Reading books is an essential part of a cultured life. The man who is not in the habit of reading books remains confined to a narrow world and his outlook can never be broad and liberal. Reading books has a number of benefits. Through the books we can learn wisdom from Aristotle, geometry from Euclid, law from Justinian and morality from Lord Krishna and Christ. Through literature, we have got Aegean of sunlit islands and purple seas of Homer, a dark and mysterious world of inferno of Dante, a garden of Eden of Milton and of course Shakespeare's Elizabethan England. Creative literature attracts the reading of all ages and climes. Literature as a form of artistic creation is both a criticism and idealization of life. It is an expression of life through the medium of Language. It prepares us to face the challenges of life cheerfully and broadens the experience of life. Literature pleases readers lighten and lessen the burden of their vives and make them forget through for the time of being their sorrows and frustrations of life. Readers have, for the moment, an escape into the world of fantasy, dream and imagination. Great works of literature are noted for their imagination and understanding of human nature. Through his immortal tragedies Shakespeare conveys an important message that evil's victory over good can only be short-lived. Great poems plays and fictions too provide us an insight into a life. Autobiographies like 'My Experiments with Truth', Boswell's 'Life of Samuel Johnson', Gavaskar, 'Sunny Day's' and the like help us understand the trials and tribulations of great men's lives. Travelogues help us to learn about various places and the cultures of people. Epics and scriptures like the Ramayana, The Mahabharata, the Gita, the Bible etc. ennoble our minds and souls. But we should be quite careful in picking up the right kinds of books. There are books galore in market which cater to our vulgar taste lowering and degrading human values. Such books need to be avoided and rejected.
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