What makes someone "well-read?"

[Mary]

Is it the quantity of books you read, or the quality? What defines a "well-read" person?

[[deleted user]]

I think of it as someone who has read most if not all of the classics and has read some of the popular contemporary books too. Basically a librarian - if by passion and not profession.

[Mary]

Hahaha a librarian would be:) I like your definition, thank you!

[Sarah]

I consider a well-read person to have read books with a lot of themes from a lot of genres. Basically, they've been exposed to all sorts of literature :)

[B]

I think that to be considered a well-read person, you have to be the type to always be continually reading, the type to catch references in books and conversations, the type to know what the teacher's talking about when most people dont... the type that can hold a theoretical conversation about deeper topics - and often a sign of a well-read individuals is open-mindedness and a willingness to listen, if not accept.

[Andrew]

Mary wrote: "Is it the quantity of books you read, or the quality? What defines a "well-read" person?"

To my mind, it's about both. If someone's only read three classics, they're not all that well-read. Likewise, if someone chooses not to read classics, but they've read 500 inferior modern books, they aren't that well-read.

It's also important to note that being well-read is about more than knowing books: it's also knowing about them. Sure, a well-read person has read a bunch of great literature, but they have also studied the history of writing, as well as the themes and symbolism in great novels of several different nationalities.

In addition, well-read people think for themselves, and are usually able to identify great writing as soon as they read it.

[Sarah]

Andrew wrote: "Mary wrote: "Is it the quantity of books you read, or the quality? What defines a "well-read" person?"

To my mind, it's about both. If someone's only read three classics, they're not all that well..."

Yup, so true.

[Stefan]

Mary wrote: "Is it the quantity of books you read, or the quality? What defines a "well-read" person?"

I think it's all about the message you get from every book you read, how you understand it and, the most important thing, how you use it; how you implement it in your life. I have this idea that a book should be considered a (let's say...) helping hand that makes our life easier.

[Michael]

I believe well-read means reading not only much fiction (including classics, pop and stage plays) but also much nonfiction. I think the truly well-read are those that constantly read and don't feel they are well-read. Well-read is a label one places on another, never a label one places on themselves. If a person is truly well-read, it will come out without them having to say so.

[Lisa]

In my opinion, it is the diversity of subjects and genres that determine how well-read a person is. I was fairly well-read by 12 years old.

[HerodotusMao]

I don't think that reading "the classics" is necessarily a requirement to being "well read," but it does help. Especially since so much of modern culture (Literature of course, but also Art, Film, Television, etc)is built on the scaffolding of the past. One can certainly pick up on a lot about these foundational works via close reading of modern sources, and for some, this can be enough.

To pick two slightly dated examples, would teenagers from the late 90's have noticed that the film "10 Things I Hate About You" was based on "The Taming of the Shrew" without someone telling them? Or that "Clueless" was a retelling of Jane Austen's "Emma?" I would argue that a "well read" person would, even if they might not have read the stories themselves.

[Desley (Cat fosterer)]

One of my colleagues thought I was because I didn't buy into Fifty Shades phenomena and because I asked his opinion of George Orwell. The reality is I read a lot of fiction, a couple of classics a year and don't have intellectual conversations about books, I just like reading, I have favourite authors but will read anything depending on the blurb

[Merdock]

I believe that a person is well read when they consistently challenge themselves with new books on a variety of different topics. Though I suppose one could be considered well read in a specific subject. Basically I believe someone who is well read is someone who steps out of their comfort reading zone and tries new things.

[Chrisl]

Michael wrote: "I believe well-read means reading not only much fiction (including classics, pop and stage plays) but also much nonfiction. I think the truly well-read are those that constantly read and don't feel..."

Of the answers to this question, I think Michael and Merdock provide the most apt responses.

Having worked in multiple libraries, and directed one during 4 decades, I assure you many library employees are not well-read, including more library directors than I'd have expected.

