I can visualise complex scenarios, I just don’t retain the scene because of imagery.
I find Shakespeare easier to comprehend due to it being a play; its just dialogue with little to no imagery.
Too much imagery makes my brain skip the whole part, and inevitably this makes it impossible to retain what I just read. Even if I read word by word, it doesn’t matter or change a thing; it just gives me a headache.
A user’s post [*Why can’t I comprehend any book I read*](https://www.reddit.com/r/books/comments/pvqnk9/why_cant_i_comprehend_any_book_i_read/) summarises my issue with reading novels.
I prefer to read only mangas; many here would suggest I cannot visualise hence the substitution for mangas however, as stated earlier, I can retain plays too.
The best supporting argument is the following: recall when your friend was telling you a story about an event that occurred, and, instead of describing unnecessary details such as the time of day, the weather, how they were *really* feeling, etc. etc. they cut the long talk and stayed on topic. They told every little detail without much imagery, and this is why I can easily recall stories from friends but I cannot recall a single thing from novels.
Another point: in the 8th grade, I noticed my struggle with this problem because I never used to read books except *Diary of a Wimpy Kid* (though it has drawings, it lacks imagery, again proving my point) so when an assignment asked to read *Half Brother* by Kenneth Oppel (horrendous book) I could not keep up with the plot, characters, themes, or anything useful. Instead, I started reading summaries and synopsis on the internet and this made me more educated on the assigned material than the entire class that read the material, word for word.
Equivalently, I did the same for my 12th grade essay: I was assigned to read Gatsby and I read 3/4 of the book, however, as the essay’s due date was approaching, a person who’s read only 1 page was more educated on Gatsby than I. Again, I searched for summaries and found my answers.
All summaries have 1 attribute in common: they lack imagery and are direct. I cannot read Dostoevsky or Kafka or any book because it has too much imagery for me to understand the material.
It enrages me how illiterate I am and how I cannot enjoy Dostoevsky or Kafka like every person does. I want to enjoy *Crime and Punishment*, *The Brothers Karamazov*, *The Idiot*, *White Nights*, etc. but I cannot because of how disgusting the writing is to me.
Yes, that’s correct, it disgusts me.
by yxngzayn
19 Comments
That’s just like you’re opinion, man.
>I find Shakespeare easier to comprehend due to it being a play; its just dialogue with little to no imagery.
I am not sure you were reading Shakespeare.
[deleted]
If you only know how many apples there but are not able to see the states of decay, each are described as, then… you can’t visualize well. It’s not a matter of some people assuming you can’t, as you stated, but that you actually can’t. Recalling a pictured scene in a Manga is not equal to *creating* a mental scene from a text-only description. Some people can, and some can’t, just hone in on your ability to do what you can and work with it.
I feel you sir. Action or character development PLEASE !
I guess theyre tryna create a mood but it feels like either theyre autistic or i am 🥱
I’m actually confused at the imagery in Dostoevsky’s work comment. There’s a lot of philosophical discussion but a lot less imagery. I will agree. There are some parts that are very dense, but he is not very prosaic at all.
Not sure you’ve ever read a book before ngl, let alone a Shakespeare script. Or your understanding of what imagery means is flawed
See the child. He sits at in an ashy foldout chair staring at the blue screen. Once he started reading the comment, the black font words jumbled in his head when they created images—-a double of the moon wavering in the surface of a lake, a woman in a tattoo shop chair, mouth yawned open, tongue vivid pink and trembling, stretched all the way to her chin before the glinting needle in the piercer’s purple gloved hand—-halfway through reading the comment his stomach churned violently, the vomit rushing hot up his gorge, spilling in yellow chunks from his mouth into his lap, realizing too late he should have never told a redditor what it is that makes him sick.
On a serious note, just read plays then. We can’t help ya. Read. Chekov’s plays or The Sunset Limited by Cormac McCarthy, it’s pretty good.
Have you read Harry Potter? Do you have trouble with that too? How about the Hunger Games or Percy Jackson?
There is only so much scenery that needs to be described in old books like Romeo and Juliet. Where a sci fi novel should be describing a lot more. There is a vast difference between describing a horse ride through the countryside versus a motor vehicle doing the same. Language as well has grown far more descriptive. You seem to be doing well in finding solutions to your problems. I think you could get more out of descriptive books if you break parts down to your preferred descriptiveness. A castle would be a good example. Once you know they’re in a castle you don’t really need to know too much more. If something is important like where the stones to build it come from it will be brought up later. I am constantly searching for pictures of things I lack in understanding. Even though I’m able to visualize, more input is always good (Johnny 5 is alive).
The fun part of imagery (when done correctly) is it allows you use your imagination to fill the gaps and immerse yourself into the story.
I’ve read through your responses. I think you just don’t like books. Everything you’ve described is what people read books for. Which is fine, not everyone enjoys reading. Stick to your comics and manga. You’ll be happier.
The jerk has breached containment
Imagery sets the tone and helps the reader feel how the character feels. It’s not hard to imagine a small little flat where Raskolnikov is getting restless, yellow Petersburg where everything reminds of sickness.
Your problem is actually visualization. Books need descriptions, they need to translate emotions, not just information.
I enjoy flowery prose and romantic language. There are times it can get dense or feel excessive, and it’s fair to not enjoy that. It just might not be your thing.
You write like a haiku, translated, and I find that fascinating.
That is to say that I have no idea why you feel this way about imagery, but your writing style is unusual. You use a lot of punctuation, breaking sentences into manageable clauses, and seem to avoid conjunctions, prefixes, and suffixes where possible. I am doing my best to mimic that now, in hopes that it will make my meaning clear, both to you and to other readers.
If you don’t like books, just say so. Enjoy your wikipedia summaries of everything.
Either you’re being hyperbolic, or reading normal descriptive passages gets a disgust response from you.
Just wait. Don’t say your brain works a certain way, it’s going to change. You will settle down and be able to do things you never thought possible. Stay open minded
This isn’t meant to be insulting, but can you create an image of something in your head? When you imagine things, do you imagine the concepts as if they are like dictionary definitions, or as if they are images of the things, akin to a movie?
Would you be able to visualize and rotate an orange cube in your head?