Have You Got Books Imprinted In Your Memory?

[malacandran]

I've read some books so often,  that they've become permanently recorded in my memory.

To the extent that I can read them - or large parts of them -  "in my head", from memory, without needing the actual printed text in front of my eyes.

For example, Orwell's "1984"   -  I can read that almost completely in my head.  I only  look occasionly at the printed book, to mull over some questions,  such as Julia's behaviour, and whether she was really an agent of the Thought Police all along.

Does anyone else have this experience?

[vamo48]

As a child of 8 or 9 I read Enid Blyton's "Holiday House" so often I could quote the entire first chapter, and could probably do the first page even now!  Other than that, I haven't read any book often enough.

[ok-mrs-bee]

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malacandran wrote:

I've read some books so often,  that they've become permanently recorded in my memory.

Hi, Malacandran.  The only book which I have read more than three times is, 'Gone With The Wind'.  I read it five times, once each year until 1967.  I remember little of the text because I have now watched the film more often than I read the book. It is a shame because all I remember is that Scarlett O'Hara was an absolute ***** in the book yet was treated quite sympathetically in the film.

Five times is obviously not often enough for it to be permanently recorded in my memory.

[daffodiltulip]

I noticed when I read to the children in bed, and they'd like the same books read over and over, I'd sometimes be too tired and skip over sentences here and there, but that didn't work as they'd memorised the book from hearing it and question the omissions!

[madcats15]

With me, it's poetry. 

At school, in the many moments of boredom, I memorised most of the works of e e cummings and Gerard Manley Hopkins - and fifty years later I can still recite them - and do, to my wife's annoyance.

Can't remember what I read yesterday, though.