Reading for next Wednesday: posted tomorrow!

I'll post the reading for next week tomorrow. Thanks!

Reading Response 08/30

When initially looking at the title or the article, my instant thoughts were that the author would write the article so that it answers the question of her title in an indirect way. I knew that it wasn't going to be a simple answer or one that was going to be easy to understand. Thought by the end of the last few pages in the article, it was clear that everything in the article, even starting with the title was a hidden example of how we (as readers) read books. With predictions and assumptions, with hope and guidance, with imagination that allows us to often see the reading rather than follow a message. She says, “Chapters of a novel—if we consider how to read a novel first—are an attempt to make something as formed and controlled as a building: but words are more impalpable than bricks; reading is a longer and more complicated process than seeing”. (Woolfe, 2)

Often we get lost in the authors world of fiction or sometimes non-fiction and it become difficult to compare their message to our own lives. From the beginning, she explains, “even if I could answer the question for myself, the answer would apply only to me and not to you.” (Woolfe, 1) If every author would write such direct phrases to their readers, the novel and the reader’s interpretation may be completely different in the end. How far can the author’s life influence the way the book is related back to the reader?

~Mija Saracevic  

Response to Never Do That to a Book

“To us, a book’s words were holy, but the paper, cloth, cardboard, glue, thread, and ink that contained them were a mere vessel, and it was no sacrilege to treat them as wantonly as desire and pragmatism dictated.” (Fandiman 38).

Each person mentioned in the essay treated the books according to the value the books meant to them. For example, Fadiman’s father read his books only once. When he finished a chapter, he knew he will not go back to it again, thus he ripped it to reduce the weight. The exact opposite example was Fadiman’s friend, Clark, who got at least two copies of every book and made sure nobody takes any of them off the shelf or lets the sun even shine on them. To me, it is perfectly fine if a cook book gets the egg yolk all over it, if botany texts get stains of dirt on every page, or if a bird guide book contains dozens of fascicles. As Fadiman, I also would not write into encyclopedias, however, I expect a guide to changing car breaks get oil stains on it. Honestly, I have seen books to be used as a drum pad, glueing weights, and rug-flatteners.

As I was reading the story of Fandiman describing courtly and carnal book lovers, I was thinking what group I would belong to. I realized that a little bit of both would apply to me, however, I would not be an extreme of either; I would not buy two exact same books to have one for reading and one for a book shelf, at the same time, I would not rip chapters to reduce the book’s weight. In this essay, the author concisely depicts two kinds of people according the way they love and treat books. She provides some examples how she relates to each group.

Hana Pasekova

Reading Responce 8/31

“What a pleasure it will be, thirty years hence, to open The Joy of Cooking to page 581 and behold part of the actual egg yolk that my daughter glopped into her very first batch of blueberry muffins at age twenty-two months!” (Fadiman 42).
This quote is from “Never do That to a Book” by Fadiman and it displays how Fadiman overall has more of a carnal love for books which is explained in the story as someone who is not to strict about the condition of their books. For example, they would have them facedown at times when there not reading, they would write in them, and they would fold pages. This love is the exact opposite of courtly love which is someone who cares for books in such a way you would handle a baby. They would never crease a page or put too big of a bookmark in it as it may ruin the spine. To me this reading opened my mind and it brought a lot more respect to me for books that I never saw before. I always saw a book as a book and nothing more. I think I will still have more of a carnal approach when handling books because I do agree that a worn-out appearance is a good condition for a book that has been used and read, it shows “genuine love” (Faidman 42). One thing I don’t understand or agree with is that someone should by two copies so that only one needs to be subjected to stress. Faidman is overall telling the audience in first person, many different ways, that there are two different types of people when it comes to this subject and also gives one’s own opinion on how both, carnal and courtly apply to her.

Reading Response Journal to How Should one Read a book

From the short story Virginia Wolf said “that the best advice to give on reading is to do what you believe is best when reading and to follow your own instincts and your own reason to come to conclusion” (Woolf, 1).

As I was reading this short story by Virginia Woolf I was very interesting. As I was reading there was one main point that caught my eye which was that the only way that people who are reading any book or novel can only understand the messages of what the author of the book is trying to convey is when they open up the book so they know that they are reading and what the author is trying to say. The way the reader can do this is in there own way of thing and words is to choose there words in a way that will get there way of thinking and thought process across to other people and keep them interested. For example of this in the story Woolf uses very descriptive words and phrases to draw the readers attention by providing an emotional image which keeps the reader focus to what they are reading. There is one main key factor in how one reads a book which Woolf states in this story which is “if readers did not have preconceptions, or understanding of what they are reading they would not be able to grow or expand literary understanding.

