John Ruskin’s Of Books: A Reflection on the Value of Reading

 John Ruskin essay “Of Books” is a powerful argument regarding how valuable and important reading is to be granted wisdom, and to be given lessons on how to live. Ruskin provides a clear message about the significance of books and a proper attitude to them. His essay remains a useful guideline, enshrines the value of literature for the intention of improving the knowledge of students as well as their spirits.

In addition, Ruskin divides books into two categories: between the “books of the hour” and the “books of all time” The former may be shallow, quickly passed, and likely to be forgotten; they may amuse society but to no avail. The former can be interpreted as sensational publications, which present information that may be trivial but are not particularly valuable or beneficial; on the contrary, the latter contain knowledge that can be helpful at any period in human history and which teach moral values. According to Ruskin, people should read the handful ”books of all time” as they are created by the finest minds of all generations.

Moreover, one of the important aspects to be discussed, is the role that the readers have. Ruskin goes further to point that reading is not just the reception of print but a reception of the thoughts of great thinkers. He extends an appeal to readers to learn how to read taking a stance, infer the author’s purpose and intention, and think about the message given by the author. Telling the reader about the nature of the books Ruskin points out that they are not something like playthings but “king's treasuries” , sources of moral and intellectual values.

Ruskin also speaks about the abnormal ways of reading which were characteristic of the Victorian period and were equivalent to overeating on trivial works. The learning to read, according to him, should be slow and purposeful in which he opines that a few powerful books are better than a number of superficial ones.

To sum it up, Of Books is an appeal to embrace books as agents of positive change and a source of virtue, widened vision, and experience. It's a powerful assertion of the need to read, not in a mechanical way which only demands the brain but also the soul which should rise to the need of growth.

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