What is the difference between Lamb's absorption in books in general in "Detached Thoughts on Books and Reading"and Arabella's obsession with her romances in The Female Quixote? What line has been crossed?
"Arabella. when she had pronounced these Words, blushed excessively, thinking she had said too much: But, not seeing any Signs of extreme Joy in the Face of Glanville, who was silently cursing Cleopatra, and the Authors of those Romances, that had ruined so noble a Mind; and exposed him to perpetual Vexations by the unaccountable Whims they had raised..." (The Female Quixote p.115)
"...I must confess that I dedicate no inconsiderable portion of my time to other people's thoughts. I dream away my life in others' speculations. I love to lose myself in other men's minds. When I am not walking, I am reading; I cannot sit and think. Books think for me." (Lamb)
Within The Female Quixote, the reader sees all the complications that can come from letting "books think for you" in the words of Lamb. Letting herself get lost in the minds of the authors of romances, Arabella has apparently ruined her mind. She cannot see it for herself, but those around her most certainly see it. On the other hand, there is Lamb, who in "Detached Thoughts on Books and Reading" talks lovingly about his own absorption in books. As shown above, he, like Arabella in some ways, likes to immerse his mind in the ideas of other people. He still seems perfectly sane and well-adjusted, unlike the heroine of The Female Quixote, which leads to the question: What is the difference in the approach of immersing oneself in a book between Lamb and Arabella? What makes Arabella become obsessed and unable to function with in the society in her day, whereas it seems that Lamb has not made that jump to obsession?
One difference could be how specific the focal point of the absorption is. Arabella is focused on a very specific genre of books, and only those that are already in her library. This means a more narrow flow of ideas that probably have similarities throughout all of them. On the other hand, Lamb is talking about books in general. He reads a variety of things with a variety of points of view. It seems that Lamb by saying he "dedicates time" to others' minds, that he is immersed in the thoughts only while he is actively reading the book, rather than being immersed in the thoughts forever and ever. Perhaps by these two examples, the line between absorption and obsession is not one that is crossed while reading. It happens after one puts the book down. If the book "thinks for" a person even after they are done reading it, such as Arabella, this is when the obsession kicks in.
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