Reading Response

The two entries were definitely both informative and beneficial to not only a writer but also a reader. In all honesty I thought that Virginia Woolfs "How Should One Read a Book?" was a little hard to follow along with.  A few key points that I did capture were the way that she talked about poems.  I found it particularly interesting when she used the short four line poem to explain how strong and captivating poems are.  She stated that "for the moment there is no other sensation except that of the poem itself." (Woolf, 7.)  I read and re-read that poem numerous times and each time it felt like the first time reading it. I am sitting in the JC and if I do not focus on the poem I can hear the music on the first floor, the students talking about classes behind me, and the people walking by.  But when I was reading the poem everything became quiet and my mind was filled with the thoughts associated with actions and places and events regarding the poem.  I have never thought of poetry in that sense before today.

Another passage I particularly liked was the following:

"It is simple enough to say that since books have classes---fiction, biography, poetry---we should separate them and take from each what it is right that each should give us." (woolf, 2.)

We have all been to the library but I know personally that I have never thought of it as different sections. It was always just a room filled with books.  It just so happens that the books are categorized by the stories they tell.  Some books tell us stories that actually happened and some tell us about stories that have happened in the writers head.  I feel it is best to take from the book what the book presents to us.

C. Belin

8/31 Reading Response Journal

"Just think what courtly lovers miss be believing that the only thing they are permitted to do with books is read them" (Fadiman, 41)!

I think this quote completely summarizes the implication of Never Do That To A Book. It is captivating in that it defines what a courtly lover does and suggests that there is another kind of lover for books that does more than just read them. The first time I read through this, I had no idea what my impression was. So I read it again and it seemed like everything I missed the first time around became clearer to me the second. I noticed that even though this is written in first person, the writer plays with a little ambiguity. They vividly described that the narrator was from a family of carnal lovers, however made these subtle suggestions that even they wouldn't treat a book a certain way. For instance, the narrator confesses to the "grievous sin of dog-earing the page"(39) yet, "would never write in an encyclopedia" (41). I just found statements like this to be categorized as intermediate behavior toward books. In other words, even the narrator has limits to their "intimacy" with books. I also noticed that despite the story-telling, this is a comparison of courtly and carnal lovers of books. However, I didn't know that the extreme side of carnal lovers included ripping out chapters they were done reading, chewing the pages or even simply placing their book down a particular way. I also found the analogy, "Mark is like pressing the Stop button, whereas when you leave the book facedown, you've only pressed Pause" to be quite insightful. When I read, I do either mark my place or leave my book spread facedown and the implications stand true for me. Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed this piece by Fadiman.
I found Woolf's essay, How Should One Read a Book?, to be somewhat hypocritical. For example, "The only advice, indeed, that one person can give another about reading is to take no advice, to follow your own instincts, to use your own reason, to come to your own conclusions"(1). She tells us not to take anyone's advice, but then proceeds to give us thirteen pages worth of hers. For a while, I thought she was just rambling and using exaggeration to persuade the reader, but then I realized there was more reasoning to reading than simply just reading the words off the page. She actually does come up with logical guidance to how a person should read. Some of the main points would be experience the book for yourself (1), accept what information is given to you by the author (3), don't dictate first (2), "reading is a more complicated process than seeing"(2), judge last and "compare to the greatest of its kind"(9), we learn through feeling (10-11), and remain readers (12). Overall, in comparison to Fadiman's piece, I didn't like this one as much, however, I did find it to be more perceptive.

Casi Flordeliza

Reading Response #1 - 8/31

Virginia Woolf thoroughly explains “How One Should Read A Book,” in an almost poetic fashion. Her love for reading and literature itself bleeds through the sentences. Her passion is admirable, and I find myself relating to her with my own fascination of reading and writing. She analyzes every part of the process when it comes to immersing oneself completely within a book. Only people who truly enjoy reading would understand this quote, where she describes how a book finally comes together after finishing it, but days later.

“Wait for the dust of reading to settle; for the conflict and the questioning to die down; walk, talk, pull the dead petals from a rose, or fall asleep. Then suddenly without our willing it, for it is thus that Nature undertakes these transitions, the book will return, but differently” (Woolf 9).

This quote touched me, because she was able to embody everything that I feel after reading an amazing novel.

When you have a book that you haven’t been able to put down in days and you finally finish reading that last page, and you feel a wave of emotions – “the dust.” You feel accomplished that you’ve finished, empty because it’s over and in awe because of how great it was. Once that “settles,” you’re able to interpret every bit of the story until it all makes sense and it comes together.

