When most people think of reading, they think of either reading for
             entertainment, or for academic gain. However, in Saint Augustine's
             Confessions, he urges us, through his example and explanation, to view
             reading as a path to understanding truthâ€"almost as a spiritual practice.
             Augustine begins his explanation of his philosophy of reading (or of
             how he arrived at it), in his account of how the process of learning to
             read as an infant was the beginning of a path to self-reformation. He
             begins to read the Bible, and extracts from it his "plan for living." It
             is this plan that helps him to avoid sensual attractions that can distract
             The concept of "textual interpretation"â€"and the symbolism of the
             practice is another example of Augustine's use of reading as a spiritual
             practice (akin to prayer in its ability to lead one to God). In discussing
             the interpretation of the bible, he compares the activity of interpreting
             as a kind of progress of the soul. He introduces the concept of the actual
             words on the page as "the letter of the text" and the inner interpretation
             as the "spirit" behind the words. Further, these two aspects of the bible
             parallel the inner and outer self of the individual. It is through this
             parallel that, Augustine believes, one can improves ones inner self through
             the interpretation. This means that the reader can "live" the spirit of
             Augustine also illustrates several occurrences in his life to show
             how the act of reading can guide and change the spiritual path of the
             individualâ€"especially with regard to his "conversion." In addition, we see
             that he believes that one can draw a parallel between the words one reads
             (or is currently reading) and one's past, helping one to go beyond the
             sensory experiences of the past (or even future), and become absolutely
             ...