The List: What have you read recently?

Anyone who cites an interest in ‘literature’ is asked to justify themselves – who do you read? What do you read? Are you really interested, or are you just saying this to appear intellectual, accomplished or cultured? 

Cue the sweaty palms. What to say that makes you fit in? How to impress them? To the sweaty-palmers out there: do not worry. This person may be about to spout off about how enthralling Thomas Hardy is or how Coleridge has them in raptures, but that does not mean you have to as well. The temptation to prove to ourselves and to others that we belong is pretty strong. And the first step to doing this is supposedly to list off how many of the ‘greats’ you’ve read. We all do it to some degree. Think back to your personal statement. 

Writing mine, I suffered from the fear that I was not good enough, that the amorphous reader on the other end would see this, hence the compulsion to put everything in. I considered including books that I’d never finished or even read, just because of their perceived merit. The temptation was ‘I’ve read the first few chapters, that counts, right?’ Even since, the idea of The List has taken root.

For some of us this List is a reality, one which we’re slowly working our way through; for others, it has become The List of works that we must read before we can be considered truly ‘literary’. But each new lecture and each new textbook throws up more works that must be added to The List immediately. It’s an ever-growing monstrosity, one which has the power to stress and demoralise. Give yourself a break and be practical. Just because you have not read all the other books or essays written by the authors or critics on your reading list does not mean you aren’t on par with the rest of your course-mates.

That’s not to say that you should be lazy. There’s always the possibility that the novel that doesn’t look like your cup of tea might actually induce an epiphany, or that the boring looking Theory Essay might just turn your confusion into comprehension. Don’t discount something so quickly; give the first few chapters a try, come back to it later. Literature’s ability to take you out of your own lifestyle and culture and show you the world through someone else’s eyes should not be underestimated.

Similarly, just because your literary idol doesn’t match up with the next person’s does not make your passion any less valid. Just because you aren’t reading ‘serious’ literature in your free time does not mean your enjoyment of these works is worth less. This is University: no one here is the same – similar, but not copies. As much as we all want to prove ourselves and do well on our own, it’s the different voices around us – fellow students, tutors, lecturers – and the springboard environment that they create that will help us get there.

So if at the end of the day you’d rather snuggle on the sofa (or considering we’re mostly students here: bed) with a book which has nothing to do with your course and doesn’t tick off one more box on The List, don’t berate yourself. Tell cynicism to take a hike for once. We are all here because of a genuine appreciation and a willingness to explore literature in all its forms, and frankly, if you enjoy it who can judge you if you say you prefer Harry Potter to Thomas Hardy? I won’t.