In Patrick Suskind’s hilarious essay Amnesia In Litteris, Suskind revisits a certain great book of which he can remember nothing. Upon its revisiting, he finds that “Here and there the text is underlined, or exclamation marks are penciled in the margins-- traces of a previous reader, something I normally don’t cherish. But in this case the markings don’t bother me”.

It turns out, in fact, that the previous reader was none other than Suskind himself.

Suskind’s essay inspired me to go over my old, thoroughly annotated, copy of Paradise Lost, by Milton. Except, quite to the contrary of Suskind’s reading experience, some “previous reader” has gone through and highlighted great passages of the work, something that upsets the eye and distracts the mind; these annotations are unwanted.

I believe that the act of writing in books probably has its beginnings for many in high school lit classes. I remember my lit teacher instructing us to “annotate” our books; to write in the margins, underline important phrases, and “interact” with the text. This process always seemed irritating to me.

I have a copy of Hamlet with “USMC” written on the bottom of the pages. While reading from this copy, I find that I often am more interested in this book's past life than the story of Hamlet (nothing against Hamlet). This book must have been shipped overseas, perhaps it was even in a war zone! I will never know.

In Paradise Lost, I find huge passages set aflame by the “previous reader”, and annotations like “why is this capitalized? Maybe it’s personified." I think not, my ghostly annotator, I think instead that you are over thinking things. On one page, I discover the previous reader’s name, a certain “Taylor Goodwin." I can imagine her now, sitting in class, bored, and deciding to try out her cursive signature. Curse you, Ms. Goodwin!

Sometimes I re-read books that I have annotated myself. Even then I am irritated by the things that I wrote. Why, for instance, was I underlining every instance of the word “ceremony”? What kind of essay was I writing at the time?

Much of this could be solved, of course, if I simply bought books new, but my wallet wouldn't appreciate that. I already have enough enemies, what with ghostly previous readers and such.

It seems to me that reading is an intensely personal experience. This is interrupted by the obnoxious, older student, voicing their concerns in the middle of things. While reading Paradise Lost, I am constantly reminded of Ms. Goodwin's opinions on things. Like the student in class who won't shut up, Goodwin wants to make sure I can't get through a page without her bright pink voice being heard. In highlighter form, of course.

This interaction between the current and previous reader is all in good fun, albeit a bit of a dysfunctional relationship. “Why did you write all of this stupid stuff, ruining the book’s aesthetic, only to sell it to me and forever taint my reading experience?”