Pleasures of reading

by R.S.Karunaratne

"Give a man a pipe he can smoke,
Give a man a book he can read;
And his home is bright with a calm delight,
Though the room be poor indeed."

Thus James Thomson holds a mirror to pleasures of reading. Though we consider reading to be a means for pleasure, it has been a potent civilizing force of mankind since William Caxton invented the printing machine. In all civilized countries reading plays a major role in shaping and re-shaping public opinion. Even in primitive societies it had played an important part in daily life. The rock inscriptions and writing on ola leaves and clay slabs substantiate this view.

By careful reading we are sure to get knowledge and new vistas of thought. There are many things to know in life and we are constantly seeking to know the unknown. A scientist, for instance, can invent a new machine with the advanced knowledge he gains through reading. A good book, magazine or a newspaper can plant a "germ of thought" in our mind which in due course would blossom into a new idea, while aiding to develop our perspectives.

It is an accepted fact that many of us read for pleasure. In a highly industrialized society people really get fed up with life. They want spiritual release; they want company; they want to find out solutions to their innermost problems.

That is why fiction is so popular in the modern world. In homes, buses and offices fiction readers are on the increase. However, the pleasure you get from reading romance, detective stories or stories about a family secret is temporary and limited in scope.

The more serious reader goes for the classics: Shakespeare, Bacon, Eliot, Tolstoy and the like. He wants something more than pleasure. He thinks a good book or any other reading material should enlighten him on human problems. Hence, anything that fails to broaden his horizon becomes unpalatable to him.

Before the printing machine was invented, coffee houses and similar places had been the sole means of disseminating news. Knowledge was handed down from one to the other by a process of memorizing stanzas and passages.

With the advent of the printing machine, people were given a more dynamic role in the shaping and re-shaping human life. Today we are more fortunate than our fore-fathers in gaining knowledge through reading books, magazines and newspapers.

Reading has become a very important aspect of our life that a non-reader would find it extremely difficult to keep pace with the rapid expansion of knowledge in every conceivable sphere of life.

The habit of reading has stood many challenges. Firstly, the invention of the radio by Marconi in 1895 had its impact. Some people would have thought that the radio could replace reading.

However, people did not give up reading although radio offered many programmes on diverse subjects. Then in 1926 Baird invented many programmes on diverse subjects.

Then in 1926 Baird invented the television. Although many of us are virtually glued to the television, there is nothing like reading as a way of relaxing.

The entertainment and enlightenment offered by the radio and television are limited in scope. Human likes and dislikes are so complex that no radio or television programme could make everyone happy and enlightened. However, reading has no such limitations.

If you want to read on any subject, you have only to walk into a library or a bookshop. Nobody will dictate terms to you, nobody will draw a programme for you and nobody will limit your time of reading. It is correct to say that man has not yet invented anything to replace a good book.

As Milton - the famous English poet - once said, "a good book is the precious life-blood of a master spirit, embalmed and treasured up on purpose to a life beyond life."

I have a word of caution to all readers. That is, you can be judged by what you read. We might agree with Mitchell when he says:

"Show me the books he loves

And I shall know

The man far better than through

Mortal friends."

I hope that this piece of advice would not act as a damper on your enthusiasm to read what you like for there is no other entertainment which is so cheap as reading and pleasures of reading are ever lasting.

Reading as a hobby

People have various hobbies. Some collect stamps. Others stack their drawers with beautiful pictures. Quite a few of them collect old coins.

However, it is once in a blue moon you come across anyone who has the time and the desire to collect old fairy tales.

Fairies are small imaginary beings with supernatural powers. They help or harm human beings. Fairy tales are orally transmitted folk tales common throughout Europe.

They deal with the fortunes of a hero or heroine involving some degree of supernatural intervention.

Sometimes the hero or heroine had to pass a series of tests in order to reach the desired goal. In the course of their adventures the fairies are helped by good supernatural creatures. Similarly they are hindered by evil creatures.

Nobody knows exactly how fairy tales originated. One can only suggest that fairy tales originated in the common psychological drives of man. This notion is supported by various mutations and variations found in fairy tales.

Then there is the difference between traditional fairy tales and those created by authors. For instance, the Brothers Wilhelm Jacob Grimm were the first to collect traditional fairy tales. The fairy tales of Hans Christian Anderson (1805-75) are original fairy tales which reveal the author's individual strain of imagination combining pathos, masochism and morality.

One might wonder why these two Grimm brothers took to this unusual hobby. Well, there were many reasons.

The Grimm brothers were the sons of a German civil servant Philipp Wilhelm Grimm. When the father died the two brothers had to undergo many difficulties.

Whenever they found time they listened to tales narrated by elders. The stories they heard were fascinating. They were woven around religion, culture, language and many other aspects of life.

Once Grimm brothers appealed to the public to send them whatever fairy tales they knew. To this unusual call few collectors of fairy tales responded. The majority of the collectors were young women of above average education. What is more they hailed from aristocratic families. After recording the fairy tales the Grimm brothers revised them deleting certain portions considered to be unsuitable for children.

As children we loved to hear fairy tales narrated by our elders. Those were the stories about foolish villagers, wise men, robbers and characters similar to fairies.

When we become adults most of us lose interest in these stories. We think they are for children. The comment "these foolish stories are for children" is heard very often. It is tragic most adults have lost childlike qualities. To believe in fairies and to read and listen to stories about them are something peculiar to children. However, these stories had been narrated, collected and finally revised by adults.

Thanks to the Grimm Brothers and Hans Christian Anderson today we have a fine collection of fairy tales. But the stories narrated by our elders have not been recorded in full.

The term fairy tale should not be misunderstood. It includes folk tales. Very few authors have tried to collect these tales handed down from generation to generation. If you visit any remote village you can easily collect many folk tales.

Although fairies are rare in our folk stories, there is the supernatural intervention to help the hero or punish the wrongdoer. The Grimm Brothers' collection of fairy tales is an inspiration to all of us who wish to take to this rewarding hobby.