After finishing a book that I had absolutely loved reading and had somewhat taken over my life for a few days, I always seem to ask myself “What do I do now?” Virginia Woolf answered that – start reading another book, and then another.

Each book has something different to offer and it’s all about how you read it, Woolf was able to explain that in the most enticing way possible.

-Korinn Carter

Reading Response 8/31 : Two Worlds One Book.

"During the next thirty years I came to realize that just as there is more than one way to love a person, so is there more than one way to love a book" (Fediman 38).

I was really fascinated when I read that sentence in Never do that to a Book. I find it really interesting how two different cultures can have total different ideas and values. I mean it makes sense right, since the two countries that were mentioned in the reading are separated by thousands of miles but I just never thought a book which consist of just three things, paper, ink and the authors thoughts, would have such different values depending on where you are geographically. Now that I think about it, my culture also treats books differently. I am half Bolivian and half Salvadorian, spending my early years in Bolivia thus getting most of my values from that culture. Like many other cultures, a book to us another way of learning, going on an adventure or just simply to ease our minds. But what sets us apart from other cultures in regards to books is that we value them in a different manner. We find it inappropriate to read a book while doing other things, such as eating. It’s in our culture to set apart a certain time throughout the day to dedicate time just to reading. Think of it as if the books had feelings and along with that a jealous side which only wants to spend time with you and your mind. In a way it’s both the carnal love and the love for the words inside the book that Fediman talked about that we, the Bolivian culture, value.

-Luis Aguirre

Response on "How Should One Read a Book?" by Virginia Woolf

As I started typing this response , one sentence from the short story reiterates in my mind. Woolf says, "But if the open air and adventure mean everything to Defoe they mean nothing to Jane Austen (page 3)." Then, I start to ponder on the fact that until I read this article I was so quick to judge a book by its cover. I'd never walk away from the types of books I was already comfortable with. If the authors did not share a similiar background with books I had already encountered, then I was not reading the book. After seeing the quote from Woolf, I pictured Defoe sitting in a room writing a novel and Austen in another. Both from two very different worlds. That's when it dawned on me that there was no way I could compare books to books when I hadn't even given the author the chance. I didn't have to fall in love with the book and I didn't have to completely hate it, but I could at least tolerate it. She later says, "But as time goes on perhaps we can train our taste; perhaps we can make it submit to some control (page 11)." After realizing this readers can open their hearts to explore journeys that they would otherwise choose to miss.

8/31 Reading: "How Should One Read a Book"

"We may stress the value of sympathy, we may try sink our own identity as we read. But we know that we cannot sympathize wholly or immerse ourselves wholly, there is always a demon in our whispers, " I hate, I love," and we cannot silence him. Indeed, it is precisely because we hate and we love that our relation with the poets and novelists is so intimate that we find the presence of another person intolerable. And even if the results are abhorrent and our judgements are wrong, still our taste, the nerve of sensation that sends shocks through us, is our chief illuminant, we learn through feeling, we cannot suppress our own idiosyncrasy without impoverishing it. But as time goes on, perhaps we can train our taste, perhaps we can make it submit to some control." (Woolf 10-11)

I was intrigued when reading this paragraph about how one reacts to a reading. No matter how hard we try, there is always that feeling and voice that says, "Yes, I love it," or "No, I hate it." It's our initial reaction that we cannot silence nor control. But, our taste for certain wants in a book, can be trained to an extent. Even though our first instinct is to try and satisfy that sensation that comes over us; whether it's biased, wrong or judgmental. But, as time goes on our taste , can be controlled, but it must be fed in some way, but lavishly said Woolfe. When done so, it then opens up another part of your mind that allows your imagination to be more open and inviting to different styles of readings. I could relate to this quote, "I love, I hate," because I' am famous for being closed minded when either picking a book or being told to read a book. I put up a wall before I actually take the time to learn the history or story behind the book. Its my initial reaction to say, "I hate it," and satisfy my taste by putting the book down. Reading this story has taught me to be more open and learn to venture out when choosing a book to read, because I could be missing out on a story that could change my perception on life.

Reading Response 08/31 Sara B.

