How to be cool cultured
A question I received last week from a reader:
*Edited for Rora-worthiness*
Q.
Hi Hogeon, sorry to bother you, but you’re the best person to ask. Can you please give me tips on how to review a book? I’ve been given an assignment to review a book, and I have no idea how to go about it, so I need help. Please help if you have time. T for thanks.
A.
Hmm… I’m not sure if I qualify to answer this question. I haven’t had an essay assignment for a long time, and I don’t even write book reviews unless I feel like it. But if I’m the best person to ask, I will try my best to come up with something.
First and foremost, to review a book, you must ‘read’ it. It might sound obvious, but I’d say it’s the most crucial step. Once a book is out there, it’s upto the reader to determine its greatness. In my view, a truly exceptional book often transcends its author, as it can hold multiple layers of meaning that the author might not have even considered. It’s the perceptive reader’s job to unearth those hidden meanings. This, I believe, is why a book review by someone like you should exist. If not, you might as well just memorize the professor’s or the textbook’s answers (I think many Korean students are educated this way from a young age, which is pretty sad).
I don't know which book you're reviewing, but whether it's fiction or non-fiction, genuine reading naturally leads to the development of insights and points. To truly extract the essence of a book, it's crucial to immerse yourself in it as deeply as possible. Personally, when I come across text that deeply resonates with me, I take the effort to handwrite it on paper. I understand it's a manual and labor-intensive process, but it genuinely helps me delve into the text’s profound layers. I'm not saying you need to handwrite the entire book, but it's essential to invest the time required to fully 'digest' the book, similar to the saying 'the singer ate the CD in a live performance.'
As you gather your insights or points from the book, I strongly suggest putting them down on paper. This way, you won't risk forgetting them by chance. Whether you find your thoughts sensible or not, jot down any ideas or feelings that come to mind as extensively as possible. You don’t have to worry because nobody will see this but you.
The final step is the simplest: take your notes and make them comprehensible for others. Since you've invested time in steps #1 and #2, it means you have something valuable to share with others, so this part shouldn't feel like a burden. Actually, if you aim to excel, edit until your arm is so sore that you can’t edit anymore. The objective should be to find at least one gem among your notes and polish it into a diamond.
Pretty straightforward, right?
I once heard a well-known Korean film critic (arguably the best) share his thoughts on movies versus books in the context of becoming a cultured individual. I’ve cherished his sophisticated response ever since. Best of luck with your book review.
“영화는 말하자면 술 같은 거고요. 책은 물 같은 거예요. 책은 우리를 좋은 의미에서 차갑게 만들어 주고 영화는 좋은 의미에서 뜨겁게 만드는데요, 근데 이성은 기본적으로 차가운 겁니다. 교양에 관한 한 영화는 책을 영원히 따라가지 못할 것입니다.”
(“Movies are, if you will, like alcohol, and books are like water. Books, in a positive sense, cool us down, while movies, in a sense, fire us up. But reason is fundamentally cold. When it comes to self-cultivation (bildung), movies will never surpass books.”)