Could reading and writing be a art form?

It would seem most people want to live their philosophies. Could one use or live their reading and writing as their art form? It is part of them? Thoughts please? plj

Writing is an art form. Reading is appreciation.

Writing is definitely an art form. Though I've never considered the idea of reading as being an art form. Suppose if someone was a highly skilled reader where they were very good at reading the meaning in between the words on the page that could be called an art - but wouldn't that be more of a skill? Perhaps you could explain how you see/what you mean as reading being an art form?

Dawn, Why does one have to read between the lines? I am a literal word for word writer and editor. Why interpret when I edit? pljJ

I think that 'reading between the lines' is an explanation that though correct, may not be as lucid as it could be.

Good writers write utilizing analogies, symbols, paradoxes and other tools, often wrapped in emotional layers to explain deeper, more intrinsic truths. Some of which are difficult to explain directly.

A popular modern novel is Joesph Heller's Catch 22. Popular enough that it has become a catch phase, so I will use it as my example. On the surface, the 'catch' was a component of a discourse on the insanity of war. But deeper, it explains the human condition itself, as every human attempts to cope with the reality into which they were born. In the feebleness of my explanation here, you can even see 1) I am no Joseph Heller, and 2) why indirect explanation is more efficient.

Writing on 'multiple layers' is utilized in most religions to explain the inexplainable. No more so than in the Zen kōan. As the Taoist Tao Te Ching states: "The Tao that is spoken is not the Tao."

Condensation is also key part of this. Shakespeare was a master of this. Using few words to explain both a concept and its implications in its entirety. In Shakespeare's day the dowry was a real practice. The father of a woman was expected to pay money to the husband to be as part of the marriage agreement. Larger the dowry, the more desirable the wife to be. So, how much does Shakespeare say in the few words: "She was her own dowry" ?

thx1137,
Excellent answer. I will have to study this further. Thank you. plj

tx1137,
Say more with less words? Could one use a pointer or identify word then the premise and conclusion? plj

Partly. Condensation of ideas is one vehicle. The ultimate kōan would express all of reality in one word. The art of condensation is called poetry.

But it includes multiple meanings as well. Rudimentary forms of this include the double entendre and the pun. So, I guess the answer is:'yes and know.'

But the paradox is utilized as well. As Lewis Carroll might write: " In order to say nothing, one must say something."

Or a way to say without saying, as in the Wizard of Oz, the literal fantasy carried into a discussion of, well, who is the 'Wizard' referring to? ...Ignore the man behind the curtain.

Transactional Reading Theory says that a story or a book is not what it is simply as a piece of text, it is a piece of text plus what you perceive it to be, which means that it is different for each person. Just as if you give 20 people a photograph and ask them to draw a copy of it, each one will be different, if you give 20 people a story and ask them to summarize it, each one will be different.

I consider writing to be a category of art, so reading is equivalent to looking at art.
Looking at art and appreciating it is definitely a form of art. It combines your own experience with what you are seeing which is exactly what artists do.

I suppose the only difference is that the rest of the world can't see it. So in order to become a writer instead of a reader (or an artist instead of someone who stares at art galleries all day), you have to express your perception instead of just perceiving it.

Only reading aloud is an art form.
Not all writing is art, but the way you write always is.

This observation might tell us something about art, which is a tricky subject to define.