Herman Wouk's The Winds of War How Should One Read A Book?

Herman Wouk's The Winds of War - How Should One Read A Book?

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

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.