spain. I mentioned the other day that I’d just read my first Spanish novel. Is it actually possible to read Don Quixote though? Is there other stuff? Seriously, I’m not sure what it would be.
And then there’s the whole rest of the world. So much. Amateur Reader actually almost has me feeling guilty for not reading enough (read: any) Kyrgyz literature (more importantly, for not taking advantage of the awesome courses offered at the Newberry Library).
Now that’s clearly a big enough list to be a lifetime reading plan. But at the same time it feels so bare. What am I going to know after reading one novel per country per century? I’ve read some half-dozen books in my maritime theme, which is a pool of books limited to basically two countries of origin, three centuries, and a single setting, and still it feels superficial. And what’s worse, the more I read, the more holes there are.
I’m not sure that what we haven’t read…or for that matter what we have read…should be something to make us feel guilty.
Except reading The DaVinci Code. That should make one feel guilty. ;-)
“the more I read, the more holes there are”
I can’t think of a truer statement. Like you, the more I read, the more titles that come up – luckily reading is a lifelong project and I don’t expect to ever be finished.
Eh, give yourself a break. At least you have the right mentality. I read a lot too so people always ask me how I choose my books, and my response is always the same: I find a few areas I’m interested in and delve into that, but I’m not afraid to open something outside of the box every once in a while to see what I might be missing. Reading should be a mental exercise but not a chore. It should be fun.
I smiled at your post title as I can relate! I try not to be overwhelmed by what I haven’t read, and happy about all the good books I’m yet to discover.
That said, I highly reccomend The Tenant of Wildfell Hall, Far from the Madding Crowd, Trollope and Flaubert.
I hope to get to Gogol and War and Peace this year, and still have plenty of Woolf to get to one of these days.
Don Quixote is actually a really great, easy read. I seriously laughed harder through that than almost any other book I’ve ever read (a couple of exceptions, obviously). I think almost everyone has this sneaking suspicion that they haven’t read nearly enough. You’re right – the hole is only going to get better as more books are published and you’re introduced to other books by old authors (or just less known books). Either way, good luck.
You have given us the downside of the game -anxiety. I assure you that the passage of time will take care of much of this. However, the “world of books expands the more I read” effect never ends.
By the way, the Spanish Golden Age is absolutely amazing, comparable to English literature of the same period (i.e., Shakespeare, et. al.). “Don Quixote” is only the fat tip of the iceberg.
As for Kyrgyz literature, I am investigating, and will report back.
There will always be gaps in my reading, because I never fail to discover new books/subjects I want to read! You’ve reminded me of a quote that goes something like: the more we know, the more we realize we don’t know- but I can’t recall it exactly. So right.