Herman Wouks The Winds of War How Should One Read A Book? :: Winds of War Essays

Herman Wouk's   The Winds of War  - How Should One Read A Book?      Ã‚  Ã‚   While reading Herman Wouk's classic tale, The Winds of War, I came across several passages describing a young man's vision of Germany. Although the author supplies me with his ideas, his desire and his provocative details on how this young Major views Germany at the time of the second world war, I still find myself wondering and questioning aspects of the written text before me. Apart from being drawn from my sub-conscious state to a more subtle and unconscious condition, several questions begin to from within my mind. Have I ever seen Germany before? What were the political conditions? What did the SS Stormtroopers look like? What did a concentration camp reveal? By triggering these sensors and somewhat emotional queries within me, the author has already caused a clockwork cycle to commence which will enlighten my reading and eventually create enjoyment and furthering interests with his novel. This is what Virginia Woolf focuses her composition about and emphasizes so very clearly      Ã‚  Ã‚   After reading her essay, I came to grasp and understand her theory that one is best not to accept advice from another on how to read literature, since the best advice is no advice at all. Woolf expresses the conception that when one begins to read literature he begins to enter different stages of interpretation that will ultimately improve his pleasure and satisfaction. It was obvious to me that I had in fact indulged in forms of interpretation when reading literature, but it had never dawned on me until reading Woolf's essay. Whenever I am subjected to something in literature that is not fully comprehensive, I begin to engage in several different forms of interpretation. The first stage would reflect much of the philosophy composed in the essay 'Against Interpretation' whereas I, the reader, would observe the content and then translate the form. Literature induces the reader to use his experience and memories to comprehend what a person, place or thing is and then interpret it. Th econd stage would involve translating where one begins a comparison sequence trying to link their past knowledge with the subject introduced by the author.