“I sort of half read Thomas Hardy's 'The Mayor of Casterbridge.' It was assigned in 10th grade, and I just couldn't get into it. About seven years later, I rediscovered Hardy and consumed four of his novels in a row.”

Meaning

This can be taken to mean that readiness and taste do not arrive all at once. A book that feels impossible at one age may open later, when the reader has changed, and that change can turn obligation into appetite. It lands for anyone who once dismissed a difficult book, then found it unexpectedly absorbing years later.

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Who It Was Said To

Historical Context

Source

Original Language & Translation

Originally said in English.

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