Caleb Crain's article, Twilight of the Books, is about the fall of reading and one explanation as to why that has occurred. He uses the writing and research of several other to talk about how writing is "unnatural," and give us a brief history of how writing came about. I'll be honest that with all the technology around and short cuts on writing I just assumed reading was on a decline, but never really gave it much thought. Reading was always such a huge deal in my own childhood that it never really occurred to my that it wasn't that way for everyone. Growing up reading started out as a chore for me because I suffered with dyslexia that went undiagnosed for years. I was placed in special phonic classes because my spelling was so horrible and yet the teachers would all marvel at how well I learned to read. In the article they talk briefly about dyslexia and how the reading remains effortful and I have to confess there are times when I find that to be completely true and other times where it all feels very second nature.
By the end of the reading I was slightly sad to think of a world in which reading became once more just a hobby to the elite. Reading should be enjoyed by the masses. There is so much that one can experience they read for themselves. Throughout this whole article I kept thinking of the movie Idiocracy. In the comedy it shows a world in which reading has become obsolete and the devastating effect that it has one the world at large. I would hate to think of our world ever actually coming down to something like that, (I mean the movie wasn't even that funny.)
I don't want to end this on a down note however so I will com back to my favorite qoute from the article which Crain actually takes from Maryanne Wolf; "The secret at the heart of reading," Wolf writes, is "the time it frees for the brain to have thoughts deeper than those that came before." Reading provides a personal way for a person to broaden their thoughts and minds....isn't that reason enough to keep it alive?
It is really sad to imagine that reading may not be something available to just anybody. It is something that is special to me, but sadly it seems a lot of people do not recognize its importance. And in response to your last question, yes that is reason enough for me.
ReplyDeleteI work a lot with Latin American families wishing to learn to speak English. For the most part the people I work with see the need to learn to speak the language, but not so much to learn how to read the language. Generally when I push them further on the subject I tend to find that most of them don't really read Spanish either. I think basic literacy is needed in our society and world today. So yes it's sad on a great many levels that I don't really understand all of yet. However, I love to read and I am glad to hear that you do as well.
ReplyDeleteI like that you singled out that one quote in the end because I overlooked it when I read the article. Reading kind of frees us from our mundane thoughts. That is an interesting way to look at it.
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