UNIT 2.
BOOKS
What Classics Will Our Century Produce?
By Warren Adler
Perhaps we must first consider how a classic becomes a classic. We apply
numerous reasons for such a coronation citing artistic quality, universal relevancy,
emotional integrity, critical acclaim by the author's contemporaries, literary
influence, remarkable insight, imaginative style, effective use of language and a
host of high praise that has been passed through time like a railroad car glides over
a well-worn track pulled by the power of a locomotive.
The potential for a classic starts out in the author's mind, and is then transposed
into the published work. Readers read and react with awesome praise, critics
review with ecstatic abandon, academics discover, recommend and insert the book
into their curriculums and libraries, bookstores stock the book, and most who
discover and study the work exult in its story and style.
At times, this acclaim happens instantly, but often the discovery of a work emerges
mysteriously after many years of obscurity.
So it begins, the journey to becoming a classic, influencing other writers, readers,
educators and critics generation after generation, taking on heft, powered along the
track by the locomotive of authority. Passing through so many agile minds, written
about, recommended, interpreted, analyzed and discussed until it becomes part of
the literary canon.
In the 21st century, those well-worn tracks to reaching the heights of a classic have
lost much of their traction. The locomotive has sputtered and encountered hairpin
curves, and faulty signals.
In bygone days, worthy works of the imagination could be discovered in a much
smaller literary pool. Literacy was hardly universal.
The serious reading public had finite choices in a world where an elite education in
the liberal arts was a necessary preparation for the fulfilled intellectual life. Such a
culturally fine-tuned audience was a distinct minority.
There were fewer distractions also. Only the live stage offered a more public
literary outlet and the delights of poetry had their small but hardy band of
followers. Discoverability by that refined intellectual taste, enhanced by a
comprehensive literary education, was the key for a work to become a classic.
Word-of-mouth operated in a smaller privileged circle as it engaged with the world
created by the novels of Dickens, Tolstoy, Dostoevsky, Hardy, Balzac, Twain,
Richardson, Fielding and on and on to build the blocks of the western canon.
In the 21st century, with the rise of technology and literacy and the decline of the
civilized glories of a liberal education, those natural candidates for the canon of
immortality are drowning in an ocean so populated with offerings that
discoverability is practically impossible. This is not to say that the talent is not
there. It might even be in far more abundance than in earlier times.
As liberal education declines and occupational education rises, more and more
people interested in finding the nuggets of literary output are frustrated by the
sheer volume. Categories and subcategories abound.
Oddly, as the number of books of fiction produced each year approaches
staggering numbers, and as genres multiply, readers (hungry to be tantalized by
insight and inspired by wisdom by those who quest to make sense of the human
condition in the kind of books that populate the classics bookshelf) must, as a
consequence, find themselves frustrated in their search for the needle in the
proverbial haystack.
Worse, reading literature, which has always been nourished in schools, has been
severely cut back in favor of informational texts or material that is more specific to
the purpose of employment. It is all part of a downsizing effort to make traditional
education more attuned to the job market and less to the building of a mature mind
able to cope with the moral, ethical and relationship challenges of modern life.
Out of his hodgepodge one wonders whether the classics of the 21st century will
come out of the genre fiction of romance, fantasy, graphic novels, mysteries,
eroticism, vampire zombie, etc. categories, where books like Fifty Shades of Grey
will be raised on the same pedestal as, say, War and Peace and Ulysses.
Nevertheless, I do sense that I have a sea of silent allies out there who know in
their gut what makes a classic, and they worship beside me in our very private and
increasingly isolated pew in a currently obscure location in the literary community
cathedral.
