Some authors can pour it in. John Kemeny did a good job in Finite Mathematics but, for me, a fabulous job in Finite Markov Chains. It can be quite handy at times to know a little about various branches of mathematics. For me and my time, math meant arithmetic, algebra, geometry, trigonometry and calculus. John Kemeny, a young PhD in Germany, saw that more math had been created since the birth of calculus than before it. However none of it was in the school curriculum for most students. He changed that with his well-know book on the subject, which he invented. But his book Finite Markov Chains really stood out for me. I knew that a finite Markov chain is a math concept but "Finite Markov Chains" just laid the rudiments of the subject out so clearly and smoothly that it felt as though it was simply flowing into my head.
C.S.Lewis can pour it in, as can Jacques Barzun. See Lewis's "The Screwtape Letters" or "Mere Christianity." See Barzun's "The House of Intellect" or "Teacher in America." E.B. White can pour it in. See "Charlotte's Web" or "The Second Tree from the Corner".
I think it pays to go from author to author until you find understanding pouring into your brain. I think this applies mostly to non-fiction.
The equivalent in fiction to full understanding is pleasure. The fun of good word usage, such as Richard L. Evans telling his reader that Miss Snow found her two potential lovers had died in the war. He could have just written what I have in italics. Instead, he actually wrote "There were only two men who had a chance at her heart. Ten years ago, she had taken a train to Washington, D.C. to find their names on the Vietnam Wall." See how much understanding he packs into that sentence? His words tell us she was open to a man or two, but she lost them both to death in war and that happened quite a while ago, long enough that we know she has known about their fate for a decade.
Very satisfying words are nourishing, much like a great pass by the quarterback and a great catch by the receiver. An act of beauty, grace and elegance. A pleasure. Finding and reading all the works of a author that just pours understanding and satisfaction into your head is worth the effort, sometimes quite a lot of effort.
