In Nabokov's essay titled "Good Readers and Good Writers" he talks about how he asked students to list what they believed made a good reader. The students listed things about relating to the protagonist, having a dictionary handy, being imaginative, and so on. According to Nabokov, there are four traits that make a good reader: imagination, having a dictionary handy, an artistic sense and memory. Although creativity is useful and necessary to being a good reader, according to Nabokov, one should remain slightly aloof from the story so that a "coolness" can be applied to the story line, thus giving you a fuller experience of the story. Creativity and an artistic sense is required so that the reader can create in their mind the unique world that the author is creating. A dictionary is necessary so that if the reader comes upon a word that they don't understand they can turn to the dictionary to inform them of the possible meanings of the word. Lastly memory is essential so that you can remember things that have been explained in the unfolding of the story. It is also essential for the fact that you can catch any foreshadowing that may have been in the book and connect it to the event when it does happen within the story. These traits all make a good reader because they mean that the reader is attentive to the story and fully understands what the author is communicating.
