tech

February 28, 2026

The National Year of Reading celebrates the ‘joy’ of books. But let’s not forget they can also be deeply troubling, too

Encounters with great art can be absorbing, unsettling and even painful. How has this been tamed into mere ‘reading for pleasure’?

The National Year of Reading celebrates the ‘joy’ of books. But let’s not forget they can also be deeply troubling, too

TL;DR

  • The UK's National Year of Reading emphasizes 'reading for pleasure,' but this focus may oversimplify the complex relationship individuals have with reading.
  • While childhood reading for pleasure is linked to positive outcomes, the current anxiety around smartphones distracts from a deeper understanding of reading's value.
  • Reading itself is a technology, and its impact is influenced by the content and the reader's engagement, not just the act of reading.
  • The notion of 'joy' in reading, like 'storytelling' and 'joy' in classical music, is presented as a partial and potentially reductive description of art's emotional consequences.
  • Engaging with art, including reading, can lead to experiences beyond pleasure, such as dissociation, confusion, anger, or painful memories, and can even be troubling or harmful.

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