VOCABULARY NOTES
to cite – quote (a passage, book, or author) as evidence for or justification of an
argument or statement; mention as an example;
relevancy – importance or significance to a particular situation or matter;
integrity – adherence to moral principles; honesty; the quality of being
unimpaired; soundness; unity; wholeness
acclaim – enthusiastic and public praise;
contemporary – a person or thing living or existing at the same time as another;
remarkable – worthy of attention; striking;
insight – a penetrating and often sudden understanding, as of a complex situation
or problem;
praise – the expression of approval or admiration for someone or something;
awesome – extremely impressive or daunting; inspiring great admiration,
apprehension, or fear;
ecstatic – feeling or expressing overwhelming happiness or joyful excitement;
abandon – freedom from inhibitions, restraint, concern, or worry;
to exult (in) – show or feel triumphant elation or jubilation;
to emerge – become apparent or prominent;
obscurity – the state of being unknown, inconspicuous, or unimportant;
heft – ability or influence;
agile – able to think and understand quickly;
traction – the extent to which an idea, product, etc. gains popularity or acceptance;
literacy – the ability to read and write; the ability to use language proficiently;
finite – limited in size or extent;
fulfilled – satisfied or happy because of fully developing one's abilities or
character;
refined – elegant and cultured in appearance, manner, or taste;
comprehensive – including or dealing with all or nearly all elements or aspects of
something;
word-of-mouth – spoken communication as a means of transmitting information;
nugget – something small but valuable or excellent;
mature – fully developed;
hodgepodge – a jumbled mixture; a confused or disorderly mass or collection of
things;
to worship – feel great admiration or devotion for.
EXERCISES
1. Questions
1. Have you read any of the authors/books mentioned in the article? What was
your impression from reading those? What in your opinion makes a classic?
2. Have you ever re-read a book? Which? How many times? What is so special
about it?
3. Can you give an example of a book(s) that has changed your life in some way
or influenced your opinion about something? How and why did it happen?
4. What existing literary genres do you know? Can you describe the main features
of your favorite genre?
5. Have you ever stopped reading a book halfway? What can cause you to do so?
6. How would you describe the difference between reading an e-book and a paper
book? Do you think they will ever fully replace paper books?
7. Is there a book you don’t like but everyone else seems to love? A book you like
but no one else seems to enjoy? Can you think of any reasons why this is the case?
How do you choose the books you are going to read?
8. Have you ever encountered a book you didn’t expect to like but did? A book
you expected to like but didn’t? Dwell on the experience.
9. What is your favorite genre? Why do you like it? Do you ever read outside of
your comfort zone?
10. What experiences might have inspired the following proverbs?
Drink nothing without seeing it; sign nothing without reading it.
When all else fails, read the instructions.
You can’t tell a book by its cover.
2. Panel discussion
The most common pretext for not reading is ‘I don’t have time for that’. And it is a
myth in a way of speaking. Some of the busiest people on our planet are also avid
readers. Can you think of why? Look at the ways to make time for reading offered
by Eva Lantsoght and choose the ones that are applicable to your lifestyle.
Elaborate on why and how these activities can be effective in your case. Can you
think of any other ways to make room for reading?
11 Ways Busy People Make Time To Read
by Eva Lantsoght
Reading sparks your creativity, helps you grow your understanding of complex
problems and grows you intellectually, while at the same time, reading is a very
relaxing activity. But how do we make time to read?
Borrow more books than you can read
If you enjoy borrowing books from the
library, borrow more than you think you’ll
actually read. Having physical books
piled up in your house that you know
need to be returned will encourage you to
read more than you might initially have
planned to.
If you are a digital reader, make sure you download a stockpile of books onto your
e-reader, so you always have a wealth of choices right at your fingertips that you
are eager to read.
Read more than one book at a time
Some people prefer to read one book at a
time, but others benefit from working on
several books at the same time. Some
books are more suitable for reading at night
(like fiction novels), while other books,
such as non-fiction analyses, can be more
suitable for reading during your commute.
Set a goal per reading session
If you don’t have the habit of reading big chunks
of text at a time, set reading goals per session.
For example, you can challenge yourself to read
50 pages before putting your book aside, or to
finish the chapter before you move on to the next
task. Set the bar a little higher each time. Reading
a little bit extra every day will add up to reading
more books on an annual basis than before.
Practice speed-reading
The idea is simple: if you want to
read more in a short amount of time,
you can teach yourself to read faster.
There are different techniques for
speed-reading in which you can
train yourself. These techniques
include grouping words instead
of reading word per word, forcing your eyes to move more quickly by moving
a ruler or pen across the page, or holding your breath and trying to finish
a paragraph in that time (this technique suppresses sub-vocalization, our tendency
to “hear” the words we read in our mind).
Read digitally across all your mobile devices
If you read digitally, make sure you have a
reader app on all your mobile devices so that
you can read whenever you have a free
moment. Having a book synced across all
devices (e-reader, smartphone and tablet) will
help you to read a few pages here and there
during the day. By doing this, when you check
back on your e-reader at the end of the day, you
will see that you will have easily read 20 pages just by reading in snippets of time.
