We read in slow, long motions, as if drifting in space, weightless. We read full of prejudice, malignantly. We read generously, making excuses for the text, filling gaps, mending faults. And sometimes, when the stars are kind, we read with an intake of breath, with a shudder.. as if a memory had suddenly been rescued from a place deep within us--the recognition of something we never knew was there.. Alberto Manguel
About This Quote

When we are reading, our minds are wandering. Sometimes, we are so engrossed in the story that our minds are too distracted to notice. And sometimes, when the stars are kind, we will suddenly be taken out of the story and realize that there is something missing. We will realize that something has been read over before, or that there is a gap in the text.

We will read with an intake of breath, with a shudder. This happens because we have read a great book, and it seems like it should be familiar to us somehow. However, somehow, it was missing from our experience until now.

The stars are also involved in this phenomenon because they have touched upon something important in our lives before, perhaps even before we were born. This puts us at ease when we read great works of literature because we know that this book has touched us before. It makes us feel connected to the author and his work because it is clear that they have read this book before too.

Source: A History Of Reading

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