I consider reading itself - a state of art. It not only takes a skillful author to produce a great book, but also a skillful reader to comprehend it. “The dear good people don’t know how long it takes to learn to read. I’ve been at it eighty years, and can’t say yet that I’ve reached the goal” - Johann Wolfgang von Goethe.
Here is some traits, a good reader, in my opinion, should have:
A masterful reader must know how to extract from a book everything valuable it can offer. From different kind of innovative thoughts to simply learning new words.
Reader should adapt his reading method to each book. Someone who doesn’t know how to do that, will quickly run through “Einsteins’ theory” with the same pace he is used to run through his morning news paper.
What do you think? Do you agree? If so, what else would you suggest to someone who wants to improve his reading skills?
For me any form of communication can be perceived as art, skill and a tool — sometimes all at once.
And as listening is a virtue, same goes for reading — which in itself is a form of hearing authors voice. After some time of listening to it, the connection is already there.
· · ·
So, sure, any form of critical — or even more so — deeply invested reading definitely can be described as a form of art.
It probably boils down to some form of a proper appreciation on receivers end, the same formula might be used for singing / music and listening, dancing / figure skating and watching it, and so on…