I’ve often said that big books scare me and I still think that is true but there are exceptions. I’ve found that if I have a reading project and slowly work through a big novel, I not only finish the novel but also tend to enjoy the experience. I’ve done a few reading projects in the past, including making my way through Infinite Jest, which took a few months and increased my pretentious level. More recently I completed War and Peace; I think that took about five months to complete but well worth it.
When I finish university for the semester I’m planning another reading project, this time for novel that isn’t as big as Infinite Jest and War and Peace. This time I’m going to tackle Middlemarch by George Eliot beginning in June. Middlemarch is a social critique so I’m going to have to get understand the historical and cultural context. To do this I’m going to try using a reading guide; I’ve never used one before but I think it is time I put them to the test. After asking around, I’ve settled on the reading guide Eliot’s Middlemarch by Josie Billington, which is part of the Continuum Reader’s Guides series.
I’m not sure what to expect but I’m looking forward to reading Middlemarch; I’ve heard some great things about this novel and I’m sure I’ll be a very proud man when I complete it. I am not entirely sure what to expect but I’m excited for the ride. Have people had as much success with reading projects as I have? I think they can be very useful for those big bricks. I like to slowly take my time and spend months chipping away at a novel like this; it allows me time to process in between. Like War and Peace, Middlemarch was originally published as a serial, so I suspect that I’ll get some repeated information, which is useful when reading a novel so slowly. I’m looking forward to this project and I hope the reading guide helps.
I’m not scared off by big books, but they do tend to muck up my need to somewhat obsessive need to finish books. I tend to end up finishing lots of other things while I plug away at the giant ones. W&P was worth it. A Suitable Boy was worth it. By comparison Middlemarch is a novella yet I had a hard time this year getting past 100 pages. I enjoyed what I read, I just didn’t enjoy it enough to let it slow down my reading pace. I am sure I will go back to it in the future.
Middlemarch is a novella compared to War and Peace but it does look rather complicated. One of the joys of reading multiple books at a time is the fact I can let my thoughts process what I’ve read for a book like Middlemarch while I read a simpler book.
I have come round to the joys of big books over the past year or so, but I’m not sure I could tackle them in the same way you do – chipping away at them a little at a time. If I don’t push myself to power through and keep going I just end up getting distracted by other things. Infinite Jest took me an age to read and in the end I lost interest, it had taken me so long that I felt detatched from everything that had happened at the start of the book. I’ve never attempted War & Peace but would like to give it a try at some point. Hope you enjoy Middlemarch! Good luck!
The thing about Infinite Jest is there is a point in the book where everything clicks, sometimes it takes 100 pages, sometimes it might take the entire book. I hope you try it again, I know it is a hard slog but I tend to think that effort will be worth it when/if it all clicks.
Wait until you get to Clarissa. That will really test your resolve! Haha. I didn’t get far with Infinte Jest because I really didn’t like the writing – I guess I’m just not a DFW fan. Good luck with Middlemarch. Once you get into it you’ll like it, for sure.
I will push myself, I have been warned about Clarissa; I hope I can make it through
This book has been on my to-read list for years…every year I tell myself I will get around to reading it and I still haven’t! Maybe this year, lol 😉 Happy reading! Hope you enjoy it 🙂
One day Lianne, one day. I’ll let you know how it goes.