Virginia Woolf touched on many important points about reading, and beneficially consuming a book. When I personally started reading the article, my mind was wandering off in different directions as I was counting the minutes to be done reading so I can start working on my response. Then suddenly I realized that I am reading something interesting. Woolf started pointing out some advice about reading, and how the reader should be completely open minded to absorb a new work. "... if you open your mind as widely as possible, then signs and hints of almost imperceptible fineness, from the
twist and turn of the first sentences, will bring you into the presence of a human being unlike any other". (Woolf 2) By the time I reached the third page, I found myself swimming in Woolf's sea of words. The author has a unique sense of abstraction and her wording techniques serve as a great path to one's imagination. She is very passionate about the art of understanding books, and she likes to think of books as art themselves. She considers all types of books to be a form of art, and all types of writers and authors to be artists. "How Should One Read a Book?" is not a question with a standard answer, yet the standard way to answer it is to open the gates to the lingering imagination, and try to become, even for a moment, the author. Becoming the author while reading helps the reader gain the most out of the work, rather than being a critic before reaching the end.

- Sara Benrazek

8/31 Reading Response

"The only advise, indeed, that one person can give another about reading is to take no advise, to follow your own instincts, to use your own reason, to come to your own conclusions" (Woolf, 1). This quote demonstrates the underlining message in Virginia Woolf's composition. As a reader, there are many different ways to approach a literary work. However, ultimately it is up to the reader and how the reader contrues the work. I believe this is the central reoccurring theme. "We must remain readers; we shall not put on the further glory that belongs to those rare beings who are also critics. But still we have our responsibilities as readers and even our importance. The standards we raise and the judgments we pass steal into the air and become part of the atmosphere which writers breathe as they work" (Woolf 12). As an individual reader coming to your own conclusions, you are able to further help authors construct new works of art.

In Never Do That To A Book, I believe Anne Fadiman suggest the differences in reading literary works, by on how one treats their book. "To us, a book's words were holy, but the paper, cloth, cardboard, glue, thread, and ink that contained them were a mere vessel, and it was no sacrilege to treat them as wantonly as desire and pragmatism dictated. Hard use was a sign of disrespect but of intimacy" (Fadiman 38). While some, such as Hilaire Belloc, believe in "preserving it (a book) as your chiefest treasure" others, such as Fadiman and Byron Dobell, believe you should get everything out of a book by writing in the margins and underling words.

There is no right or wrong way to read a book, just as there is no right or wrong way to treat a book. It is up to the reader's own creativity and imagination.

Reading Response for Woolf and Fadiman

"The only advice, indeed, that one person can give another about reading is to take no advice, to follow your own instincts, to use your own reason, to come to your own conclusions" (Woolf 1).

Woolf is trying to say that no one has the same imagination and thoughts, so when reading everyone will have their own views on it. People will probably even have different views and imaginations than the author or writer which is why Woolf tells readers to "open your mind as widely as possible" (Woolf 2). She's not saying readers have to read without any thoughts or emotions, but rather to open up a book with a clean mind with no certain expectations and judgements. Woolf wants the reader to respect the author's thoughts and writings and instead of criticizing, the reader should try and step inside the author's shoes and ask themselves why the author would write something that way.

Then Fadiman's argument goes along with Woolf's as she believes that there's no right way to read and treat a book. "Just as there is more than one way to love a person, so is there more than one way to love a book" (Fadiman 2). Fadiman argues that we have to respect each others' ways of reading because it's their own opinion and expression. Everyone is entitled to their own opinions and how to express those opinions is part of everyone's rights.

There won't be a right or wrong opinion as Woolf says, "The battle of Waterloo was certainly fought on a certain day, but is Hamlet a better play than Lear? Nobody can say. Each must decide that question for himself" (Woolf 1). Everyone can have their own opinions, but as readers we shouldn't criticize others' opinions, but try to embrace them and think about why the other person thought that way.

8/31 Reading Response Journal

“Most commonly we come to books with blurred and divided minds, asking of fiction that it shall be true, of poetry that it shall be false, of biography that it shall be flattering, of history that it shall enforce our own prejudices. If we could banish all such preconceptions when we read, that would be an admirable beginning” (Woolf, 2).


This quote illustrates one of the main points in Woolf’s essay. Once we are able to overcome our biases, we can begin to understand what we read by raising questions and drawing our own conclusions. This is a liberty that is granted to us as readers. However, when we allow authorities to dictate what to read and how to read, Woolf writes that we “destroy the spirit of freedom which is the breath of [our libraries]” (Woolf, 1). These views stood out to me because I am of the belief that we should not be directed by “credited” experts on the proper way to enjoy a book.

