--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Reading is a privileged pleasure because…" description: "\"“Reading is a privileged pleasure because each of us enjoys it, quite complexly, in ways not replicable by anyone else. But there is enough structural ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/876/robert-alter-67212_common-ground_reading-is-a-privileged-pleasure-because_2429640.jpg" --- # Reading is a privileged pleasure because each of us enjoys… ![“Reading is a privileged pleasure because each of us enjoys it, quite complexly, in ways not replicable by anyone else. But there is enough structural common ground in the text itself so that we can talk to each other, even sometimes persuade each other, about what we read: and that many-voiced…” quote by Robert Alter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/876/robert-alter-67212_common-ground_reading-is-a-privileged-pleasure-because_2429640.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/876/robert-alter-67212_common-ground_reading-is-a-privileged-pleasure-because_2429640.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/876/robert-alter-67212_common-ground_reading-is-a-privileged-pleasure-because_2429640.jpg) > ““Reading is a privileged pleasure because each of us enjoys it, quite complexly, in ways not replicable by anyone else. But there is enough structural common ground in the text itself so that we can talk to each other, even sometimes persuade each other, about what we read: and that many-voiced conversation, with which, thankfully, we shall never have done, is one of the most gratifying responses to literary creation, second only to reading itself.”” [Robert Alter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-alter/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Reading offers a personal, unique experience while also providing shared material for discussion and persuasion, creating a rewarding dialogue about literature. **In simple terms:** Reading is personal yet shared, sparking rewarding discussions. Key Takeaway Engage in thoughtful literary conversation. Themes literature dialogue interpretation pleasure community Mood reflective enthusiastic intellectual Type analytical inspirational When to use this quote - book clubs - academic seminars - online forums - personal reading groups Key Concepts subjectivity shared meaning persuasion Questions to Reflect On - How does your personal experience shape your interpretation? - What can you learn from opposing viewpoints? A Different Perspective Discussions can become echo chambers, limiting diverse perspectives. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Common ground](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/common-ground/) [Communication](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/communication/) [Literary Creation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/literary-creation-264729/) [Persuade Read](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/persuade-read-264730/) [Reading](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reading/) [Reading Privileged](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reading-privileged-264727/) [Responses Literary](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/responses-literary-264728/) [Writer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writer/) ## Related quotes > [Here lies the sense of literary creation to portray ordinary objects as they will be reflected in kindly mirrors of future times. . .…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vladimir-nabokov/here-lies-the-sense-of-literary-creation-to-portray-ordinary-objects/) [Vladimir Nabokov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vladimir-nabokov/) > [“I think that here lies the sense of literary creation: to portray ordinary objects as they will be reflected in the kindly mirrors of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vladimir-nabokov/i-think-that-here-lies-the-sense-of-literary-creation-to-portray/) [Vladimir Nabokov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vladimir-nabokov/) > [“I have always thought that art is not a category, not a realm covering innumerable concepts and derivative phenomena, but that, on the contrary,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/boris-pasternak/i-have-always-thought-that-art-is-not-a-category-not-a-realm-covering/) [Boris Pasternak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/boris-pasternak/) > [There is an incompatibility between literary creation and political activity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mario-vargas-llosa/there-is-an-incompatibility-between-literary-creation-and-political/) [Mario Vargas Llosa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mario-vargas-llosa/) > [“The sense of literary creation is to portray ordinary objects as they will be reflected in the kindly mirrors of future times; to find…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vladimir-nabokov/the-sense-of-literary-creation-is-to-portray-ordinary-objects-as-they/) [Vladimir Nabokov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vladimir-nabokov/) > [A literary creation can appeal to us in all sorts of ways-by its theme, subject, situations, characters. But above all it appeals to us…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/boris-pasternak/a-literary-creation-can-appeal-to-us-in-all-sorts-of-ways-by-its/) [Boris Pasternak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/boris-pasternak/) > [“Revelation is a literary work composed with astonishing care and skill. We should certainly not doubt that John had remarkable visionary experiences, but he…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-bauckham/revelation-is-a-literary-work-composed-with-astonishing-care-and/) [Richard Bauckham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-bauckham/) > [There's literary creation and literary business. When I first got something accepted, it gave my life a validation it didn't otherwise have.