After attending multiple library conferences, I came to realize that some directors were excellent politicians but after university not themselves much inclined to be book readers.

[Lorna]

I agree with a lot of the comments here. I think if you've constantly got a book on the go, and thinking ahead to what you're going to read next, browsing sites like this to find your next read then I think you've got the right to say that you're well read.

Diversity helps. Reading a wide variety of books both fiction and non fiction. Although I think reading something just to tick it off on some reading list or just so you can say you've read it is a bit pointless if you don't enjoy it. If you do that you're reading for the wrong reasons in my opinion.

[Javeria]

Any one who is Percy Jackson, Harry Potter Divergent and The Hunger Games is "well-read" to me

[Iris]

Someone who reads a little bit of everything so that they never feel left out of the loop. That's a well read person.

[Mary]

Sarah wrote: "I consider a well-read person to have read books with a lot of themes from a lot of genres. Basically, they've been exposed to all sorts of literature :)"

Awesome one! :)

[Mary]

B wrote: "I think that to be considered a well-read person, you have to be the type to always be continually reading, the type to catch references in books and conversations, the type to know what the teache..."

OOO this is also a good definition:)

[Mary]

Andrew wrote: "Mary wrote: "Is it the quantity of books you read, or the quality? What defines a "well-read" person?"

To my mind, it's about both. If someone's only read three classics, they're not all that well..."

I agree! In my English class last year, our teacher taught us about the Anglo-Saxon period, and I honestly was very intrigued. And to be able to tell the difference between good and bad writing has to be developed, and that is through lots of reading.

[Mary]

❄ sʜᴀʜᴅɪᴀ ❄ ʰᵉʳᵉ ᶦ ˢᵗᵃᶰᵈ ᵃᶰᵈ ʰᵉʳᵉ ᶦ ˢᵗᵃʸ ❄ wrote: "I don't think 'well-read' should be some sort of elitist club for people who've read the classics. In my opinion, 'well-read' is anyone who has a passion for reading, and reads a lot. To me, that's..."

YES. While I admire the fact that people will read the classics just to do it, I hardly count those people as avid readers. After all, if the cannot understand the appeal of some YA series such as the Maze Runner or the Hunger Games, how could they claim to be a reader? Of course, we should all try to read some of the classics.

You posed some interesting questions as well. I don't think you should be labeled as a "well-read" person ONLY if you have read some classics. There are many people who never have, but still read a variety of genres.

If you truly love books, you should not force yourself to read something to appear intelligent. I detested Frankenstein, due to how my teacher went about bashing classics as a whole and for making the class unbearable. Yet one bad experience with a classic doesn't define every one. I really like a Tale of Two Cities, though I slogged through it. I came to appreciate classics for their own language.

[Mary]

Ștefan wrote: "Mary wrote: "Is it the quantity of books you read, or the quality? What defines a "well-read" person?"

I think it's all about the message you get from every book you read, how you understand it an..."

Haha, I like your view:) I think the messages I got through reading at a young age (well for everyone, too) really stuck with me as I grew, and I still cannot get enough stories. It's a curse and a blessing, because fantasy will always seem much better than our mundane world. Yet, as one of my favorite stories pointed out, "The other side of the bridge is never what it appears." (I apologize for I don't recall where I placed the collection of short stories and therefore cannot claim this is an accurate quote.)

[Mary]

Michael wrote: "I believe well-read means reading not only much fiction (including classics, pop and stage plays) but also much nonfiction. I think the truly well-read are those that constantly read and don't feel..."

Non-fiction is not my favorite, but I have read some. If the subject is interesting, I make time for it, but I try not to force myself into one I don't like. And I agree with you. If all one reads is fiction, they can neither be considered "well-read" nor open-minded.

[Mary]

Lisa wrote: "In my opinion, it is the diversity of subjects and genres that determine how well-read a person is. I was fairly well-read by 12 years old."

