marjoramblues wrote:'The Phenomenology of...[anything]' does sound seriously thrilling. Where can I get a copy? How would a knowledge of this enhance my life?
It's a subject, not any specific book. I was talking about me dealing with it as serious business. I have no clear answer to how it may enhance your life, as it's not like a technology with some predefined purpose and set of instructions for making and consuming. I do guess though, that feeling important as a reader might be more pleasurable than escapism. That being said, you'd have to believe it yourself first to be able to try and find your place in the idea, as if you're old with many years of being used to following an escapist path it might be hard to internalize the concept.
marjoramblues wrote:Returning to the point of 'escapism' in a novel, how does this trivialise someone as a reader?
It's analogous to being a bystander. Instead of taking action and being part of something you lift your gaze towards something more comfortable and become a passive consumer. But we are talking about feelings here, so hard to talk in more factual terms. It all becomes rather analogy and metaphor.
marjoramblues wrote:'Participation in the literarature phenomena' - you mean general reading ?
No, your participation in the phenomena of the book you are holding in your hand (alternatively the text displayed on your e-reader). By reading it. Thinking about it. Expanding on it in your mind with your own imagination (filling in blanks or continuing the story in your head). Associating with it and its author or other things in your own personal life that you can associate with it (perhaps somebody recommended it to you, there you already have a new association).
marjoramblues wrote:Reading a novel every so often, how is that following an overly dependent path?
We are talking about feelings and not facts. Feelings tend to overemphasize. So you can feel more dependent than you are. But the facts remain that you are dependent on it, you do not "engage" in its type, in the sense that you could not just sit down and write your own story for instance, and even if you could, you do not use your own imagination for escapism, for some reason, as you'd rather be using the book. Like a guy who needs pornography to tell him what he wants and cannot just fantasize in his mind.
marjoramblues wrote:Is this what Phen. of Lit. tells you? Tell me where?
A subject cannot tell me anything. I can tell myself by working within the confines of the subject. I'm not sure what "where" would denote, but I guess it would have to be an example of a book. So I'd say random fantasy books can be good examples. They tend to all feel very similar and seem made for only escapists and pure isolationists. They lack spice, they lack challenge, something you can engage your mind with. Makes me feel like a zombie just watching the same scene over and over again, my brain rotting for every new watch.
marjoramblues wrote:I would argue that novels can mean 'escapism' in a positive sense; an entertbaining mental diversion, silent private reading, which can open minds to worlds of different realities, time, place and people.
Maybe, but sounds strange to escape into somewhere you don't know or have some familiarity with. Because of that escapism for me is selective isolationism. Taking one to new places or challenging places would mean something quite different than escapism. I don't know a word for it, but might call it "literary thrusting", that you thrust yourself into new and challenging things. Btw challenge doesn't mean difficulty necessarily, but more in the direction of diversity and opportunity (it's challenging because it's not predetermined).
marjoramblues wrote:But most people understand that, don't they?
Positive is a matter of opinion. In my opinion it can be positive for many people, but better paths lay besides it.