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/raymond-carver/there-s-literary-creation-and-literary-business-when-i-first-got/) [Raymond Carver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/raymond-carver/) > [“Indeed, the Bible has been cast adrift from its moorings and left to float on a sea of modern relativity. The “play” of meanings…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/grant-r-osborne/indeed-the-bible-has-been-cast-adrift-from-its-moorings-and-left-to/) [Grant R. Osborne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/grant-r-osborne/) > [ “It was only much later that he was made flesh and blood \[in the Gospels\] on paper. Thus Christ was created as a literary… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-louis-couchoud/it-was-only-much-later-that-he-was-made-flesh-and-blood-in-the/) [Paul Louis Couchoud](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-louis-couchoud/) > [People wonder why a man and woman can't be friends after being in love. It is because it's very tough to look beyond the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dia-mirza/people-wonder-why-a-man-and-woman-can-t-be-friends-after-being-in/) [Dia Mirza](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dia-mirza/) > [But when we're helping children understand how people from different walks of life can coexist, prioritizing common ground too often obscures or erases uncommon…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/meena-harris/but-when-we-re-helping-children-understand-how-people-from-different/) [Meena Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/meena-harris/) > [I could fight with the living but I could not fight the dead. If there was some woman in London that Maxim loved, someone…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daphne-du-maurier/i-could-fight-with-the-living-but-i-could-not-fight-the-dead-if-there/) [Daphne du Maurier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daphne-du-maurier/) > [“Equality of condition and equality of opportunity must provide the foundation of an interdependent nation with building blocks found in dignity and respect given…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julie-banks-lewis/equality-of-condition-and-equality-of-opportunity-must-provide-the/) [Julie Banks Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julie-banks-lewis/) > [I have tried to treat people on the other side civilly and look for common ground.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-klobuchar/i-have-tried-to-treat-people-on-the-other-side-civilly-and-look-for/) [Amy Klobuchar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-klobuchar/) ## More by Robert Alter > [“What this typographical distinction should make immediately apparent in the passage is the highly subsidiary role of narration in comparison to direct speech by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-alter/what-this-typographical-distinction-should-make-immediately-apparent/) [Robert Alter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-alter/) > [“Balaam in his wrath hardly seems to notice the miraculous gift of speech but responds as though he were accustomed to having daily domestic…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-alter/balaam-in-his-wrath-hardly-seems-to-notice-the-miraculous-gift-of/) [Robert Alter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-alter/) > [“When Israel came out of Egypt, 1 the house of Jacob from a barbarous-tongued folk, Judah became His sanctuary, 2 Israel His dominion. 3…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-alter/when-israel-came-out-of-egypt-1-the-house-of-jacob-from-a-barbarous/) [Robert Alter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-alter/) [Explore all 4 Robert Alter quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-alter/) ## More Common ground quotes > [I have tried to treat people on the other side civilly and look for common ground.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-klobuchar/i-have-tried-to-treat-people-on-the-other-side-civilly-and-look-for/) [Amy Klobuchar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-klobuchar/) > [“Equality of condition and equality of opportunity must provide the foundation of an interdependent nation with building blocks found in dignity and respect given…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julie-banks-lewis/equality-of-condition-and-equality-of-opportunity-must-provide-the/) [Julie Banks Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julie-banks-lewis/) > [I could fight with the living but I could not fight the dead. 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The president doesn't get everything he wants, the Congress doesn't get everything they want.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-w-bush/dealing-with-congress-is-a-matter-of-give-and-take-the-president/) [George W. Bush](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-w-bush/) > [“The difference between the student radicals and the Hell's Angels is that the students are rebelling against the past, while the Angels are fighting…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hunter-s-thompson/the-difference-between-the-student-radicals-and-the-hell-s-angels-is/) [Hunter S. Thompson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hunter-s-thompson/) > [“Who knows what goes on in a marriage? Even my parents, who had a compatible marriage, had their points of contention. 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