Now to being well-versed:
I was conversing with a friend last night on the topic of science fiction and fantasy and how difficult it is to keep up with everything in that genre. It's got a rich history and its output seems to be growing everyday, and a number of authors are very prolific. I read quite a lot, and I used to be able to read even more when I could take the bus to work and didn't have to deal with grad school und so weiter, but even so, I feel like my knowledge is scattered. I've read almost everything by a few authors, bits and pieces of a larger number of authors, but most I know only by name and reputation. Every once in a while I'll overestimate my reading prowess...
I've read this much! I'm awesome!
Oh. The library's a bit bigger than I thought. What do you mean there's more than one room?
- overconfident of the proportion of it they've read
- ill-informed of the scope of literature out there
- confined to one particular sub-genre
- blessed with a life and job that lets them read 24/7 (and even then I doubt their claims)
- lying
Or maybe I'm just delusional in my interpretation of some people's claims or the feasibility of reading enough of these particular genres to be considered well-versed. Perhaps my definition of well-versed is simply too strict. I just know that I've read quite a lot, but still have much more to read!
What say you? How much do you think you have to have read to be considered well-versed, and are you there yet? How much do you read?
3 comments:
I think you are right. Being well-versed is an elusive accomplishment, especially in the cases of writers like me who finally started reading after realizing that they've devoured all the good movies Hollywood has to offer...another elusive feat. After reading a million books, one just a little honest with himself/herself would discover that there are over a billion more books left to be read. That's minus the zillions of articles on the internet.
For someone to be well versed in a genre, I don’t think they need to have read all or even most of the books in the genre. Familiarity does not require complete knowledge. A well-versed person will have read many of the classics in that genre because they will be the major influencers of the rest of the body of work. A well-versed person will have a broad knowledge of the genre, reading several examples from each sub-genre. But only a sampling of the genre is needed because there is so much similarity between books. In addition, a well-versed person will read what other well-versed people are saying about the genre. Doing so will strengthen his knowledge and will help identify areas where he hasn’t read enough to be conversant.
As for people talking about an author you haven’t heard of, that in itself doesn’t mean you are not well-versed. That’s part of the reason why people read books. When a reader can talk about a book or author that other people haven’t heard of, the reader is the expert concerning the book and author. People like being the expert. If everyone has read the same books, there’s not much to talk about. But the well-versed reader will be able to listen to what other readers are talking about and categorize that book he hasn’t heard of as being like another author that he does recognize.
@Walter: I definitely felt that way after graduating from college, because I'd been so focused on studying (and not to be a writer) that I didn't do as much reading for fun. Now I feel like the more I read, the more I realize how much I still have to do!
@Timothy: I like your definition, because now I feel very well-versed again. Thank you for bringing such a thorough and interesting perspective to the table.
Of course, my entire blog title is a tongue-in-cheek commentary on the fact that one never stops learning how to write. I suppose one never stops running out of material to read, either, so none of us can claim a complete knowledge of any genre.
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