I think that you've made an excellent point he...

2009-10-19T23:20:11.119-04:00

I think that you've made an excellent point here Christa, that the sorts of folks who would make such a conscious decision are also likely the same folks who wouldn't be particularly perturbed by this self-assigned assignment. For myself, I've occasionally found myself unable to "turn off" the inner critic, particularly when watching films. I find myself remarking, internally, on things that are done particularly well or particularly poorly, and have to work to shut that part of my head off so that I can enjoy the film.

I think that it definitely varies for each individ...

2009-10-17T17:20:54.618-04:00

I think that it definitely varies for each individual, however, I personally agree with your perspective; reading something and knowing that I'm basically required to write some sort of assessment afterwards makes me that much more resentful about it than if it were a personal decision after having read the piece. I find that, not only am I unable to completely focus my attention on the material at hand, it also really dampens my personal enjoyment of it. But I can see the merits of actually writing a review; the process does force a person to stop and really consider the piece critically and it definitely helps to consolidate it in a person's understanding.

I also find that resentment, in these particular situations, is generally limited to moments where it feels as though there is no personal choice in the matter of writing about the material that's being read. Perhaps the reason why your colleague and Nina Sankovitch have no misgivings about writing reviews for each book they've read because they've personally chosen to do so.

Comments on OnFiction: Writing About Reading

I think that you've made an excellent point he...

I think that it definitely varies for each individ...