Scholars don’t agree on what the ancient Greek philosopher Heraclitus said or wrote about rivers. He might have said “on those who step into the same rivers, different and ever different waters flow down,” or “we both step and do not step in the same rivers,” or “it is not possible to step into the same river twice.” [1] But there is little dispute about the modern spin we put on his words. We believe that he said: “no man ever steps in the same river twice, for it’s not the same river and he’s not the same man,”[2] or something similar.
As with rivers, so with books. Every time you re-read one, it and you are different. Here are a few of the many quotes about re-reading by literary greats:
Oscar Wilde – If one cannot enjoy reading a book over and over again, there is no use in reading it at all.[3] [Makes it difficult to assess upfront whether to read any given book]
Umberto Eco – I think a book should be judged 10 years later, after reading and re-reading it.[4] [Not great for an author, he should have said you can’t judge my book without reading my other books.]
C.S. Lewis – Re-reading, we always find a new book.[5] [Here is the main point.]
I sought the quotes after recently re-reading two pieces of fiction that I first read many years ago. It was a good experience, though to be honest, I knew it would be. I have re-read dozens of books through the years. Frankly, a couple of times I re-read a book without realized that’s what I was doing.
The concept of re-reading being a valuable experience has been done to death – see the articles listed in the footnote for a sampling, so I’ll not belabor the point.[6] Instead, I’ll talk about my experiences.
I have purposely re-read the Lord of the Rings multiple times (see Wilde quote). I don’t seek new meaning, which is good because the book is little more than a fun romp through a fantasy world. But sometimes I find lines that resonate more than they did on prior readings. For example, in the Fellowship of the Ring, the hobbits and Strider were searching for Rivendell, a glorious well-hidden Elf realm, and being hunted by “the Nine,” extremely powerful, if dead, beings. When the elves realized what was happening, they dispatched help: “There are few even in Rivendell who can ride openly against the Nine; but such as there were, Elrond sent out North, West, and South.” [7] I want to know more about the awesomeness of those elves, yet we learn nothing else about them, not even their names.
More recently, I re-read The Death of Ivan Ilyich by Leo Tolstoy for the first time in 40 or so years. The story of Ilyich’s confrontation with the bitter finality of impending death strikes a bit closer to home for a man whose sons have graduated from college than it did when that man was a college student. I am definitely not the same man as when I fulfilled a requirement for some long-forgotten literature class.
It’s a short compelling novella, which well rewards the reader. Tolstoy sets the stage, describes the characters, and infuses them with heart and soul in a way that few other authors can. With Tolstoy, even though you are reading, you feel what is happening, much the way you feel a song like Rhythm of the Heat as much as you hear it.[8]
I also recently re-read The Jungle by Upton Sinclair. After I explain, you may think that I “re-read” The Jungle. The format of The Jungle that I re-read is a graphic novel, which was adapted and illustrated by Kristina Gehrmann. A graphic novel is “a novel whose narrative is related through a combination of text and art, often in comic-strip form.”[9] Have you ever read one? They aren’t comic books, well, sorta. Still, you should consider reading one.
I wouldn’t recommend a serious reader to experience The Jungle for the first time by reading a graphic novel, too much nuance and description is missing. But if you have read the book, if you already know the story, if you don’t want to devote a week or more to learning the gory details of the meat industry as it was existed 120 years ago, then a graphic novel is a great way to go.
Much is lost, but most remains. The difficult circumstances for immigrants and the gratuitous venality of the business owners are manifest. The horror of knowing that someone is taking advantage of you and that there is nothing you can do about is patent. Many details are conveyed in the illustrations, which bring the characters and surroundings to life without a surfeit of words.
Most of the graphic novels that I have read are independent entities, not derivatives. Berlin, a graphic novel by Jason Lutes, evokes the feel and flavor of the Weimar Republic much quicker than reading any of the many historical texts about that period. The same goes for 300 by Frank Miller, which tells the tale of the Spartans at Thermopylae.
Graphic novels aren’t necessarily grounded in history. The Watchmen series, by Alan Moore, describes a world with alternate superheroes, which contrast sharply with the heroes from the Marvel and DC universes, in both skills and personality. (They are strange.) Another bizarre world was created by Brian Vaughan: Y, the Last Man, in which a geneticist wakes up and realizes that he is the last male on earth.
Whether approaching a new world for the first time or re-engaging with an old book (for example, Fahrenheit 451), a graphic novel is a terrific way to both read and not read a story.
[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heraclitus
[2] https://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/heraclitus_107157
[3] https://quotepark.com/quotes/783556-oscar-wilde-if-one-cannot-enjoy-reading-a-book-over-and-over-a/
[4] https://www.theguardian.com/books/2011/nov/27/umberto-eco-people-tired-simple-things
[5] https://www.goodreads.com/quotes/470196-read-and-re-read—re-reading-we-always-find-a-new-book
[6] https://the-artifice.com/reread-books-pros-cons-rereading/; https://www.mindjoggle.com/10-books-worth-reading-again/; https://www.theatlantic.com/books/archive/2022/01/critically-acclaimed-books-atwood-ishiguro/621287/.
[7] Chapter 12.
[8] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cpqJxb_pNTM. Listen through the end to hear an especially compelling drum sequence (it’s half the song). Tip – turn it up as loud as you can tolerate.
[9] https://www.ahdictionary.com/word/search.html?q=graphic%20novel
Hey Bob,
I have enjoyed many graphic novels, and I am about half way through Berlin, which is amazing, and i also highly recommend it. One get a real sense of what the author/artist thought Germany was like between the wars.
I disagree with this statement: “ As with rivers, so with books. Every time you re-read one, it and you are different.”
You change but, unlike a flowing river, the book does not change.
Literary license. I think we get different things out of a book, even if we haven’t changed that much, upon re-reading. I realize the words don’t change, although — The Death of Ivan Ilyich was a different translation, so in that sense, the words can change. And graphic novels are definitely different. But I take your technical reading — maybe I should have said, “some books are different, depending on the format and the language and the translation and the edition.”