It would seem that Anne Fadiman also shares this view. In her essay Never Do That to a Book, she explores the differences between those who consider physical damage on a book to be sacrilegious and those who think nothing of reading books in the sauna or tearing out whole chapters after they had been read. Throughout the essay, Fadiman draws comparisons to physical love. At one point she outright states, “Just as there is more than one way to love a person, so is there more than one way to love a book” (Fadiman, 35). No one can tell us how to read a book or how to treat a book, for these are expressions of our individuality. Whether we read a book for the sake of reading a book or choose to treat a book as the Holy Grail, what matters is that we are still enjoying our duty as readers.

Response Journal - 8/31, Virginia Woolf Article

"It is simple enough to say that since books have classes—fiction, biography, poetry—we should separate them and take from each what it is right that each should give us. Yet few people ask from books what books can give us. Most commonly we come to books with blurred and divided minds, asking of fiction that it shall be true, of poetry that it shall be false, of biography that it shall be flattering, of history that it shall enforce our own prejudices. If we could banish all such preconceptions when we read, that would be an admirable beginning" (Woolf 2).

Woolf brings up an interesting point within this quote, readers can only get messages form literature if they are open to the work, and are willing to set aside some of what they have seen before. When at the beginning of a literary work there is a certain level of mystery even if it is a familiar topic, simply because the reader has not begun to read. This mystery, or quality of the unknown, is often skewed, and dispelled by what the reader wants to see in the work. The preconceptions that a reader brings with them will always shape their response to any material they read, while Woolf addresses the readers, this is also true for the authors of written materials. Woolf is an example of this, there is a directness and inquisitiveness in the article. This can be seen in how she chooses her words, and in how the article is constructed to bring the main point across continuously throughout the material. While not as prevalent in the above quotation, Woolf uses descriptive words and phrases to draw the reader in by providing an emotional image that is easily seen as part of daily life. This method of grabbing the readers attention keeps the article from being abstract and difficult to relate to fro the reader. Woolf notes a key factor in how one reads a book with this quote, because if readers did not have preconceptions, and misconceptions, there would not be a roadblock for people to learn and grow from every literary work they come across.


-Samantha Smiley

Use your Imagination Reading Response 8/31

"You must be capable not only of great fineness of perception, but of great boldness of imagination if you are going to make use of all the novelist-the great artist-gives you." (Woolf, 3)

This quote from Virginia Woolf 's essay " How Should One Read a Book" truly embodies the whole theme of her piece.  She states in many different ways throughout this essay that if we read any piece of writing without any prejudgement (such as who the author is, what the cover of the book looks like, or what other critics have said about the writing) that we will then begin to fully understand the authors true meaning and intentions.  This piece was filled with rhetorical questions that the reader is supposed to think about.  These questions allow the reader to venture into their imagination and begin to wonder what it would feel like to become completely immersed in their reading.

But what would happen if the reader were to become so engulfed in their imagination that they lose sight of  what it means to enjoy a good book?  This was touched upon in Fadiman's essay "Never Do That To A Book"  He claims that members of his family have done things to the pages of their books that others would deem sinful.  However they are doing these things merely because they find the joys of reading and using the imagination greater than the actual physicality of the book itself.  One character in particular in this essay states that he owns two of each just so that one does not have to go through the stress of turning pages.   Faidman states "I hope that I am not deluding myself when I imagine that even the Danish chambermaid, if she is now a mother, might be able to appreciate a really grungy copy of Pat the Bunny- a book that invites the reader to act like a Dobellian giant mongoose" (Feidman, 43) Feidman and Woolf is among the belief that the ripped and smudged pages of a worn book are proof that the book has done its job in taking you inside your imagination and allowing you to be taken to another place inside your mind.

-Katelyn Palmer

Reading Response 8/31, Woolf and Fadiman

Art is embedded into the human consciousness, it always has been and always will be. Everyone feels the need to consume, create, or experience it, albeit in completely different ways. Thus, there should not be too many guidelines as to how one should read or otherwise interact with a book. In fact, there may be only two. Each of these are mentioned by both Anne Fadiman and Virginia Woolf in their respective writings about literature.

Fadiman broadcasts her mantra that "just as there is more than one way to love a person, so is there more than one way to love a book" in her essay "Never Do That to a Book" (Fadiman 2). This is not only true, it's almost necessary to realize in order to truly delve into a piece of literature. After all, there is no point in picking up a book in the first place if you do not plan on loving it. Some view the pristine physical qualities of clean book as signs of love, but how often has a book been loved if it's not nearly ripped to shreds? True signs of love are brief footnotes written in by the curious reader, folded and creased pages worn from use, and a cover nearly unrecognizable from braving the same elements its reader has.

