Sarah’s Share: Relearning To Read

From Sas: I found this review of Ann Morgan's book Relearning to Read: adventures in not knowing quite thought provoking. The book encourages us to read things that we find incomprehensible. At first I thought, oh give us a break - do we have to be challenging ourselves all the time; can't we just read a book for comfort and relaxation? And then I remembered that I am currently reading Virginia Woolf's Mrs Dalloway for the first time. I found it weird at first - a stream of consciousness akin to automatic writing, but after a while I really got into it and found it quite genius. See what you think about this idea that the state of incomprehension is healthy...

https://www.prospectmagazine.co.uk/culture/the-culture-newsletter/71207/read-outside-your-comfort-zone-relearning-to-read-by-ann-morgan

Jeanne

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Oct 13, 2025

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I loved this idea. I haven’t been reading much fiction lately, but it really resonated. I can relate to the struggle of reading something you don’t fully understand. I’m someone who needs to grasp every word (and even with movies, I’ll make Jamie rewind if I miss a line, which drives him mad!). What this piece reminded me of, though, is that confusion doesn’t have to be a dead end. For me, the way through it is to lean in that discomfort and pause, research, look up the context (rather than push through blindly). It’s the same with art: if a painting doesn’t grab me at first, learning about the artist or the story behind it almost always changes how I see it. So maybe another way to phrase is would be that discomfort isn’t the goal, but it’s a sign to slow down, explore, and let curiosity lead us somewhere new?
And I love the point about reading beyond our Western lens! If anyone has recommendations, please share!!

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