A teenage girl reading at home.
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Pixabay
Spending more time at home, some adolescents have discovered the pleasure of reading or indulged in it more than usual.
Because the fact of diving into a story takes them away from the anxiety-provoking realities of the moment.
From comics, through heroic-fantasy to classics, they have eclectic tastes.
Reduced outings, suspended cultural and sporting activities, a smaller social life… The health crisis has disrupted the leisure activities of adolescents.
And if many of them have taken refuge on their screens to find a little comfort, some have discovered the pleasure of reading or have indulged in it more than usual.
Caroline, 16, is among those the coronavirus crisis has turned into readers as they were on the lookout for new activities.
“I started during the first confinement.
I didn't necessarily like it before, but having nothing to do, I tried and then fell in love with reading.
I spend about ten hours a week reading.
I recently got myself an e-reader, so I'm doing it digitally.
But I still buy a lot of books.
I started counting, since January 1, 2021, how many pages I have read.
I am at more than 1,700 pages turned, ”she announces proudly.
While rummaging in the library ...
For teens who already enjoyed leafing through before the seizure, spending more time at home heightened their urge.
Like Arthur: “I've always read a lot, but it's true that confinement made me read more.
I read in particular
L'horloge de vie,
by Marc Couvreux, which I recommend!
".
For her part, Justine, 11, has become a compulsive reader for a year: “I read a book and five comics a week.
I discovered the books lying in the library that belonged to my sister.
And since my parents were afraid that I would be bored and spend too much time on the screens, they gave me plenty for a year ”.
Josse, 14, also spends a lot more time turning the pages than before: “I read a book every two months before the crisis.
But since then, my pace has been more like two books a month during the school period and one book a week during the holidays ”.
"There is a real craze around books inspired by Netflix series"
This passion of certain adolescents for reading, Coline Jason, librarian professor at the Jules Ferry college in Mantes-la-Jolie (Yvelines), was in the front row to see it when his establishment was still open: “The students were very demanding, especially of manga.
They had a real infatuation with
The Wizard's Workshop,
because they like the character Coco very much.
They also adore the
Louca
(Dequier)
comic book
and fought for the following volumes.
Plebiscite also for
Zombillenium
(Pins).
This year, the books in which we are the hero, such as
Loup-Garou
(Moon) or
The Tears of Nuwa
Jurdic) are also doing well.
And there is a real craze for books inspired by Netflix series, such as
The witcher
(by Andrzej Sapkowski) or
Strangers things
(by several authors depending on the volume) ”.
Because adolescents have eclectic tastes, underlines Olivier Couderc, spokesperson for the National Book Center (CNL): “They read classics as well, because of the readings imposed by teachers, as manga, comics, comics, heroic-fantasy, science fiction… Reading prescriptions come to them as well from friends, social networks (#BookTok on Tik Tok), youtubers (like the account "Le souffle des mots" d 'Audrey)'.
This is the case of Justine, who goes from one genre to another to vary the pleasures: “I devoured the 9 volumes of the
Journal of Aurélie
Laflamme
(Desjardins), I also read
Le journal de Cléopâtre
( Diglee), the
Harry Potters
(Rowling),
The Three Musketeers
(Dumas) and even several Agatha Christies.
In comics, I loved
Esther's diary
(Varin, Sattouf),
The four sisters
(Rigal-Goulard),
The teachers
(Pica, Erroc),
The little mythos
(Larbier, Cazenove).
To choose them, I look at the back cover to see if the story inspires me and if I like the style of writing, ”she explains.
"Every time I read, I feel like I'm in my bubble"
Josse, him, makes the big difference: “For a year, I read classics that I found at home:
Germinal
(Zola),
Le lys dans la Vallée
(Balzac),
Eugénie Grande
t (Balzac),
The count of Monte-Cristo
(Dumas),
A bag of marbles
(Joffo),
The diary of Anne Franck
.
But also economic works such as
The Wealth of Nations
(Smith)
, Capital
(Marx),
Capital and ideology
(Pïketty).
And when I come across notions that I don't understand, I watch popular videos on the Internet.
Recently, I got into philosophy, reading
Sophie's World
(Gaarder) and
Existentialism is a Humanism
by (Sartre).
I will look for words in the dictionary and I highlight the passages that I like.
At the same time, I read manga like
One Piece
(Oda) or
Death note
(Ōba) ”.
Caroline has quite different literary tastes from teenagers of her age, which she fully assumes: "I read mainly psychology and psychoanalysis, but also biographies or true stories".
What they all have in common remains the pleasure they find in leafing through: "Reading is a means of escape for them", summarizes Olivier Couderc.
What Justine confirms: “Each time, I have the impression of being in my bubble, my world”.
"This allows you to think only of the book, its story, to take time for me," says Caroline.
It remains to be seen whether their pleasure in words will remain once the health crisis has passed.
Josse believes in it: “Afterwards, I will continue, because I like it even more than before.
The proof: I participate in discussion groups on Discord where we discuss our readings ”.
Justine also thinks to continue in this direction: "Unless during my teenage crisis, I turn away from books", she confides.
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