Woolf takes a slightly different, albeit equally valid approach to reading. She dictates that all readers must have an "open your mind as widely as possible" (Woolf 2). That isn't to say that readers cannot impart personal feelings and experiences while flipping through a novel. All readers should start reading a book like a curious child just discovering a small collection of colorful pictures. Instead of levying criticism and praise upon minute technical details, simply experience the art that the author has blessed you with.

Becoming a reader is not a trial by fire or a military training exercise, it is merely a process all people must experience in order to get the most out of literature. Loving your book passionately and uniquely while opening your mind up to any possibilities suggested by the author not only changes the way you read literature, it changes the way you experience art as a whole.

Reading Response 8/31

"How far, we must ask ourselves, is a book influenced by its writer’s life—how far is it safe to let the man interpret the writer? How far shall we resist or give way to the sympathies and antipathies that the man himself rouses in us—so sensitive are words, so receptive of the character of the author? These are questions that press upon us when we read lives and letters, and we must answer them for ourselves, for nothing can be more fatal than to be guided by the preferences of others in a matter so personal" (Woolf 5-6).

This quote references the fact that we do not know the author's train of thought or state of mind when their piece of literature was put together. She continues to speak about how we, as the readers, are to figure that out ourselves and use our own judgment rather than others' or even the author's. We are to use our knowledge of past books, our own experiences, and whatever we need to form our own thoughts on a piece of a literature. She continues her point when she wrote, "Now then we can compare book with book as we compare building with building. But this act of comparison means that our attitude has changed; we are no longer the friends of the writer, but his judges; and just as we cannot be too sympathetic as friends, so as judges we cannot be too severe" (Woolf 9). Another point that she makes is that we need to be intellectual judges to further our minds and push ourselves to think with more complexity.

Fadiman spoke about what was important about a piece of a literature and more specifically a book. She went into the depths of the argument of whether or not the treatment of the physical book itself reflected the actual words and meaning of the text. She even began to tell personal stories when she wrote, "what would Belloc have thought of my father, who, in order to reduce the weight of paperbacks he read on airplanes, tore off the chapters he had completed and threw them in the trash?" (Fadiman 38). Does that mean her father did not appreciate what he had read but thrown away? This is the main argument that Fadiman continues throughout.

Both authors made valid points in how we need to treat and think about texts. We are to keep an open mind and be appreciative.

Reading Response Journal 8/30

The relationship of a reader and the book.

"We may try to sink our own identity as we read. But we know that we cannot sympathize wholly or immerse ourselves wholly; there is always a demon in us who whispers, 'I hate,I love,' and we cannot silence him". (Woolf 10)

This quote instantly awares the readers regarding the experience one has while reading a book. There is a clear presence of fear of judgement by other readers. The metaphor demon is compared to the fear of a reader which he goes through while piling his interpretations. The experience is rather portrayed as a relationship one has with a book that differs from person to person. This is evident when Woolf says "take no advice, to follow your own instincts, to use your own reason, to come to your own conclusions"(Woolf 1). This adds to the complexity of reading which does not end at simply reading. It is an entire experience one goes through with the freedom of 'independence'.

Woolf emphsizes the importance of reading as an individual and not as if "we are in the presence of a different person"(Woolf 3). This imagery of being distracted and influeced by others' reading experience highly corresponds with the idea Woolf is trying to offer.

The individuality and the exclusivess in further supported by Fadiman where it is stated "just as there is more than one way to love a person, so is there more than one way to love a book" (Fadiman 38) This metaphor clearly compares the relationship of two individuals and the relationship of a reader and his/her book which is to be as as exclusive as a relationship is.

The idea of relationship has been offered by both Fadiman and Woolf in order to suggest that the experience one has reading a book vary from person to person as well as book to book. Fadiman expresses her voice when she says "his handwriting still looks angry"( Fadiman 41). This personification expands upon the ambiguous and a critical tone. The relationship further helps one determines the genre that interests him. The concept of genre and the connection with the reader is further expanded by Woolf using fiction, poetry, history and biography. The metpahor of a house is used for books by Woolf which he tells to "light up" which suggests to interpret it with one's own ideas.

This explains me why one person loves the book another person hates. I agree with both Ali and Matt where they say they are both carnal and courtly booklovers. I personally hesitate to be carnal at first but the content and the experience one has with the books insists me to be both carnal and courtly.

A Response to “Never Do That to a Book” by Anne Fadiman

“Just think what courtly lovers miss by believing that the only thing they are permitted to do with books is read them! What do they use for shims, doorstops, glueing weights, and rug-flatteners" (Fadiman, 41)?