Ignore what you “should” be reading
While you might find inspiration in lists of
“best” books, read for yourself. Read for your
own pleasure and education. Putting pressure on
yourself in terms of reading what the rest of the
world tells you to read only brings you so far. If
you read based on your own interest and joy,
you will find yourself making more time to read
out of excitement for the book or topic.
Track your progress online
Several websites can be used to track your
reading process throughout the year (e.g.
GoodReads). An online account in which
you keep an overview of the books you are
currently reading, and your progress in these
books, will help you focus on your reading.
Moreover, you can keep track of the books that you would like to read later on, and
add reviews of the books you have read. Many of these sites can also make
recommendations based on the books you’ve read and enjoyed.
Read before going to bed
Reading fiction or enjoyable non-fiction at
night before falling asleep is a proven
method to relax, put the day behind
ourselves, and prepare ourselves for a good
night’s sleep. By the same token, you can
make it a habit to read a few pages first thing
in the morning, or read a chapter after lunch while you are digesting food and
getting ready for a productive work session in the afternoon.
10. Quit reading random news articles
If you want to make more time to read
books, you will have to cut down on time
from other activities to free up time for
reading. One of the methods you can follow
is by cutting down on the number of random
articles shared on social media platforms
that you read, and replace this time by
reading more in-depth analyses in the books
that you are working through.
Join your peers
Look for people in your community or online
who are reading the same book as you are
reading. Keeping up with their discussions and
ideas on the reading will help you move forward
with your reading. You wouldn’t want to be the
one who missed out on last week’s chapter,
would you?
11. Join a reading challenge
Similarly to point three, you can join a reading challenge
and set a goal for the number of books you would like to
read in a given year. To really challenge yourself, set the
limit just a little above what you would think is feasible.
Giving yourself a specific challenge can do a lot to hold
yourself accountable and motivate yourself to reach the
goal. You’d be amazed at how much reading you can do
in a single year.
VOCABULARY NOTES
to spark – provide the stimulus for;
to pile up – gather or be gathered in a pile; accumulate;
digital reader – a reader using computer technologies for reading;
at one’s fingertips – readily available; accessible;
eager – strongly wanting to do or have something;
chunk – a significant amount of something;
speed-reading – a technique of reading rapidly by assimilating several phrases or
sentences at once;
reader app – a program or piece of software designed and written to fulfill
a particular purpose of the user (in this case that purpose being reading);
snippet – a small scrap or fragment
token – a symbol or visible representation of something;
in-depth analysis – carefully worked out, detailed and thorough examination
of the elements or structure of something, typically as a basis for discussion
or interpretation;
reading challenge – a call to engage in reading a certain number of books as
a way of testing your ability to do so;
feasible – possible to do easily or conveniently; likely; probable;
accountable – responsible.
III. Video Time
Watch the video What do you love about books? from the Folio Society:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oRWakncrZ0w what is it that you love
about books.
Watch another video from the Folio Society What makes printed books special?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OtLdBPzsnWo and speculate about
different formats books are available in nowadays, pros and cons of each
of them, your personal preferences. Then look though some pros and cons
offered by the author in the article below and say, which of those you agree
with and witch of them seem disputable and why. Think about the question
the author raises at the end of the article.
Pros and Cons of E-readers vs. Books
by Colleen Cancio
When considering the question of whether e-readers are making books obsolete,
it helps to take a look at what e-readers actually do. As of early 2011, there were
at least a dozen different models on the market, each with its own specific features
and capabilities. None are good at everything, and so choosing one over the other
depends on which of those capabilities are most important to you.
Some e-readers are just that -- devices dedicated to displaying digital books,
newspapers and magazines. Examples include Amazon's Kindle, the Sony Reader,
Borders' Kobo, and Barnes and Noble's Nook. Some dedicated e-readers offer
Internet connectivity and other high-end functionality, but their main purpose
is to display e-books, which they generally do very well.
Other e-readers are more aptly called tablets. These devices come equipped with
features like Wi-Fi, MP3 support and full-color touch screens. They're a lot like
laptop computers, but smaller and a bit more portable. The Apple iPad is one
example of a tablet. It isn't an e-reader in the technical sense, but its size means
you can certainly use it as such. Barnes and Noble's NookColor falls somewhere
in between; it's a color-enhanced tablet-style device, but with fewer capabilities
than the iPad.
