A Slow-Books Manifesto

[Soldim]

A Slow-Books Manifesto

I was surprised I didn't see this article from The Atlantic mentioned anywhere here in the forums.

In our leisure moments, whenever we have down time, we should turn to literature—to works that took some time to write and will take some time to read, but will also stay with us longer than anything else. They'll help us unwind better than any electronic device—and they'll pleasurably sharpen our minds and identities, too.

To borrow a cadence from Michael Pollan: Read books. As often as you can. Mostly classics.

I think it is an interesting view point

[hidari]

No problem with classics...I read them alot... and have read alot of 18th, 19th and 20th Century classics...but as an ebook for a pbook.....? No thanks to the pbook....no wish to Lug around War and Peace...(which I did and gladly ripped off the pages as I finished them).... and the Hunch back of Notre Dame.........rather have both on my Pb360...then the added space and weight in my bike bag that I have to take with me all day... Plus.... Increasing the Font size on a pbook is a bit difficult.... so... what qualifies exactly as Slow reads...why must they be classics... some classics are not that good.... anyways..enough of this rant....
War and Peace good...but....looooooooooooooooooooooooooooooonnng gg
Editor please...

hidari

[Soldim]

Originally Posted by hidari

...but as an ebook for a pbook.....? No thanks to the pbook....no wish to Lug around War and Peace...(which I did and gladly ripped off the pages as I finished them)....

Funny that you mention War and Piece, from the article:

The Slow Books movement won't stand opposed to technology on purely nostalgic or aesthetic grounds. (Kindles et al make books like War and Peace less heavy, not less substantive, and also ensure you'll never lose your place.)

[DiapDealer]

I like the idea, but I do think the article's author seems to confuse/conflate the terms "literature" and "classics" a bit. I mean if the premise is:

Why the emphasis on literature? By playing with language, plot structure, and images, it challenges us cognitively even as it entertains. It invites us to see the world in a different way, demands that we interpret unusual descriptions, and pushes our memories to recall characters and plot details.

then the criteria for qualification certainly won't (shouldn't) be limited to books found in the "literature" section of the book store or even the "classics," for that matter.

But I'd fully support a "Slow, Challenging Books" manifesto that removes the imaginary "literary" and "classics" restrictions.

[Kali Yuga]

Yes, we haven't had people telling us to read for the past 20 years now. I'm sure this will catch on.

I might add the neurological study said nothing about "classics" using many/more regions of the brain, it only said "fiction." It's not really clear that "more is better" anyway, though it may suggest why reading can be engaging.

[Talldog]

I've never had any interest in reading the "classics" and for that, I blame my high school English teachers. I loved reading when I was young, and not just fluff like The Hardy Boys. I read The Hobbit and the LOR trilogy for the first time when I was 14, and I've loved those books ever since, rereading them several times.

But I could never get behind being forced to read books that I found incredibly boring at that age, like Great Expectations and Les Miserables to name a couple, and then having to go to class and analyze them. "David, what was the symbolism behind the silver candlesticks"? I don't know! Maybe they were just freakin' candlesticks! Talk about killing the joy of reading.

Now that I think about it, I remember how I got introduced to Tolkein. My 8th grade English teacher (whose name escapes me at the moment) read The Hobbit to us. A little each day. No pressure, no boring discussions about what the author was trying to "teach" us. Just a captivating story that made me go to the library on my own and borrow the LOR trilogy because I wanted to read the rest of the story. He was a very good teacher.

[DiapDealer]

Now that I think about it, I remember how I got introduced to Tolkein. My 8th grade English teacher (whose name escapes me at the moment) read The Hobbit to us. A little each day. No pressure, no boring discussions about what the author was trying to "teach" us. Just a captivating story that made me go to the library on my own and borrow the LOR trilogy because I wanted to read the rest of the story. He was a very good teacher.

Were we in the same class?

[Talldog]

Originally Posted by DiapDealer

Were we in the same class?

You never know. Maybe we both just had good teachers.

And maybe some day I'll learn how to spell Tolkien's name. That's a mental block I've had for more years than I care to remember.

[carpetmojo]

Ummm... I'm assuming you gent's are a little younger than me here - My English teacher, basically a Very Inspiring Communicator, and sounding like a dead spit for the guy above, emigrated to the States a few years ago .........

Seriously.

I wonder .....

And he actually introduced us to some great American Literature - no, the "powers that be" weren't over-impressed, wasn't anywhere on the syllabus then.

We cared not a bit.... there we were, hunched round our espresso cups, clutching our Scott-Fitzgerald, our Burroughs, and the wondrous Jack Kerouac.

[ilovejedd]

Meh, no thanks. While I did enjoy reading some of the books mentioned in the article, I'm not really interested in forcing myself to finish reading books that I find boring.

Originally Posted by Talldog

"David, what was the symbolism behind the silver candlesticks"? I don't know! Maybe they were just freakin' candlesticks! Talk about killing the joy of reading.

Lol, totally agree with you on that point.

[Talldog]

Originally Posted by carpetmojo

Ummm... I'm assuming you gent's are a little younger than me here

Probably not, I really look like my avatar.

[frogi]

Taking nothing away from the people that enjoy "classics" and their literary devices, I would rather read something that interests me than dissect hidden meanings. I want a book I can't put down, not one I dread picking up.

[RainingLemur]

To borrow a cadence from Michael Pollan: Read books. As often as you can.

That's all it should be. Whether it's classic or not, just read books.

[Talldog]

Originally Posted by frogi

I want a book I can't put down, not one I dread picking up.

Well said.

[JSWolf]

We finally have a definition of classic that includes...



Very well done! Book Club classics months here we come!

http://www.theatlantic.com/entertain...253722/#slide3