This month, I am re-reading Nietzsche’s The Birth of Tragedy (TBOT).
As I have discussed before in my blog post Considering How I Read to Help Inform How I Write, I physically read different books differently.
But it now occurs to me that when I deep-read a book, as I am doing now with TBOT, I am physically engaging with it so aggressively—with pencils and highlights marking up every page—it’s best described as an act of pillage.
I find this especially true of books of philosophy. Perhaps it is because I don’t see philosophy as an activity to view from the stands, but rather as an activity to partake of in the arena—and not just a contact sport, but a blood sport? (Or then again, perhaps I am reading too much Nietzsche?)
Is this a good thing—to physically treat certain books irreverently? I don’t know, but I know this: it is a joyful thing.