What we see when we read

This is not so much a book as a collection of images and ideas that somehow, against all odds, condense into something deeply thought-provoking. It’s a quick read, but one you’ll want to revisit and reconsider. The last page is an invitation to go back to the start and think about each page in a new way.

It is full of precise and concise descriptions of phenomena I think every human can probably recognize, but maybe not really put a name to. I especially loved this description of a psychological sensation I have known most of my life:

I have had the experience of looking at the world in a nonallusive manner. This state of mind comes on me suddenly, and I’m aware of my topographic position, and am newly alert to geometry. Suddenly the world seems a purely optical phenomenon—it is reduced to light and its vectors—and I have become the camera, rather than the photographer. Chronology is rendered moot, and the constituent fragments of the world are no longer subservient to my psychology, and self-consciousness, but are startlingly present at hand. There is nothing cold or unnatural in this state of being, but rather something strangely preconscious.

I’ve always called this feeling Jamais Vu but Mendelsund gets at the idea better here with the word my spellchecker keeps complaining about: “nonallusive”. Yes yes yes.

I could quote dozens of passages of equal intrigue, but instead I’ll say this: If you love to read, if you find the idea of “meaning” inscrutable, if you close your eyes, and you’re not quite sure what you see, then pick up a copy of What We See When We Read and dive in.

This visual essay is based on a premise that doesn't really hold true for me, in that I have never really felt that I "see" when I read. So when Mendelsund tries to convince me that "seeing" is a false impression that's disconnected from the actual experience, I'm already there. If there's a revelation to be had from that, it's just that I thought other people with a stronger visual sense would have a different experience. Maybe not.

Outside of that, I definitely enjoyed Mendelsund's flair for visual metaphor, and the book's questioning of the experience of reading. It's kind of amazing how much The Master and HIs Emissary is impacting everything else I read that comments on perception and phenomenology and philosophy of mind. Here, Mendelsund describes what we "see" of the characters and settings we read about as fragmented, detailed in parts but not additive—more details don't create a more vivid image, even if they do create a more rounded understanding.

I kept thinking of the left-brained mode of perceiving, the one that dissects and strips of context, that knows the parts that make up a whole but can't seem to understand how to put them together. Mendelsund isn't using that framework, but everything he says fits the idea that literature and language more generally is the domain of the dissecting left brain.

When reading Moby Dick, does Ishmael look like Richard Basehart? How about Anna Karenina? Please don’t tell me she looked like Keira Knightley. What We See When We Read takes a look at the activity of reading with such depth and insight. Looking at not only the way our brain fills in the images but also what the author is trying to say. Take for example Karenin in Anna Karenina; his ears are described a few times within the novel but they get bigger. The size of his ears is an artistic simulacrum that changes as Anna Karenina’s feelings toward him change.

Peter Mendelsund is Knopf’s Associate Art Director and has been responsible for some of their most iconic book covers. Just looking at his book cover designs I get the sense that he loves reading and the artistic side of literature. His book covers really capture a feeling; they stand out and often work well with the written word inside. He is major is in Philosophy and Literature and the two work well together in looking at the idea of reading and how our minds interpret the written word.

This is very much like Understanding Comics by Scott McCloud, it explores the idea of reading in different ways and explores different concepts. We all read slightly different and Mendelsund is able to go into different methods. A stand out for me is the way Vladimir Nabokov read Kafka’s Metamorphosis; there is an image of his copy of the book and it looks like he edits and rewrites the book to make it his own. It is an interesting way to get involve with the written word.

What We See When We Read is a combination of written words and images, which allows Mendelsund to illustrate his point and give the reader a better understanding of the feelings. A big bonus is the fact that he references other books, which gives me a huge TBR pile of books that explore this idea further in different ways. I love books about books so I am pleased to have a reading list.

I have to say What We See When We Read is a must for all book lovers. This book will be a joy to read and will look good on the shelf. I own the new Vintage edition, which is a paperback but it also has French flaps so it looks nice. I like how he went for a simple cover design; it stands out and works well with this book. I know this book is rising in popularity and I hope more people get a chance to read this one as soon as possible.

This review originally appeared on my blog: literary-exploration.com/2014/11/08/what-we-see-when-we-read-by-peter-mendelsund/