I can't read fiction.
It makes me sleepy and it feels pointless. Most of this has to do with me being extremely lazy and probably also with me being less intellectually inclined. The only thing that can keep my interest for a few hours is STEM textbooks and even then I like the math/formulas/pictures more than the language.
The fact that my mother, sister and grandfather are all avid readers who tear through books like there's not tomorrow, makes this all the more painful.
Is reading fiction something that grows on you the more you do it or is it just not for me?
same, the origin of species was such a slog for me
>>7327508
How is it even possible that I can shitpost on 4chan for days on end, yet get sleepy after one minute of staring at a real life page. Sure, the content is simpler, shorter and more interactive, but in essence it's still reading, right?
I'm sorry btw, you guys must get this kinds of posts all the time from first-time /lit/ lurkers.
>>7327551
>I'm sorry btw, you guys must get this kinds of posts all the time from first-time /lit/ lurkers.
Yes.
Keep reading. If you don't feel like it, don't.
Jees.
>>7327551
Try reading at a different time of day or drinking tea/coffee while. Continue practicing. You don't have to read an entire book in a day. Start off with short stories or with a couple pages from a book.
>>7327551
you need to find the sort of fiction you like reading. then you use that to learn how to enjoy reading. then you can enjoy reading things you once thought were boring.
I did not enjoy Shakespeare when I was 14.
I read a bunch of other shit that I found entertaining while in high school. 15 years later and I can read entire plays in one sitting.
>>7327566
>start off with short stories
I tried this once and I enjoyed the brevity. It didn't catapult me to bigger books however
>>7327579
It just demands so much energy. I can't just relax and let the story come to me when reading because I have to actively read every sentence, think about what I have just read, then visualize it. With textbooks I have to put in this effort as well, but I get rewarded for this effort: I learn new concepts and links between stuff I already knew and get a better understanding of how things work.
When reading fiction, the pleasure is supposed to come from the actual process of reading and the intrinsic beauty of language etc.. This is something I don't experience. I experience pleasure in understanding things. I like information. Language is just a cumbersome obstacle in my way to that information.
By writing this out I pretty much realized that I answered my own question. >>7327564 is right. It just clicked for me that I just don't like reading. I enjoy textbooks for their subject-matter, not for the medium in which they are presented to me.
Sorry for bothering you /lit/ and have fun doing what you love! I will do the same.
OP, try to read some entry level poetry (ask for suggestions) and try to get some appreciation out of how the sounds are put together to mean what they mean. You could consult an internet primer on reading poetry too. Maybe you just need some training in appreciating words.
>>7327887
>When reading fiction, the pleasure is supposed to come from the actual process of reading and the intrinsic beauty of language etc.. This is something I don't experience. I experience pleasure in understanding things. I like information. Language is just a cumbersome obstacle in my way to that information.
You're kinda setting a false dichotomy there. You don't necessarily need to read for "pleasure", you can approach fiction as an educative text as well; not only can you take the story itself at face value and try to learn as much as you can about it, but also learn about the author, the historical context of the book, the techniques used, etc. You should try to enjoy things your own way, not in whatever manner you think you ought to.
>>7327508
then don't read it. enter through the gift shop; start with literary theory. as you get more interested in it the appeal of fiction will become apparent to you.
Fucking hell mate I hate these kinds of posts. Just pick up a fucking book and read it. If you're having fun keep going. If not, oh well. Maybe you just don't actually like reading, which isn't a crime
>>7328063
Exactly. I agree with you. OP: "I'm such a pleb cuz I don't like fiction, but I still have the need to feel validated by some random assholes on the Internet". Grow the fuck up. If you don't like reading, so fucking be it. Read whatever the fuck you like.