In this statement, Fadiman gives us a glimpse into her own personal feelings about books. It seems as if she is expressing pity for those who love books in a “courtly” (Fadiman 38) manner, or in a way that regards the physical elements of a book as sacred and worthy only to be used as a channel through which words are read. At the same time, she also seems to be exulting in the fact that she has the privilege of relating to books with a “carnal love” (Fadiman 38). This type of love sees a book as a mere shell that is not nearly as important as the treasure contained within. Carnal love treats books as not only books but as various instruments such as “shims, doorstops, glueing weights, and rug flatteners” (Fadiman 41). She writes in a conversational manner, in a way that makes me think that she is sitting across from me at a table and telling a story. It seems unlikely that this type of book-love classification is a new concept, but the way Fadiman described how these types of love are expressed shocked me to attention. Her vivid imagery throughout the piece not only painted a picture of the differences between courtly and carnal love, but it also caused me to immediately think about how I treated books and what that meant about my own relationship with them. Did I love them courtly or carnally? Or, perhaps I felt both types of love? Faidman herself later admitted that she would not dare desecrate the encyclopedia as she would her novels, so it seemed appropriate to think that one’s manner of love toward a book could be a mix of both types of love. Through this story, I felt that I had traveled through a maze of stories and images; at the end of this piece, I did not want to leave because of the delightful places and people I had encountered.

~Anna Remer

Reading Response 8/31

"To admit authorities, however heavily furred or gowned, into our libraries and let them tell us how to read, what to read, what value to place upon what we read, is to destroy the freedom which is the breadth of those sanctuaries" (Woolf 1).

This quote directs readers that they should read under their own convictions and do it in a manner that is well suited for them. I believe that most people, especially students in school, get turned off from reading because how books are presented to them in a manner of "it must be read between this time frame" and "you must look for these important concepts in the book". When it is done like that it destroys the pleasure of the fact of reading a new a book. When given the opportunity to read a new book the reader should read it in a manner that is convent and helps the reader connect to the story. I personally hated how my english teachers would have me take notes in the book while I am reading it. I would always take the time to read the chapters I was supposed to read for my homework without any highlighting or underlining. Then after I enjoyed reading the chapters I would go back to find the important concepts I was supposed to find. When reading isn't done with any pressures it helps them to connect to the book. Reading isn't just some dreadful task that has to be done, but it's an expression of who you are. Schools have made a stereotype that all books are boring, but there are so many other genres out there. Books describe the person, and if the freedom how picking your own book and how to read a book is taken away in a way your identity is taken away. For example I like christian fiction books. From that it expresses to others that I am a christian, i love stories, and love reading books where authors creatively mix both together. "If we could banish all such preconceptions when we read, that would be an admirable beginning" (Woolf 2). The passage from Woolf expressed to me that there is no right or wrong way to read a book, neither is good or bad book it is all subjective. All readers should embrace their individuality read any way that helps them connect to the story.

---Avan Price

Reading Response 8/31

“During the next thirty years I came to realize that just as there is more than one way to love a person, so is there more than one way to love a book” (Fadiman 38).

This quote tells the reader what the main point of this essay is. Fadiman believes that there are two types of ways to love a book: courtly or carnal. The author describes a courtly lover as caring about the entire book, including the condition of the book cover and the book pages. To a carnal lover, “a book’s words were holy” but nothing else matters (Fadiman 38). Carnal love allows you to write on the margins and fold the pages, whereas courtly love basically means that you can only read them. These two types of love can also be applied to other things, such as vehicles. A carnal lover would maintain the engine regularly, but not care how nice the car looks. However, a courtly lover would clean the car every weekend, along with maintaining the engine. Similar to Ali, I am also a mix of both, depending on the item. But if I had to pick one type I am more of, it would be courtly because I try to keep the majority of my stuff working and looking good. When I am dealing with a book, I am a carnal lover because I will write in the margins and highlight or underline in them because this can help me study. Before reading this, it has never occurred to me that there are some people who care too much about the book to write or highlight in them.

-Matt Townsend

Reading Response 08/31

"The only advice indeed, that a person can give another about reading is to take no advice, to follow your own instincts, to use your own instincts, to come to your own conclusions" (Woolf 1).

I believe the passage's main point was that reading is personal. It is about your personal preferences and what words, topics, genres and stories reach you the most. No one can directly tell you how to enjoy a book. At the end of the day, it is only your opinion that counts and that is all that matters.