So how do traditional books compare to these newfangled gadgets? For starters,
you can enjoy a traditional book in direct sunlight. This is tricky at best with tablet-
style e-readers (think of your laptop screen on the beach at high noon), though
dedicated e-readers are much better in these situations because of their black-and-
white or grayscale displays. Loaning books may also be an issue with e-readers.
For those who are accustomed to sharing their reading material, there are a variety
of lending applications for e-books -- such as the Nook's LendMe feature -- though
these may have some limitations, including time constraints on lending periods.
Cost is another potential downside to e-readers. Consumers may pay anywhere
between $140 and $500 for an e-reader, and many of the most popular books
(i.e. bestsellers) cost about $9.99 at best. For people accustomed to shopping at
secondhand book shops or borrowing the bulk of their reading material, this can be
quite an investment. Only a few e-readers allow users access to library content.
Still, there's no doubt that e-readers are handy for bookworms. Each has the ability
to store thousands of books in one easy-to-use device, which makes these gadgets
very convenient for students, travelers and anyone
who does a lot of reading on the go.
That's just a quick comparison of e-readers with
old-school books in terms of usability and
practicality. But what does the future hold for
these formats?
VOCABULARY NOTES
e-reader – a device or application to facilitate or enhance the reading of electronic
material;
obsolete – no longer produced or used; out of date;
dedicated – devoted to a task or purpose; having single-minded loyalty or
integrity;
high-end – denoting the most expensive of a range of products;
aptly –correctly; judiciously; suitably;
tablet – a small portable computer that accepts input directly on to its screen rather
via than a keyboard or mouse;
newfangled – newly come into existence or fashion, esp. excessively modern;
gadget – a small mechanical device or tool, especially an ingenious or novel one;
to loan – borrow;
to lend – grant to (someone) the use of (something) on the understanding that it
shall be returned;
downside – the negative aspect of something otherwise regarded as good or
desirable;
secondhand book –a previously owned book, not new;
bulk – volume, size, or magnitude, esp. when great;
handy – convenient to handle or use; useful;
old-school – having or adhering to old-fashioned values or ways.
IV. Working together
Work in pairs. Act out a dialogue where you are discussing a movie, which is a
screen adaptation of a book you have read. One of you is arguing that the screen
version is better, while the other one insists that it is the other way around. You
may eventually steer the conversation into a more general direction of the benefits
and shortcomings of books being turned into movies.
V. Did you know?
Early books didn't have titles or authors or anything printed on the covers?
Books used to be shelved "backwards" with the spine facing the back of the
shelf and the fore-edge facing out?
Books used to be chained to the bookshelves in libraries?
Books were sold unbound in quires (gatherings of printed sheets or
signatures). If you wanted a bound book you had to buy the quires from the
publisher and take them to your favorite bookbinder for binding in your choice of
material.
There are over 50,000 books published each year in the US alone?
There have been over 20,000 books written about the game of Chess.
In the book, Les Miserables by Victor Hugo is one sentence that is 823
words long. When Vic wrote to his editor inquiring about their opinion of the
manuscript, he wrote, “?” They answered, “!”
Alice in Wonderland was originally banned in China for having talking
animals.
The Harry Potter books are the most banned books in America.
One out of every eight letters you read is the letter ‘e’.
Choose any of the statements above as a topic for your oral presentation. Provide
arguments or statistical data to support your claims.
VI. A story behind a common expression
In one's black books
Meaning: out of favor
Origin: The earliest Black Books were official documents; the adjective seems to
have had no other significance than to indicate the color of the binding. For
example, there were the Black Books of the Exchequer (about 1175), listing royal
revenues, and the Black Books of the Admiralty, containing rules compiled in the
reign of Edward III. A Black Book of the 1530s, during the reign of Henry VIII,
lists abuses in the monasteries, which were subsequently dissolved, and it is from
about this time that a black book became specifically associated with censure or
punishment, as it still is.
...From this sense emerged blacklist, denoting people considered disloyal,
untrustworthy or deserving of punishment; bad books as a fairly modern variant of
black books; and its converse, good books, meaning favour. These last two may
also be related to two old expressions from at least 1509: in one's book(s) (in one's
opinion) and out of one's book (mistaken).
Write an essay (300 words) on “The Future of Books”.
