Whim.

Daumier, Reading of a Poem, 1858


Deep immersion in books, Alan Jacobs argues, is more vital than ever. Jacobs’s “one dominant, overarching, nearly definitive principle for reading,” and one of his few prescriptive statements, is, “Read at Whim.” He borrows this exhortation from the poet Randall Jarrell, though the capitalization is Jacobs’s own. Whim, he suggests, is not “thoughtless, directionless preference” but inclination guided by your natural desires, by what brings you pleasure. Jacobs conveys the joy of losing oneself in a good book and issues a bracing call to the life of a literary omnivore.

Read the rest at City Journal.

Thanks, Execupundit.