Sunday, September 12, 2004
Hurry! Read! Before we all die!
Boring people from the National Endowment for the Arts and the California Reading and Literature Project cook up some information about how the world is collapsing because not enough young adults read books. The Chron dutifully reports their complaints, and Beetle Beat rather callously and thoughtlessly dismisses them.
My general opinion has always been that "literary reading" is "okay, I guess, if you're into that sort of thing." Literary reading refers to the reading of "literature," which is defined rather obtusely. For example, Dictionary.com provides this quote from Rebecca West while defining it: "Literature must be an analysis of experience and a synthesis of the findings into a unity." I agree wholeheartedly, I think. Basically, the general rule from English departments is: "If it's easy to understand and gets its message across clearly, it is not literature. If it is convoluted and nonsensical but contains enough random connections that we can remain employed by pointing the irrelevant details out and then claiming they come together to form some kind of thesis, then it is literature."
But back to the article. The gist is that NEA did a study ("Reading at Risk") and found that lots of people just don't read books and "literature" anymore. They'll be having "meetings to probe the alarming trends in literary culture." Alarm! Alarm! People are realizing that literary culture is boring and pointless and they just don't care anymore! Alarm!
But enough of my opinions. Lets head right for the overstatement:
We worry that the fabric of American society is threatened by trends revealed in "Reading at Risk."
Brace yourself! Not enough people are reading! Danger! Danger! Society is falling apart! We're all going to die!!!
I discovered, as well, that 15- to 26-year-olds can be generally referred to as "generation DotNet." That is, unlike our younger and older generations, which frequent DotCom sites, we frequent DotNet sites.
The National Conference of State Legislatures recently announced: "Young people do not understand the ideals of citizenship ... and their appreciation and support of American democracy is limited." We must remember that the heritage of democracy is understandable mainly through reading, for we are a nation founded upon ideals expressed in documents.
We're not reading enough!!! Here comes the communism/anarchy/dictatorship!!! Well, take a deep breath, shoo off Chicken Little, and read on:
Areas of critical concern include: providing support to English language learners; helping teachers offer standards-based instruction; working with struggling secondary readers; and promoting literacy and the love of literature as a way of life.
Love of literature as a way of life? Are you sure hallucinogenic drugs aren't necessary parts of this way of life? Because it sounds like the writers of this complaint sure use them.
Books provide young readers with windows to other worlds, other times, other cultures. Few teenagers think they have much in common with Odysseus until an artful teacher helps them see how we are all on a journey toward self- discovery and self-overcoming.
First off, it looks like they're claiming Odysseus is a window to a person's own self, rather than other worlds, times, and cultures. Further, did this person even read The Odyssey? Self-discovery and self-overcoming were the two furthest things from my mind when I read it.
The books seem full of incomprehensible references and unfamiliar language. Artful teachers clear the pane so that students can peer through.
Even better teachers can find books which are full of comprehensible references, and familiar language, so more time can be spent actually reading and getting whatever the hell it is we're supposed to get out of reading.
Just as Oprah Winfrey's first book club offered stories that reflected the troubles and triumphs of women caught up in impossible dilemmas, good teachers offer students books that reflect adolescent experiences: broken promises, false friends, temptations.
The trumpeters of literature a) are referring to Oprah's book club in a positive light, and b) had some pretty crappy adolescent experiences. I've seen broken promises, false friends, and temptations, but I've also seen some happiness in my adolescence. Am I exceptional?
If we let literary reading slacken now, we risk losing the perspective that allowed our forebears to envision a better world for their children.
My vision of a better world for my children is one in which they can learn without having to suffer through volumes of sheer boredom smeared on dead trees. And it didn't take any reading to get that perspective. Also, I hate children, and hope they all die.
In the end, they refer to this as a "vast cultural condition." But as most folks know, referring to "conditions" is a short way of saying "I don't know what the fuck I'm talking about, so I'll pretend like there's some meaning to it." (Recall "the human condition") So remember, kids. Read more, before we all die!
. . .
|
. . .
|
