Reading should not be torture.
I’ll take a stab, and guess that you, today’s Gentle Readers, who are perusing a blog about books, created by a public library, are a special bunch. You, like your faithful librarians, are all enthusiastic and heavy readers. So, for all of us, it is difficult to imagine reading as torture. But, on the other hand, do we all remember that one book at high school that was cruel and unusual punishment? Maybe it was a book that you came to appreciate later, but wasn’t really suitable for school? I don’t know on which planet The Great Gatsby will excite middle schoolers, but I doubt it is this one.
Daniel Pennac is from France and I am not sure if French middle schoolers have The Great Gatsby forced on them, but they obviously get similar treatment because the author dedicates his slim, humorous book with the admonition to “Parents, teachers, librarians, please on no account use these pages as an instrument of torture.”
The Rights of the Reader is divided into dozens of very short chapters, some only a few sentences long, interspersed with Quentin Blake’s quirky and appealing illustrations. This makes it great for dipping into. And “dipping in” is one of the rights Daniel Pennac assigns to readers in the last section of the book. He enumerates ten rights and I like them all, but they are not all universally acknowledged, even by librarians. For example, Number 4, “The Right to Read it Again.” I love to revisit old books, but sometimes we are encouraged to constantly read new books as life is short and so many great new books are being published. But since life is short I want to keep the prerogative to go back to The Secret Garden simply “for the joy of being reunited with it.”
I recommend this book for everyone. In our library The Rights of the Reader is shelved in the “Parents Corner” with books for parents and other adults about raising children. It definitely has utility for parents, but is also a manifesto for all readers. There are many reasons to read, and sometimes we should read for information, or to learn, or to better ourselves, but as in many aspects of life everyone has to allow time to read for sheer pleasure. For today’s gentle blog readers, this may be obvious, but I don’t think it hurts to be reminded.
Check the WRL catalog for The Rights of the Reader.
I’m from Spain, and when I was twelve I was tortured with Don Quixote in school. We were told many times that it was one of the greatest works of literarture of all times and blah, blah, blah. It was the most boring thing that had ever crossed my life. I was already a heavy reader back then, but I would have rather drank poisson. And it made impossible for me to enjoy it at a more appropriate age.
I will read this book!
Tess of the d’Ubervilles. Ugh.
cool (y) :)
Reblogged this on thependanttrilogy.
Any William Shakespeare…Ick. We had to read aloud in class, each student taking turns. So many people had difficulty reading the language that it just became a torturous event prolonged by constant stuttering. However, I love theater and I often attend community theater events and have been able to enjoy many Shakespeare plays, particularly A Midsummer Nights Dream.
Chaucer was torture for me…! I agree though that while it is always good to read new things, the stories we know well already are such a delicious joy to return to!
All of the authors and books you guys hate, I adore. I hope that I can bring my appreciation to my students. “Tess of the d’Urbervilles” is my favorite book of all time. :P
It looks like this post touched a nerve!
“Don Quixote”, “Tess of the d’Urbervilles”, Shakespeare – they are all considered classics, and I think with good reason, because Shakespeare can amuse, entertain and move us over 300 years after it was written. But (and very big but) we often try to introduce classics too young or with too much force. My example in the post of “The Great Gatsby” for middle schoolers, was based on being asked for it at the reference desk for a middle school assignment. Personally I just see “Hatchet” and “The Giver” being much more interesting and relevant to this age group.
And being contrary, I have always found any book I didn’t have to read much more enjoyable. When I had semester-long reading lists with 40-50 books, I would try to read lots of them months ahead, and appreciate and enjoy them more.
As Revolutionary Shakespeare points out in his or her comment, the teacher’s love of the literature is often genuine and deeply felt, but being forced to read something can be torture!
Jan
Reblogueó esto en marian395's Blogy comentado:
Add your thoughts here… (optional)