If I'm having a difficult time reading a book, is it ever

Yes, it is. It will make the plot clear for you, so that you can appreciate the prose more.

>>8068736
Neat. Hope I'm not a pleb for struggling with Faulkner.

>>8068742
Which book?

>>8068750
As I Lay Dying. The overall story is easy to follow but several parts here and there confound me.

No, it's not. A book is not something for you to read so that you can add it to a list of things you've read. If you hate reading, then stop reading and go watch Game of Thrones.

If you like reading, then actually read, don't fucking read summaries of things. Did Faulkner slave over one of the best novellas of his time so that you could read about it on wikipedia?

>>8068811
I mean reading as an aid to understanding it as I read. Did you think I meant looking up summaries to skip the rest of the book?

If you're completely lost, read a summary AFTER each chapter.
Don't rely on summaries, do your best to comprehend the situations and implications present in a work.
You can become a better reader.

I do that all the time, especially when reading older authors

>>8068729
>>8068825
I'm not sure I understand what you're asking for. Are you having trouble following what happens?

>>8069976
That's surprisingly good advice for /lit/.

>>8070051
I get what's happening overall in the story but a lot of the minor details (ex. how a coffin is being described, what the figurative language means here) go over my head, and sometimes larger parts as well.

>>8069976
I did this while reading Gravity's Rainbow cause that shit tends to get confusing sometimes