How to Read Hard Books

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These lists have Infinite Jest and Gravity's Rainbow and Nightwood among the hardest books in the English Language.

Some people know these books only for being difficult. But, isn't there more to them than the effort required to read them? Aren't there characters and scenes and ideas inside? Or, do we read these books just to show off and flex our literary muscles?

In this video, I rant about "hard" books and the idea that you would only read them for a sense of achievement or pretension.

Also, the idea of difficulty can make it seem like these books are dry or boring.These are fun, beautiful, and sublime books that reward readers willing to do the work, and their stories are visceral and emotional, far from simply an intellectual exercise.

I also mention how reading David Foster Wallace and Thomas Pynchon prepared me to read Nightwood by Djuna Barnes and Under The Volcano by Malcolm Lowry and how reading books just a little outside your comfort zone can expand your mind and introduce you to new ideas.

Finally, I offer five tips for reading difficult books. Approaching a hard book isn't exactly the same as the way you'd approach a page turner or a beach read, so it can be helpful to prepare yourself so you don't get overwhelmed.

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[danielbackerauthor]

4:38 End of Rant
4:44 Don't Worry About Quantity
6:23 Don't Be Afraid to Start Over
8:58 Take It Easy on Notes and References
11:45 Read Quickly and Out Loud
12:22 Don't Be Afraid to Abandon a Book

[NoPrblms]

Another great video. I'm a slow reader and my attention span has been zapped bc of internet/social media/constantly looking at screens for work & leisure lol, but I am currently making my way through Infinite Jest and am determined to finish it before the end of the year (I decided not to set a goodreads goal this year because I realized that 'sheer number of books' is a useless metric if I want to tackle challenging books). I've been savoring it and going back and re-visiting memorable passages I've already read. It is without a doubt the longest and "hardest" book I've ever read, but I can already tell after a few hundred pages that it is going to become my new favorite book. Reading DFW is an interesting experience because it's mentally taxing when you're in the moment (complex grammar, ultra long sentences that I lose my place in and have to re-read several times, incredibly large vocabulary that makes me googling definitions every few sentences, plus he throws in technical/medical jargon and of course Wallace-isms that he invents and that aren't found in the dictionary lol). So reading DFW is "hard" while doing it, and it brings some level of discomfort (it's not as relaxing as like kicking back and watching netflix), but then whenever I reach a stopping point I'm like damn that thing I just read by Wallace hit me like a ton of bricks and I have these mini epiphanies every couple pages. Also it's hilarious. People told me the book was insightful but depressing, and I'm finding it more hilarious and cathartic than depressing.

[epiphoney]

The kindle app can have an x-ray feature for an ebook where you can jump back to the first mention of a term or a character.

[Rasselas_Urasawa]

Didn't realize the channel already it changedhahaha. Nice video!

[danyramos]

as an undergraduate english major, this helps a lot to my self esteem

[flamephlegm]

I like the point about noting the page of character introductions. When characters aren't drawn clearly enough I will get confused sometimes. I had thought of keeping a reading diary or even drawing the characters in question to help cement that. In the past I was able to get a way deeper understanding of films by physically diagramming the plot. For a few months I was studying joke writing and I was transcribing all the jokes from Honeymooner's episodes to get a feel for how they were actually constructed, kind of like how Hunter Thompson said he transcribed Gatsby to get the feel of writing a great novel.

I think some books honestly do better on the page than anything. Like with my Kindle copy of infinite Jest there isn't quite the same sense of place when I'm dealing with end notes and stuff and it gets to be a bit of a mess. I think the physicality of the book itself can be an aid. I heard people theorize that was Joyce's goal with Ulysses as he saw radio and film coming to the fore.

[danasheys]

Excellent video. Some very good advice

[bighardbooks]

Very poignant question answered in a humourous, delightful way ... I agree: reading big books is like being upon the edge of the Grand Canyon. It's sometimes ominous, at first. I'm a big _BIG_ Pynchon fanatic! IMA buddy read _JR, _ January 2022. Good one, Daniel 🤓🌄😎 Post script: I've got _Under the Volcano_ on my shelf: unread! I've yet to read _V._

[Sofia-fvhq]

The background music doesn't help my brain😭

[danielkibira]

I've been thinking of how odd ball humour is typical of Postmodernist Fiction, with such works as Pynchon's Gravity's Rainbow &
Foster Wallace's Infinite Jest; and I am convinced Laurence Sterne's TRISTRAM SHANDY: opinions of a gentleman, might very well be the progenitor of this goofy madness.
All in all this video was thoroughly refreshing Pirate Cap'n Redbeard☠️ and his fellow sailor the Parakeet.🐦
I got to learn about other great writers and positive reading habits such as slowing down to get the feel 🍷📜 of a book.
👉🏾Ecclesiastes 12:12

[Ibakecookiess]

Have you read the essay Mr. Difficult by J. Franzen?