"Talking about Reading"

Author: Francis Bacon

Excerpt from the original text: Reading is enough for pleasure, enough for enrichment, and enough for talent. His joyful mood is most seen when he is alone in seclusion; his richness is most seen when he talks loudly; his talent is most seen when he is dealing with the world and judging things. Although a skilled person can deal with the details individually or judge the details one by one, he is the only one who is willing to learn and think deeply when looking at the overall situation and planning the overall situation.

If you spend too much time studying, you will become lazy; if you are too rich in literary talent, you will be pretentious; if you rely solely on articles to decide things, it will be the old school mentality. Reading makes up for the deficiencies of nature, and experience makes up for the deficiencies of reading. Innate talents are built up like natural flowers and plants. After reading, you know how to prune and graft.

As shown in the book, if it is not based on experience, it will be too big and inappropriate. Cunning people despise reading, ignorant people envy reading, but only wise people use reading. However, books do not tell others about their usefulness. The wisdom of using books is not in the book, but outside the book. It can all be obtained by observation.

"Talking about Reading" uses methods such as metaphorical argument, comparative argument, and parallel argument to discuss the correct purpose of reading, the correct method of reading, and the important role of reading, and guides people to improve themselves through serious reading.

Bacon is a famous essayist, and his essays have a great influence on Britain and the world. Bacon's essays have an easy and smooth style, flexible writing techniques and alert language. The full text is like a conversation, full of pertinence. It is a sincere warning to the world from a learned man who has insight into the world's affairs and human feelings.

Extended information

In terms of the meaning and function of reading, Bacon has a very insightful discussion: "Reading is enough for pleasure, enough for enrichment, and enough for talent. Its pleasure is also the most important thing. His talents are best seen when he is alone in solitude; his talents are best seen in his eloquent speeches. "Reading history makes people wise, and reading poetry makes people smart." , Mathematics makes people thoughtful, science makes people profound, ethics makes people solemn, logic and rhetoric make people good at discerning, and everything learned becomes character."

Bacon said: "Human nature is like that. They are like wild flowers and plants, and reading is like pruning and transplanting. A person who reads blindly without goals and focus will eventually become a slave to books."

In terms of reading methods, Bacon pays attention to the combination of theory and practice." The method of application is outside the books. This is a skill that cannot be learned without experimentation. "Bacon said: "For some books, you only need to read part of them, and for some books, you only need to know the outline. Good books must be read repeatedly.

"Bacon on Reading" has a thorough discussion of the meaning, function and methods of reading. Today, whether it is reading for scholarship or mastering modern advanced science and technology, It is worth learning from. I think that if you love reading and know how to read, you can read well and learn knowledge well.

Baidu Encyclopedia-Talking about Reading