Recreation and Reading

[AuthorOfMyLife]

Hello!

This question probably applies more to contemplative / cloistered communities than active ones. I am curious to know if some/most communities of this kind allow the reading of fiction as a recreation. Prayer and theological reading is of course crucial to a growth in holiness, but there are many works of fiction that also expand the soul (in my opinion!).

I'm not talking about Stephen King or "50 Shades of Grey" (yuck!). I'm talking about Dickens, Joseph Conrad, Shakespeare, Flannery O'Connor, Dostoyevsky, Willa Cather, Oscar Wilde, etc. Books like "Les Miserables" and "To Kill A Mockingbird" and "1984" can be read over and over again and each time the reader will find something new to learn about the world and himself.

I don't have a huge collection of books (partly because I do so love audiobooks and listening to talented readers bring books to life) but if I did own a number of such books, would I be allowed to offer them to the community library? 

Yes, there are a few "guilty pleasures" on my list that probably wouldn't make the cut - for example, I LOVE all the Sherlock Holmes stories/novels and Ray Bradbury's "Something Wicked This Way Comes," but you have to look at them a certain way to see their more spiritual qualities!

I understand that in many communities the "recreation" time is when the sisters can talk together freely, play board games, work on hobbies, etc. But is there also a little time for private recreation, such as reading?

Thank you in advance for your responses!

Edited September 9, 2015 by AuthorOfMyLife
forgot a word!

[Sr Mary Catharine OP]

There is certainly a place for such reading in our monastery, including Sherlock Holmes! Good, fictional reading also forms us as persons. We're not purely spiritual beings!

Sometimes a little "escape" is needed but a sister needs to learn to recognize when such reading is always an escape. Sometimes, Sisters find that they can't read fiction for awhile for this reason.

 

[Mags]

During my live-in at the Notting Hill Carmel I was shown their libraries, one of which does have a small fiction section. I agree with Sr Mary Catharine OP, there is a time for leisure reading, we all need to live balanced lives.

[truthfinder]

I know there a certainly a couple cloisters that are rabid Tolkien fans. 

[AuthorOfMyLife]

There is certainly a place for such reading in our monastery, including Sherlock Holmes! Good, fictional reading also forms us as persons. We're not purely spiritual beings!

Sometimes a little "escape" is needed but a sister needs to learn to recognize when such reading is always an escape. Sometimes, Sisters find that they can't read fiction for awhile for this reason.

 

 Sherlock Holmes fans in the cloister! I don't know about all these modern takes on the character, but in my book he's a seeker of truth, a lover of justice and knowledge, and (if you really read the stories) a person of good humor and compassion. Perhaps he has a rather Dominican spirit?

What everyone here is saying makes perfect sense to me! I understand that one would need to moderate such reading to avoid seeking an "escape" in a negative way. I think many really good books make you work to appreciate them, though, so that might help to avoid too much escapism. (Tolkien's incredibly dense books might fall into this category).

One reason I was thinking about this is that I'm reading "Great Expectations" at the moment, and the protagonist's journey from willful denial of his selfishness and pride to a more humble and realistic understanding of himself is pretty thought-provoking. 

Thank you all for your replies!

 

 

[Gabriela]

Fact: Reading fiction improves our ability to empathize with others. That's probably an exceptionally important skill in the cloister.

That being said, I have talked to cloistered sisters who do not permit the reading of fiction. "Spiritual books only."

[veritasluxmea]

I've spent time in a Poor Clare monastery and they did read fiction, like Tolkien. 

[Nunsuch]

As always, and as Gabriela said, it depends upon the community! I know of a Carmel with some avid sports fans, and sometimes recreation consists of some members watching a game (and praying for the home team). They also have an optional weekly movie night, with rotating decisions on choices. (My regular Christmas gift is a Netflix subscription.) oh, and their library is excellent, and diverse. They also use the local public library. 

As always, and as Gabriela said, it depends upon the community! I know of a Carmel with some avid sports fans, and sometimes recreation consists of some members watching a game (and praying for the home team). They also have an optional weekly movie night, with rotating decisions on choices. (My regular Christmas gift is a Netflix subscription.) oh, and their library is excellent, and diverse. They also use the local public library. 

[AuthorOfMyLife]

As always, and as Gabriela said, it depends upon the community! I know of a Carmel with some avid sports fans, and sometimes recreation consists of some members watching a game (and praying for the home team). They also have an optional weekly movie night, with rotating decisions on choices. (My regular Christmas gift is a Netflix subscription.) oh, and their library is excellent, and diverse. They also use the local public library. 

Well, that's different for a cloistered community (I'm assuming it is a cloistered Carmel)! Sounds nice, though. The same thing applies to movies in my opinion, that good ones can really change your life and help you to become a better person.

Edited September 9, 2015 by AuthorOfMyLife
For some reason, it posted my message twice...

[Nunsuch]

Yes, a contemplative Carmel. They go out for necessity. They do not have externs. But once a week, a couple of sisters are designated to go out for necessity. Books are considered necessities. Also, Secular Carmelites, who attend Mass at the monastery, can pick up and return books, etc.

 

 

Yes, a contemplative Carmel. They go out for necessity. They do not have externs. But once a week, a couple of sisters are designated to go out for necessity. Books are considered necessities. Also, Secular Carmelites, who attend Mass at the monastery, can pick up and return books, etc.

 

 

[SNJM]

Do any of you remember Mother Placid (+RIP) at Regina Laudis? She was an avid mystery book fan & looked forward to new ones. I know she received many from her friends. I was always amazed that she could fit that reading in when she had so many duties, especially during the many years she acted as Portress.

I may have shared this before, but one Carmel I'm very close to, who is very traditional, has their books covered in plain paper. That way, the Nuns can read what they (or their Novice Mistress recommends) in complete privacy. One Sister told me she read the same book over & over again & would have been so self conscious had it not been for that cover!  I know they have novels in their library, and I know they all read "Lying Awake," when it first came out and discussed it at Recreation. I believe the author had interviewed some of them at different times during his writing, which probably explains their interest. 

[miserere55]

Poor Clare's did not allow reading secular books while I was there (PCC).

[loveletslive]

i was in an active-contemplative community and depending where you were in initial formation you had no access or limited access to fiction. i found reading autobiographies of the lives of some of the crazier saints or other well known members of the church were just as good as reading fiction! as it were, there was little time anyway for reading for fun.