Good Readers and Good Writers

Nabokov thinks that imagination, a dictionary, an artistic sense, and a memory all make up a good reader. I do agree with Nabokov. The four items that he lists are all things that contribute to making a good reader. You must have a good imagination to be able to put yourself in the story, relating with characters, situations, and emotions. The reader must have a dictionary to fully understand the text and grasp the whole meaning that the writer intends for the reader. An artistic sense will allow you to see and create all possible angles to come up with what the writer really means. It would do you no good to read without knowing what you read when you are finished. That is where your memory comes into play.

In my opinion, the characteristics of a good reader are basically what Nabokov previously stated with the addition that in order to be a good reader you have to be able to think critically about the text and the story that you are reading. A good reader is able to see all possible angles that the writer may be saying, then evaluates these angles and comes up with a logical reason as to which one is correct.

I consider myself an average reader. I possess two out of the four characteristics Nabokov believed created a good reader. I am able to put myself in the story and relate to the text. I can also retain what I read for later uses.