41 Learning Methods That Benefit a Lifetime

Chapter 34 Reading Masterpieces Needs Deep Reading

Having said so many examples, how should we read it?Taking literature as an example, a masterpiece is a kind of book that is worth reading carefully.The method Steve Allen taught us is worth pondering:

Steve Allen on How to Appreciate Masterpieces
In school we learn one of the greatest and most difficult skills ever accomplished by human beings—how to read.

Each of us has encountered such a thing: read the book assigned by the teacher.The teacher assigned Moby Dick, I didn't like it, I didn't read it, I thought I won.

But actually, I lost.I lost the beneficial things that reading classics should have gotten.Later, I read it anyway, and gradually fell in love with "Moby Dick", and every time I read it, I found a new kind of pleasure.

What is a masterpiece?A classic is one such book—a part of your life that makes sense, if only for a moment.A masterpiece is a book that stands the test of time, a book that millions of readers around the world have read for special inspiration over the years.

Not many books can stand this test.Count all the writings that have been published since man first chiseled stone tools, and the famous books make up only a tiny fraction—less than one-thousandth of the total.There are only a few thousand copies.In these books, its solid core is less than a hundred.

Why should you read great books and learn to appreciate them?I offer three good reasons:

First, classics broaden your horizons.

Second, classics help you grow.

Third, classics help you understand life and yourself.

The last point is very important.The classics can give you insight into your inner world, which cannot be obtained from other places.To be sure, you can almost enjoy pleasure in many books; but a masterpiece, once you have read it, will take you to a higher level.

I often hear people say: "The classics are too difficult to understand, I can't read them."

Let me give you some ideas to help you find this wonderful world.Take a classic book that you always say you want to read, and follow the suggestions below to read it?select

(End of this chapter)