-believed in carnal love. To us, a book's words were holy, but the paper, cloth, cardboard, glue, thread, and ink that contained them were a mere vessel, and it was no sacrilege to treat them as wantonly as desire and pragmatism dictated. Hard use was a sign not of disrespect but of intimacy.
The author Anne Fadiman expresses a deep reverence for books and reading in "Ex Libris: Confessions of a Common Reader." She believes that while the words within a book hold sacred value, the physical components—such as paper and ink—are simply vessels that can be treated without reverence. This perspective reflects a pragmatic and personal relationship with literature, where the act of using a book vigorously signifies closeness rather than disrespect.
Fadiman's...
