Henry James' recommendation to read 'The Ambassadors' at a leisurely pace highlights the pressure many face in academic environments. Reflecting on personal experiences, the author recalls the struggles of attempting to consume vast amounts of literature while attending English classes. This led to a disheartening relationship with reading, where the joy was overshadowed by the pressure to consume too much material quickly. The article critiques the culture of rapid reading and advocates for a more mindful, measured approach to engaging with literature.
In a minorly famous letter to the duchess of Sutherland, Henry James advises that The Ambassadors should be read 'very easily and gently,' specifying that his correspondent should ideally 'read five pages a day.'
Five pages a day is very slow reading, but most of us would love to approach our reading at a more leisurely pace, if not a pace determined so prescriptively.
I was at the nadir of my reading life as an undergraduate English major; as someone who naturally reads quite slowly, I spent many nights of my undergraduate career standing at my dresser so I wouldn't fall asleep while reading.
I loved the books I was reading, and I wanted to succeed in the classes I took, but I was also, by trying to read upward of 500 pages a week, making myself miserable.
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