Also, the author discussed how reading is using our "own creative powers" (Woolf 6). Enjoying reading is like creating art. You need to have an open mind, so you have the ability to use your imagination to the fullest. Reading takes us on a adventure...if you let it. Something about a story, whether it is non fiction, poetry, a love story and so on....captures are attention and sucks us into a different life. It's like going on many mini-vacations and coming back everytime hungry to go on more but feeling refreshed at the same time.

The passage really made me think about why I choose the books I do and why I love reading so much. Books are relaxing in many ways and after a long day, I love to just crack open a new adventure and see where it takes me.

-Lena Miller

Reading Response Journal for Wednesday, 8/31

                            In the essay, “How Should One Read a Book?” Virginia Woolf suggests that a person should never take advice on how to read because it is supposed to be instinctive and one should figure that on his own without someone telling him. You should not take advice on books according to the author, also because books don’t have laws to abide. Woolf also asks not to dictate an author but be his fellow-worker; his accomplice.  I understand what he means in that sense because when you criticize you hold yourself back from learning the big picture the author has in mind.  He then follows by explaining poetry and then explains the point of the whole experience of reading, which is to do it because you love to and not because you have to. In the second reading “Never Do That to a Book”, Anne Fadiman differentiates between two types of booklovers. People that believe in treating books like newborns; extremely carefully and taking care of them in every way and people that believe it shows no disrespect to a book´s content if they dog-ear the pages or rip out chapters. After a while of pondering, I think I seem to appear that I am a blend of both extremes. I would never break the spine of my books or dog-ear the pages intently but my university books are almost totally destroyed. I write and doodle on them, fold the pages, stuff them in a bag where they can move around and highlight a lot of passages.

Class Contact list

Hey Class,
I know we already did this in class with our partners but I feel that it would be beneficiary to the rest of the class if we all posted our contact info (phone number, email, facebook, etc.) on this so we have more than one person to talk to outside of the class. You could post in a comment on this, it might be the easiest.
See you guys later!
-CB

Christopher Patrick Belin-FB
571-241-3268-(c)
cbelin@gmu.edu

Sample Reading Response Journal Post

“If you really want to hear about it, the first thing you’ll probably want to know is where I was born, and what my lousy childhood was like, and how my parents were occupied and all before they had me, and all that David Copperfield kind of crap, but I don’t feel like going into it, if you want to know the truth” (Salinger 1).

This quote displays Holden Caulfield’s intentions with his story. He doesn’t want to give you his entire background, but would rather just begin in media res — in the middle of things — and pick up from a certain point in his life. We see that Holden is willing to talk about his life, but not to necessarily address his past directly. He wants us to hear his story, but this passage gives the reader a clue that we might also have to read between the lines a bit to get the whole picture. It also displays J.D. Salinger’s desire to break away from the “old guard” of novelists. When Holden talks about “that David Copperfield kind of crap,” he’s referring to the Charles Dickens novel of the same name. Salinger, implicitly, is saying that The Catcher in the Rye will be a different kind of novel, one that tries to tell a story more true to contemporary life. Indeed, reading on, we see that Holden drops us into his story quite quickly, and we learn about his past and history through subtle references as the book unfolds. The book does, to me, feel more contemporary in its voice than a Dickens novel, largely due to Holden’s conversational tone and the spirit of intimacy he immediately creates with the reader. We are invited in, and this passage is that invitation — hesitant, but present nonetheless.

[so, here you have an example of a proper Reading Response journal. open with a quotation, citing it properly in MLA format. then, write about what in the passage strikes you as interesting and important. you'll want to reference diction, style, voice, tone, imagery -- literary devices that may be present. ~250 words, not including the quotation.]

Readings for Wednesday, 8/31

For Wednesday, you should read the following essays:

"Never Do That to a Book," Anne Fadiman
"How Should One Read a Book?," Virginia Woolf

You have a reading response journal for these due by 6 p.m. on Tuesday, 8/30.

Texts for English 201-008

Our texts for this course are available through the Mason bookstore. I expect you to have purchased each of these books so that the copy you have is your copy.

We'll be reading the following, plus some supplementary materials:

• The Heart is a Lonely Hunter, Carson McCullers
• Field Work, Seamus Heaney
• Macbeth, Shakespeare
• Zeitoun, Dave Eggers

Welcome to English 201-008!

Welcome to English 201-008! We’re going to have a great semester. We’ll be using this blog to share ideas and reflections on the readings we do. We’ll be using this blog to start and join conversations about literature and about, just maybe, things beyond that. It’s up to you.

We also have a Blackboard site, which we’ll be using for assignments. But this is where you’ll post all of your reading response journals throughout the semester.