Hahaha, awesome!

[Mary]

HerodotusMao wrote: "I don't think that reading "the classics" is necessarily a requirement to being "well read," but it does help. Especially since so much of modern culture (Literature of course, but also Art, Film, ..."

VERY good point! Thankfully, I actually knew about those examples, so I felt pretty good there hahaha. Unfortunately, most of classmates don't find reading pleasurable. I can't fathom why. Who wouldn't want to be taken to another world, free from your own for a short time? Or to learn something new? It's been proven that people who read, are more able to empathize with people and most of the time can identify emotions better than those who don't read.

[Mary]

Desley (Cat fosterer) wrote: "One of my colleagues thought I was because I didn't buy into Fifty Shades phenomena and because I asked his opinion of George Orwell. The reality is I read a lot of fiction, a couple of classics a ..."

Hahaha OMG me too! And it shouldn't matter how many classics you read, or non-fiction. What matters in the end, I think, is to be able to have read a variety, but still be able to find your favorite genre and keep reading:)

[Mary]

Merdock wrote: "I believe that a person is well read when they consistently challenge themselves with new books on a variety of different topics. Though I suppose one could be considered well read in a specific su..."

Interesting! I never thought about how one could be considered "well-read" in a specific genre. In that case, most people would be, since YA is so popular hahaha. And it's great to challenge yourself, because you're exposing yourself to many new things, which is always a good thing.

[Mary]

Chrisl wrote: "Michael wrote: "I believe well-read means reading not only much fiction (including classics, pop and stage plays) but also much nonfiction. I think the truly well-read are those that constantly rea..."

Wow, really? That's a little sad. Ironically, librarians would seem the most likely matched for "well-read", but then again, no one should be lumped into a category based on anything.

[Mary]

Lorna wrote: "I agree with a lot of the comments here. I think if you've constantly got a book on the go, and thinking ahead to what you're going to read next, browsing sites like this to find your next read the..."

Exactly!

[Mary]

Javeria wrote: "Any one who is Percy Jackson, Harry Potter Divergent and The Hunger Games is "well-read" to me"

Hahaha! You could be a "well-read" person in one category, as someone wondered.

[Mary]

Iris wrote: "Someone who reads a little bit of everything so that they never feel left out of the loop. That's a well read person."

:) Yes. I hope to do that one day, but I would never read something just to check it off. I read to enjoy it:)

[Stephen]

Sometimes reading something just to check it off is worthwhile. For example reading at least one play by Shakespeare so as to try and determine first hand why so many people think it's great.

It's also useful to check out books like What Do You Know? : The Ultimate Test Of Common (and Not So Common) Knowledge to try and spot areas where you're more uninformed than you should be.

Also try a few of the Goodreads quizzes and see what you know.

I'd recommend
https://www.goodreads.com/quizzes/224...
and
https://www.goodreads.com/quizzes/177...
and
https://www.goodreads.com/quizzes/126...
and finally
https://www.goodreads.com/quizzes/247...

If you score better than average on all of these I'd say that you're well read.

[Alex]

Finishing Lord of the Rings.

[Lisa]

I *say* I'm well-read, but I have FAILED practically every quiz on here. Hahaha. I only ever got one B in college (algebra, not literature or comp.), but I don't remember Hemingway's middle name or the color of the woman's dress on page 3 of The Sea Change. So, I guess it depends on who's judging. Hahaha. I'd read all the time if I didn't have to do other things. Since I found this site I've found tons of new books I want to read. :)

[Soraya]

Emily wrote: "I think of it as someone who has read most if not all of the classics and has read some of the popular contemporary books too. Basically a librarian - if by passion and not profession."

what are all the "classics"? Is there a list? All countries would have their group of "classics". I m always baffled by the term.

[Stephen]

Lisa wrote: "I *say* I'm well-read, but I have FAILED practically every quiz on here...I don't remember Hemingway's middle name or the color of the woman's dress on page 3 of The Sea Change..."

