"Idleness is a disease which must be combated but I would not advise a rigid adherence to a particular plan of study. I myself have never persisted in any plan for two days together. A man ought to read just as inclination leads him; for what he reads as a task will do him little good. A young man should read five hours in a day, and so may acquire a great deal of knowledge."
from Boswell's Life of Johnson
Well, I have made a reading plan for 2007, but like Johnson, I have not persisted with it very long. My fascination with Virginia Woolf's diaries continues and I've nearly finished volume two and am busily ordering in the next three volumes 'just in case' I need them. Hermione Lee's 750 page biography has also come down off the shelf and onto the bedside table. I'm waiting to see which of The Voyage Out, Night and Day, Jacob's Room and The Haunted House and other Stories: the Complete Shorter Fiction of Virginia Woolf arrives at the library first (since none can be found in my local bookshops) and will then embark on a Woolfian fiction fest. Though, of course, were any of this to be elevated to the status of a plan, well, see above.
Happy New reading Year to you all!
I'm so happy that you've caught the Virginia Woolf bug! :-) The Lee biography is wonderful! And the later diaries! And the fiction, of course! You should also invest in The Common Readers, the collections of critical essays she published in the 1920s, if you haven't already. They're a pure joy. :-)
Posted by: Victoria | Thursday, 04 January 2007 at 03:51 PM
Happy New Year to you and welcome back. I hope you enjoyed your break!
Posted by: Carl V. | Thursday, 04 January 2007 at 05:14 PM
Wow, five hours a day... if only!
Posted by: renee | Thursday, 04 January 2007 at 06:29 PM
Wow, you are really zipping through the diaries! yay for Woolf mania! I agree with Victoria, the Lee bio is wonderful as are the Common Readers. Also Three Guineas, a long essay about war in which Woolf outlines her argument for pacifism is good too.
Happy New Year!
Posted by: Stefanie | Thursday, 04 January 2007 at 10:23 PM
Well, Woolf is very popular lately! I wonder if she is looking down from somewhere feeling supremely gratified? I want to read more Woolf this year, too, but we'll see how that goes. I am all for the five hours a day of reading though!!
Posted by: Danielle | Friday, 05 January 2007 at 02:58 AM