The Curation of Reading
By Adalyn Lowe
Reading, is of course, an inherently beautiful act. It’s a wonderful thing to read stories and learn what they have to tell you. But beautiful externally? The curation of literature and books, in general, is nothing new, but the rise of social media and the recent romanticization of the act have sparked new discourse.
Books have always been used as a status symbol— as far back as Mesopotamia, ruler Ashurbanipal amassed massive collections of clay tablets. The city Nineveh in ancient Mesopotamia housed a library, inaccessible to the public. Inside, it was curated to demonstrate power and intellectual dominance. Similar examples can be found all throughout history, ancient Egypt, ancient Greece, and the Middle Ages.
During the Renaissance, the rise of the personal library was afoot. Even now, these are mostly exclusive to the wealthy, with mass purchasing of books to give the appearance of intelligence. Because who really cares how smart you are if you’re rich and you look to be as such?
In The Great Gatsby, the wealthy Jay Gatsby has a multitude of real books in his mansion’s library, which shocks a man thumbing through them. He tells our protagonist, Nick Carraway, that this was unusual. However, they were all unread— despite being real, they still served as a façade to curate Gatsby’s image.
Even now, books are curated for the wealthy. For these personal libraries, The Strand in New York City has a section on their website entitled Books by the Foot. This service invites one to pay hundreds of dollars for a foot long of curated books (choose from colors, styles, or subjects) to place in a staged area. They tell those who see them that the person who owns them is cultured and intelligent. But most of them will never be removed from the shelf, much less read. And because of the high price tag, this service is only available to the upper class. It is purely there for the looks, in real life and online.
But that’s an extreme example— with social media, the curation of books has expanded like never before. People will pose with books that align with the image they want to portray themselves as. It tells viewers of their posts of their intelligence, despite if they actually were reading that book, or enjoying it. Right now, any one of you (provided you have access of some sort) could crack open a copy of the smartest looking book in your vicinity to the middle or so, and take an aesthetic picture for social media. Now, it looks as if you are reading it! And the most wonderful bit is that nobody who views it shall know the difference. You’re very welcome for this life hack.
I think reading, at it’s most pure state, is an act centered in enjoyment and learning. Reading intelligent books, of course, has a surplus of benefits. But finding a balance to read what you find interesting is only beneficial. You’ll end up reading more, and associating it with joy.
You truly don’t have to be somewhere beautiful to read, there is no need to be at utmost comfort with candles lit around you and tucked into a blanket with a view outside your window. Reading should be an inherently messy act— consume stories everywhere, and how you so please.
