Harry Potter and the Death of Reading - Page 3

JSWolf · 07-21-2007, 08:26 AM

I don't really care to guess why an author wrote what he/she wrote. I'm not going to sit there while reading and think ... now why did the author write that ... That's just plain counterproductive to enjoying what I am reading. I also don't care if I miss some symbolism the author may or may not have meant. I think a lot of what they teach us actually has nothing to do with what the author intended and the teachers are read way too much into these books. Because unless the author says "yes this is what I meant and here is all the symbolic crap I put in" then it's just guesswork.

nekokami · 07-21-2007, 06:13 PM

I think teachers can (and often do) try to help students relate to the work first, and "dissect" it second. I've always been skeptical of the attempts to interpret "symbols" in the writing, but thinking about the place and time in which something was written does sometimes help in understanding what the author was talking about.

I always regret reading comments from people who had bad experiences with "literature" in schools. I really do believe it doesn't have to be this way.

NatCh · 07-22-2007, 12:00 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by nekokami

I always regret reading comments from people who had bad experiences with "literature" in schools. I really do believe it doesn't have to be this way.

Speaking as one of those folks, I agree share that belief.

yvanleterrible · 07-22-2007, 10:43 AM

My son, now 22, was made to hate reading. He's read 2 novels in his life, at that age I'd read thousands. At least he gets to read prog. in school. The litterature curriculae he's been subjected to have now been changed and I hope they were for the better.
My daughter has, like me, an insatiable appetite for books and that forces me back to HP7 now because she's prodding me for my copy!

mogui · 07-22-2007, 10:38 PM

I was lucky to have a mother who read with me when I was very young.

Educational philosopher and iconoclast Ivan Illych inspires one to believe that the library is the center of learning in the community. He clarifies the distinction between learning and education. Now that I have had the chance to be a teacher I have seen it all from the other side. If somehow we can provide our children a gentle introduction to the magic of the written word, they will have something that sustains them for a lifetime.

TV seeks to entrain you, tell you what to buy, what to value and what to believe. It seeks to control your time and your money. But a good book is your friend, there when you need him, never intrusive, and he will never shout at you.

Cthulhu · 07-22-2007, 11:00 PM

To bring the thread back to Harry Potter Ms. Rowling, I saw the movie this afternoon, and based on how much they used zooms of the moving newspaper as exposition, I cannot believe that woman has denounced e-texts.
Her "Daily Prophet" could nearly have been done with e-ink, rather than CG. Of course, we can watch a movie adaptation of her cherished ouevre, but heaven forfend we read it on a laptop or a SONY Reader!

Sorry, I just had to vent about that. If Ms. Rowling were truly interested in keeping reading alive, she would have no problem with any format of reading, be it paper, or electronic, and not watching it in theatres or DVD's.

yvanleterrible · 07-23-2007, 09:29 AM

Oh! Her works will be published in eformat. Ebabel has to subside first and a reading device must win à la iPod. Then her publishers will venture forth and exploit us... I mean offers us her works.

07-22-2007, 10:38 PM	#35
mogui eNigma Posts: 503 Karma: 1335 Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: The Philippines Device: HTC G1 Android FBReader	I was lucky to have a mother who read with me when I was very young. Educational philosopher and iconoclast Ivan Illych inspires one to believe that the library is the center of learning in the community. He clarifies the distinction between learning and education. Now that I have had the chance to be a teacher I have seen it all from the other side. If somehow we can provide our children a gentle introduction to the magic of the written word, they will have something that sustains them for a lifetime. TV seeks to entrain you, tell you what to buy, what to value and what to believe. It seeks to control your time and your money. But a good book is your friend, there when you need him, never intrusive, and he will never shout at you. Last edited by mogui; 07-23-2007 at 08:43 PM.

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07-21-2007, 08:26 AM	#31
JSWolf Resident Curmudgeon Posts: 79,798 Karma: 146391129 Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: Roslindale, Massachusetts Device: Kobo Libra 2, Kobo Aura H2O, PRS-650, PRS-T1, nook STR, PW3	I don't really care to guess why an author wrote what he/she wrote. I'm not going to sit there while reading and think ... now why did the author write that ... That's just plain counterproductive to enjoying what I am reading. I also don't care if I miss some symbolism the author may or may not have meant. I think a lot of what they teach us actually has nothing to do with what the author intended and the teachers are read way too much into these books. Because unless the author says "yes this is what I meant and here is all the symbolic crap I put in" then it's just guesswork.

07-21-2007, 06:13 PM	#32
nekokami fruminous edugeek Posts: 6,745 Karma: 551260 Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: Northeast US Device: iPad, eBw 1150	I think teachers can (and often do) try to help students relate to the work first, and "dissect" it second. I've always been skeptical of the attempts to interpret "symbols" in the writing, but thinking about the place and time in which something was written does sometimes help in understanding what the author was talking about. I always regret reading comments from people who had bad experiences with "literature" in schools. I really do believe it doesn't have to be this way.

07-22-2007, 10:43 AM	#34
yvanleterrible Reborn Paper User Posts: 8,616 Karma: 15446734 Join Date: May 2006 Location: Que Nada Device: iPhone8, iPad Air	My son, now 22, was made to hate reading. He's read 2 novels in his life, at that age I'd read thousands. At least he gets to read prog. in school. The litterature curriculae he's been subjected to have now been changed and I hope they were for the better. My daughter has, like me, an insatiable appetite for books and that forces me back to HP7 now because she's prodding me for my copy!

07-22-2007, 11:00 PM	#36
Cthulhu Technologist Posts: 488 Karma: 585237 Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: I'm between Cities Device: SONY Reader PRS-500	To bring the thread back to Harry Potter Ms. Rowling, I saw the movie this afternoon, and based on how much they used zooms of the moving newspaper as exposition, I cannot believe that woman has denounced e-texts. Her "Daily Prophet" could nearly have been done with e-ink, rather than CG. Of course, we can watch a movie adaptation of her cherished ouevre, but heaven forfend we read it on a laptop or a SONY Reader! Sorry, I just had to vent about that. If Ms. Rowling were truly interested in keeping reading alive, she would have no problem with any format of reading, be it paper, or electronic, and not watching it in theatres or DVD's.

07-23-2007, 09:29 AM	#37
yvanleterrible Reborn Paper User Posts: 8,616 Karma: 15446734 Join Date: May 2006 Location: Que Nada Device: iPhone8, iPad Air	Oh! Her works will be published in eformat. Ebabel has to subside first and a reading device must win à la iPod. Then her publishers will venture forth and exploit us... I mean offers us her works.

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