The first is that I was the described person in high school. I’d always loved to read, but books that were just too hard for me to understand turned me off. I was drawn to the simple prose of Hemmingway and Camus (and still am! But now I have good reasons for it ^^), and loathed Dickens.

It was not until later, in my college years and beyond that I went back and re-read many of the classics that I read in high school. This time around, I loved them (well, most of them!). I’ve often wondered if it was just my attitude in high school, or a lack of intellectual maturity, etc. Yet, the enduring lesson it has taught me is how important it is to revisit works that you dislike; especially when they are widely praised. The praise might not always be justified, but it surely justifies taking them seriously!

I think too often people tend to give up on scholarly pursuits once they are out of the academic environment. In other words, once nobody forces them to read these things. And it isn’t for lack of intelligence or ability. In fact, to a large degree it is understandable! If you’ve read something in highschool, and disliked it, why go back and put in the effort again when you’ve got heaps of real life responsibilities to handle?

Understandable, but still certainly a shame. There is a lot to be gained from reading literature, or from studying mathematics for pleasure, or from thinking about philosophy, or keeping up with the latest scientific news, and time and freedom are often the ingredients needed to see them in a better light (at least better than high school!).