Scientific American emphasized the impact of book annotation on memory
Book annotation is an important part of deep reading, which has a long history in science and literature. They help readers remember what they read better. This is reported by Scientific American magazine.
Readers on the TikTok and Instagram social networks (recognized as an extremist organization in the Russian Federation, its activities are banned in Russia) make the aesthetics of reading more noticeable with the help of creative and often complex annotations. Marginal notes can be detailed, with notes filling entire pages and color—coordinated to match the book's cover. This method of annotation has sparked a debate between enthusiasts and skeptics about whether it is a habit or a useful activity.
Marginalia has its roots in the artist Leonardo da Vinci, who is famous for writing thoughts about gravity years before the physicist Galileo Galilei published a major work on the subject. The artist's discovery was right in the margins of the Arndel Leonardo Codex. Famous writers such as Herman Melville and Edgar Allan Poe are also known for their marginal notes, which both delighted and stunned their biographers.
In 2024, writer Ann Patchett talked about the joys of reading her own books and annotating patterns she hadn't noticed before. She created a unique edition of the novel "Tom Lake" for devoted readers, in which she added her own annotations about the writing style. As a result, it raised money at an auction for independent bookstores in 2020, and also inspired the writer to annotate a copy of her favorite classic, "Hostages" (Bel Canto).
Along with the development of marginal notes, neuroscientists have begun to explore the cognitive effects of writing with pencil on paper. For example, a study of electrical activity in the brain has shown that writing itself helps a person better remember and understand what they read and highlight. Maryann Wolf, director of the Center for Dyslexia, Diverse Learning, and Social Justice at the University of California, discussed the importance of annotation with NPR in 2022.
As a former English language student, she quoted Marcel Proust, explaining that deep reading allows you to go beyond the author's wisdom to discover your own. In this context, marginalia can help the annotator to understand the material more deeply and develop their own interpretation of the text.
Demet Yayli, a professor of foreign languages at Pamukkale University in Turkey, explained that in writing seminars, especially in the genre of fiction, deep reading is crucial for students to express their interpretations and maintain "autonomy as a student."
As noted by writer and editor Caitlin Welsh, young people are currently actively engaged in annotation. According to her, the style of annotation on the Internet differs significantly from the expectations in the academic environment. Experts say that any style is good if the annotation serves a specific purpose.
Highlighting each fragment of a dialogue with a favorite character may seem unreasonable to an outsider, but it can help to understand why this particular character is impressed or how the writer developed his story. Readers of romance novels often underline, bend the corners of the pages, and annotate their favorite romantic or erotic scenes.
"I've been reading annotated books all my adult life. As a child, I diligently watched the character of Rory Gilmore and her disgusting obsession with the annotation style of Jess Mariano in Gilmore Girl, and this gave rise to a deep desire in me to be well-read, and therefore respected. Pretending to be an intelligent person who annotates books, you can become such a person yourself," said the author of the article, Brianna Kane, editorial process and rights manager at Scientific American magazine.
She called the desire of readers to choose bookmarks, markers, stickers and helium pens for the book cover wonderful. Kane also stressed that annotating and marking in the margins does not harm anyone, and urged them to enjoy the process, even if sometimes the notes can stain the pages.
Earlier, on April 7, a study by the book network Bukvoed revealed that Russians do not have enough detective books on the shelves of retail stores. It was noted that 21.8% of Russians have a passion for detectives. The survey also showed the popularity of classical works (9.2%) and romantic prose (7.9%).
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