In his second letter to Lucilius, Seneca advises his younger friend on his reading habits. Again, advice on what and how to read is something from which we could very well benefit today. I, for one, certainly could. Earlier this year, one of my best friends shared between tears that she hadn't read a single book the year before. How well I understand her pain. I struggled to read last year as well. Sometime mid-year, I realized I had zero entries for 2022 in my notebook where I write down my impressions of books just after I finish them (nothing elaborate, just two pages of fresh reflections per book). Then, listening to the radio, I came across a fascinating thriller whose main protagonist is a young writer, and I got hooked (side note to all the French speakers: if you don't know this book/series/feuilleton yet, give it a try: https://www.radiofrance.fr/franceculture/podcasts/serie-la-verite-sur-l-affaire-harry-quebert-de-joel-dicker). I went on to listen to all the books by the same author available on Audible, and as soon as I was finished, I did the same with an Italian crime writer, Gianrico Carofiglio (it also started with a podcast: https://www.raiplaysound.it/programmi/ladisciplinadipenelope, fa-sci-na-ting). I had never valued crime novels very highly, but hey, it was summer and if that could help reignite my joy of reading, then I wasn't going to ask myself any more questions. It certainly felt very rewarding to be able to catch up with my book diary at a fast pace.
But this obsession with reading results, measured by new entries in my book diary and that for other people could take the form of challenges on Goodreads or of photos of piles of books read that month published on Instagram (my own brother does that; he calls it Bookstagram), is not anything that Seneca would approve of. He warns against reading too much from too many authors, which is a habit of unsettled minds, and recommends returning frequently to "authors of proven worth". It is as if the unruly thoughts of weak authors could somehow infect you and stop you on your road to wisdom. You should read slowly and listen to what your chosen authors wanted to say (apparently, in ancient times people always read out loud). If they are good, they should help you live a good life. The purpose of reading daily is the following:
Obtain each day some aid against poverty, something against death, and likewise against other calamities.
Seneca exemplified that himself in his letters, as each letter contains at least one quotation he found in books by other authors. In the first letters, it is often from Epicurus, because Lucilius had Epicurean tendencies and Seneca wanted to convert him slowly to Stoicism, so I suppose he quoted from Epicurus also to show the similarities between the two schools.
Reading like the ancients would thus be very much like something a Portuguese friend recently described to me. She saw that I was reading Fernando Pessoa's The Book of Disquiet and told me that this was not a book that one reads from beginning to end, like a typical novel. She would take it from the shelf whenever she felt like it, she said, open it at random, read a short excerpt, then put it back at place and ponder for a while about what she just read. I wonder what remedy Pessoa would offer against poverty, death, and other calamities. And I think I might try just that in my next post: to read Pessoa like a Stoic.
Digressio: Watching Series and Reading Books
My boyfriend watches a lot of series. I rarely join. When I do, I tend to be the person who, at 3 am, says in the hoarse voice of someone who forgot to swallow during the previous hour, "Maybe let's watch just half of the next one...?" So I'm usually trying not to start.
He suspects my reluctance of joining him comes from the arrogance of someone who thinks that watching series is a lesser form of culture, and asks me, defiantly, "So what do you think, what's the difference between reading books and watching series?"
I answer, raising my hands in defense, "Oh, no difference, no difference at all".
I can't easily explain why I value books more. But maybe there's a differentiating factor to be seen in the fact that you rarely stop the show to say: "Have you heard what Homelander just said? 'You see, companies, they come and go, but talent… talent is forever.' Let's stop and think about that for a moment." But then again, maybe we should.
I don't really have anything to add to JG's comments as far as technical details. By chance I've also been reading Seneca's letters to Lucilius. It seems to me that Seneca is also making a specific point of agreeing with his avowed opponent where agreement exists, and being... well, "ouvert l'ésprit" like that is exemplary. I feel just the same way about Pessoa, I have only ever read the Book of Disquiet at random.
My fingers are itching to discuss ;-)
@jeremyhatch Thanks for the comment! I hope you'll share your own reflections on Seneca (why not in French? there's a great edition of Paul Veyne in French): it would be great to know if you're reading him in a different way. I decided to read him slowly, letter by letter, just as he recommends himself. As for him being ouvert d'esprit, I'm a bit suspicious, but I'm giving him the benefit of the doubt for now. 😏
@Alex_off Please do 😄 I know I haven't answered your previous post yet, but it will come, so don't hesitate to make my debt grow! 😅
Brava! When I read about ancient writers like in this post, I experience a profound sense of peace. I wish I had the time and motivation to learn more.
As Plato would say "don't read at all, you fool!"
I made it up😂, but at least it's debated whether or not he was for or against the use of writing
Let's be honest, he was concerned about the competition and took steps to promote himself🤣🤣🤣
@Simone 🤣🤣🤣 I like your way of thinking 😁 Plato noticed that when we write something down, we tend to forget it more easily... So he was suspicious of writing. I agree about Seneca 😜
Nice try, I'll give him that. But the truth was that Plato was too stingy to buy sheets of paper and ink.
I'm sorry but I couldn't help it🤣🤣.
I'll be serious now. I understand his point. But on the other hand, what would the world look like without writing? Human society is based on writing. As the Romans would say, Verba volant, scripta manent.
Anyway, Plato worried for nothing. We don't write anymore; we just type😂. And it's a matter of time before our thoughts will be automatically converted into instructions. So we'll just stare at a screen and words will start to pop up out of nowhere. No, I'm not making up stuff. Mind-reading devices have already been developed for disabled people and work very well.