You Are What You Read: A Practical Guide to Reading Well (Skills for Scholars)

DiYanni, Robert

ISBN 10: 0691206783 / ISBN 13: 9780691206783

Published by Princeton University Press, 2021

About this Item

Seller Inventory # mon0000008946

Bibliographic Details

• Title: You Are What You Read: A Practical Guide to Reading Well (Skills for Scholars)
• Publisher: Princeton University Press
• Publication Date: 2021
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0691206783
• ISBN 13: 9780691206783
• Binding: hardcover
• Condition: Acceptable

About this title

Synopsis

How you can enrich your life by becoming a more skillful and engaged reader of literature

We are what we read, according to Robert DiYanni. Reading may delight us or move us; we may read for instruction or inspiration. But more than this, in reading we discover ourselves. We gain access to the lives of others, explore the limitless possibilities of human existence, develop our understanding of the world around us, and find respite from the hectic demands of everyday life. In You Are What You Read, DiYanni provides a practical guide that shows how we can increase the benefits and pleasures of literature by becoming more skillful and engaged readers.

DiYanni suggests that we attend first to what authors say and the way in which they say it, rather than rushing to decide what they mean. He considers the various forms of literature, from the essay to the novel, the short story to the poem, demonstrating rewarding approaches to each in sample readings of classic works. Through a series of illuminating oppositions, he explores the paradoxical pleasures of reading: solitary versus social reading, submitting to or resisting the author, reading inwardly or outwardly, and more. DiYanni closes with nine recommended reading practices, thoughts on the different experiences of print and digital reading, and advice on what to read and why.

Written in a clear, inviting, and natural style, You Are What You Read is an essential guide for all who want to enrich their reading―and their life.

About the Author

Robert DiYanni is adjunct professor of humanities at New York University. His recent books include The Craft of College Teaching (Princeton) and Critical Reading Across the Curriculum. He lives in Bedford, New York.