Submission Field : According Nabokov a good reader is someone who has imagination, memory, a dictionary, and some artistic sense. He also feels a good reader should be a rereader. I agree and disagree with Nabokov, I agree with his statement that a good reader needs to be a rereader. I find that when you reread anything you are able to understand and embrace it more because you are not focusing so much on the story because you already know what it is about so you can focus more on the details. It is the same with movies when you watch them for the second or third time you notice so much more about them. I disagree with the four charcteristics that make a good reader. I feel that everyone is different in the ways that they think so I think what makes one person a good reader doesn't necessarily make another person a good reader. I agree that they are good qualities to have as a reader but not all good readers need a dictionary or an great imagination.
I believe a good reader should first and foremost have the desire and passion to read. I think a good reader must also have good interpritation skills because a reader wouldn't be much of a reader if they didn't understand what they were reading. Other than those two things I agree with Nabokov about memory, and artistic sense, but I think that he was wrong when he said a readers biggest mistake is identifying themselves with the character in the book. I think when a reader feels that they have something in common with the character it is easier to relate and makes the character more interesting to that reader. I myself am an O.K. reader. If I am interested in the material I retain it very well and enjoy reading it but if I don't i have to keep reading it over and over again because my mind wonders while I'm reading and I don't concentrate on the material. I don't read as much as I would like either. If I read more I might become a better reader. Hopefully this class will help me with my reading skills.