I understand and sympathize with that complaint.

GoodReads quizzes are created by GoodReads users and there are a LOT of terrible ones out there. Though I think that if you look at the ones I provided links to, you'll find that they're not like that.

Or if you've been traumatized by GoodReads quizzes and you want to try one just for yucks, check this one...
The World's Easiest Quiz on Books Almost No One Reads Completely
https://www.goodreads.com/quizzes/282...

or this one The Spring Cleaning - Jumble Sale!
https://www.goodreads.com/quizzes/259...

[Stephen]

Soraya wrote:what are all the "classics"? Is there a list?..."

Yes, there are actually several lists and GoodReads has a LISTOPIA feature where users can create and vote on lists.

As to the classics you might check out
Must Read Classics https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/4... Listopia lists interface with your book ratings so it will tell you how many of the top 100 you've read (It says that I've read 45 of the top 100 books.)

There are also lists there by genre and by country. (and by pretty much any other criteria as well) There are also "Best of" lists by decade that are pretty interesting

There is even a list entitled 100 Children's Books to Read in a Lifetime https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/7...

And one Most Overrated Books that might give you some ideas as to what to avoid https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/1...

Another one:
Highest Rated Books on Goodreads (with at least 100 ratings) https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/2...

[Iris]

Mary wrote: "Iris wrote: "Someone who reads a little bit of everything so that they never feel left out of the loop. That's a well read person."

:) Yes. I hope to do that one day, but I would never read someth..."

I don't mean read to check it off. I mean they read books from every genre so that they can have opinions on such things and actually know what they're talking about.

Although I have no problem with reading something just to check it off of my list. You come across books you would never pick up that way and its a way of opening up yourself to books your friends would read. I read books my friends recommend even if I've had no interest in it so that I can debate the pros and cons with them

[Ashley]

Personally, I think it's impossible to be well read if you only read from one or maybe two genres, even if you've read say 500 books from said genre. You need to have diversity within your reading, and awareness of a large number of authors and genres to class yourself as "well-read."

[Lisa]

Stephen wrote: "Lisa wrote: "I *say* I'm well-read, but I have FAILED practically every quiz on here...I don't remember Hemingway's middle name or the color of the woman's dress on page 3 of The Sea Change..."

I ..."
Thanks. :)

[Rachel]

A hundred years ago, being well read meant you had read most, if not all, of the important works of your time period. I don't think that is even possible now, there are just too many books coming out too fast.

I have something of a love/hate relationship with the whole notion of "classics." I have read a fair number of so called classics. Some are great, others you have to wonder if they would even get published today. Of course a lot of what makes a book great is highly subjective and others might disagree.

On the flip side, have you ever tried discussing books with someone who has completely different readings tastes? Unless you have at least a few books in common, its almost impossible. There is a reason that book clubs all read the same book, so you have common ground. By the same token, literature (as an academic field) requires a certain common ground. So there will always be certain books that are "classics" and be taught in schools.

So what does it take to be well read today? I say if you enjoy reading, read. Don't make it a competition by defining terms like well read. :-)

[Somerandom]

Being well read, I think, is someone who just loves to read and has read a wide variety of books. Yeah, reading classics are good and all. There are some I adore. Some I tolerate because I need a bit of a challenge and some I don't like. But you shouldn't only read classics. You should read all sorts of books. YA, Adult, fiction, non fiction, children's etc.

I myself have several YA series I'm reading currently, like 10 classics on my TBR pile lol and a bunch of children's books from various authors. (I recently squee'd as I paid for a small collection of Beatrix Potter Books. I is happy. =) )

I dunno if I'd call myself well read though.

