There are two distinct camps when it comes to rereading books: either people treat it with derision, not able to comprehend why anyone would want to spend their precious time reading words they have already consumed, or they completely and utterly understand it, and are eager to share which books they have granted the special honour of being ones to reread.
For some reason, watching TV shows such as Friends over and over again is not even given a second bat of the eye, but informing people that the book you are rereading is one you have read before often is. I always find myself feeling like I have to justify why I am rereading a novel, when there is so much esteemed literature out there for me to get through.
As a child and avid bookworm, I would read everywhere and anywhere – at the breakfast table, under the bed, walking, even on the loo! My appetite for books was insatiable, but there were some stories I just could not (and still can’t) let go of. For an anxious person, reading stories where the ending is something I already knew is enormously comforting. The author Vanessa Jones sums my feelings up perfectly when she says, “as an anxious person, I often find it difficult to focus on one thing… during the last lockdown, when my anxiety was high, a friend suggested I tired rereading books I used to enjoy… I found that I was able to lose myself completely. Absorbing myself in a story I already knew and loved was as good as a mental rest, and now, if I feel anxiety creeping in, I’ll reach for a well-thumbed novel!”
Unsurprisingly to people who know me, J. K. Rowling’s Harry Potter series is my ultimate comfort read. It is inextricably linked with my childhood, and was a hugely formative influence for me, nurturing my love of fantasy and mythology, and most likely inspiring my decision to study Classical Civilisations at degree level. There is something about this series that is incredibly readable, even as an adult; the language is delectable, and the plot intensely curated to satisfy any reader’s curious mind. It is this inherent re-readable quality by which Italo Calvino defines a classic; “a book which with each rereading offers as much of a sense of discovery as the first reading.” Rereading books for comfort is something I find myself doing a lot, and it was especially useful in my first year of university when I was really missing home and finding everything quite overwhelming.
There are also reasons for rereading other than comfort. Many academics make the case that reading a book a second, third or even fourth time allows the reader to process the information more successfully, and therefore gain a deeper understanding of the text. It is also especially helpful for beginner readers just starting out on their literary journey. According to John Stein, former neurologist and Oxford professor, rereading “helps them make the connection between symbols on a page and the sounds we hear when speaking…rereading a favourite text again and again helps these processes become effortless and automatic so [the reader] can understand it better and better.”
It should also be noted that rereading religious texts is an integral part of most religions. Many people, whether Muslim, Jewish or Christian, make an effort to read passages from their holy book every day, and come back to passages that speak to them in times of need. Maybe the act of rereading is something the human brain knows it needs in order to process complex information and emotions. As C.S. Lewis so charmingly put it; “I’d never be satisfied to limit myself to just one experience each with my favourite people.” Whether the books are holy texts or childhood favourites, rereading books can only be a good thing, improving our minds and our souls.