[Somerandom]

❄ sʜᴀʜᴅɪᴀ ❄ ʰᵉʳᵉ ᶦ ˢᵗᵃᶰᵈ ᵃᶰᵈ ʰᵉʳᵉ ᶦ ˢᵗᵃʸ ❄ wrote: "I don't think 'well-read' should be some sort of elitist club for people who've read the classics. In my opinion, 'well-read' is anyone who has a passion for reading, and reads a lot. To me, that's..."

Not to diss your friend or anything, but I always get confused when someone says "I hate the classics." I mean it's such a loose term you might as well say I hate computers. To put that in perspective, the world's first computer is widely thought to be the humble Abacus.

There's literally thousands of books that are deemed to be a "classic." Everything from philosophy to action/adventure to Sci Fi to Romance to Spy action and everything in between. That means there's hundreds of different writing styles used in "classics." There's a reason they say, There's a classic for everyone. Because it's such a broad term that it's highly possible that you'd eventually find at least one classic you adore.

To answer your question, though. I'd say you don't have to read the "classics" however you define the word to be well read. If you only read classics to seem smart then you're not very well read at all. Because you're not fully respecting the art of storytelling. You're just treating it as a fashion accessory.

(Although, personally, I would recommend people at least try a wide variety of the "Classics." You'll find some you hate, sure. But you shouldn't dismiss such a wide array of literature and ultimately culture. If at first you don't succeed try try again, right?)

[Arielle Rae]

For me, it means someone who has read a lot of books.

It really shouldn't matter what people read, as long as they do read

[Francesca]

Like lots of people here, for me being well-read is about the diversity of themes and genres that you've read. One feature of being well-read is being able to understand references and allusions to different books, and in everyday life that includes classical literature as well as YA and popular novels. If you've only read Twilight and Harry Potter you won't understand the multitude of references to the classics in movies and other books, but at the same time if you've only read the classics you won't understand more current references, which is just as important!

In any case though, I think that even just reading a narrower range of genres and novels helps you to become better read and learn about how to use language, which is an important element of being even a little bit well-read. In other words I think the mere fact that you're reading is more important than being 'well-read' (it's not an all-or-nothing sort of thing).

[Stephen]

Francesca wrote: "One feature of being well-read is being able to understand references and allusions...If you've only read Twilight and Harry Potter you won't understand the multitude of references to the classics in movies and other books..."

Couldn't agree more. Well said. AT the risk of sounding too verbose... A well read person will be better able to "suck the marrow out of the bones of life experience".

Also being well read might give you a leg up on my Eat It? Drink It? Wear It? Or?... quiz https://www.goodreads.com/quizzes/229...

[James]

I believe that being a well read person is someone who reads many different types of books besides the genre that they normally read.

[Mitali]

I don't think there's any all-purpose definition of 'well-read', as people mean many things by it. I personally think that a well-read person should probably have at least one or (preferably) more of these characteristics:
* Genuinely loves books and reading (simply reading in order to seem 'intellectual' does not count).
* Reads a lot of books (though what counts as 'a lot' differs from person to person).
* Reads books from a number of different genres, including the 'classics'.
* Reads a variety of non-fiction as well as fiction (anyone who reads only fiction is missing out on a huge range of books).
* Is willing to try new authors/genres, and regularly expand his/her reading range.
* Does not dismiss a genre he/she has not read without trying a few representative books from it (for example, literary snobs who dismiss sci-fi/fantasy as being 'beneath' them, even though they've never read a single good sci-fi/fantasy novel).
* Is capable of seeing books in a historical and cultural context and able to pick up literary allusions.

[Deeptanshu]

Ashley wrote: "Personally, I think it's impossible to be well read if you only read from one or maybe two genres, even if you've read say 500 books from said genre. You need to have diversity within your reading,..."
I completely agree with your point. I think diversity and an open mind is the mark of a well read person.

[Rachel]

I got curious enough about this thread to start a listopia on the topic: https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/7...

Feel free to add books to that list, or vote on the books there. I am interesting in seeing what the list will look after a bunch of people have added their votes.