Silent Reading

The most interesting thing I garnered from this week's section of reading was the survey of historical reading methods, specifically the fact that before the tenth century silent reading was considered unusual. Augustine wrote in his Confessions about the strangeness of this silent reading, which, as Manguel points out, suggests that this method of reading was highly abnormal (43). 

It makes sense when you consider the time period and the level of literacy across the world, which was abysmally low. Reading was practiced publicly for the most part, where philosophers and the clergy addressed crowds directly. Manguel goes on to describe what he thinks the great libraries of Alexandria and Pergamum must have been like: a multitude of voices and expression, some patrons murmuring quietly while others read aloud at full volume. The steady rustling of turning pages surely mixed with the sound of hundreds of diverse stories and accounts to create a noisy backdrop for any literary excursion. 

Today we find ourselves fond of silence and a tranquil, private space in which to conduct our forays into reading, whether the material being consumed is academic or personal in nature.    

An Introduction (of sorts)

Greetings Reader,

                My name is Luke Lane. I was born in Ann Arbor, Michigan, but my family vacated the state when I was just four years old. Growing up we moved around a great deal from house to house and state to state. I attended four different high schools in three different states before finally dropping out and earning my G.E.D. when I turned sixteen. Part of the reason for this decision was that my parents divorced midway through my childhood, and as a result I spent the next half of my life floating between two households, often traversing state lines. By the time I was finally living somewhere stable, my class credits were so badly damaged that I was expected to stay in high school an extra two years. I decided at that point that I had no more use for that particular level of the public school system.

                I moved out to live on my own when I turned seventeen, and now, eight years later, I am in college, happily married, and a new father. My wife's name is Julie. She is a LAPC and currently works with children and adolescents. My daughter's name is Synora Ann Lane. She is a scant few days past seven months old and doing very well. This is my junior year of college, but first semester at KSU. I spent the previous two years at GPC knocking out my core requirements, or at least all that I could. My major is general English, not English education, but I may end up teaching while working on my own fiction. I am open to many forms of writing, but so far any attempt I have made in writing a short story has landed me with enough material for at least one novel. For this reason, and others, my goal is to make a living as a novelist.

                Now, enjoy this quote from the late great Joseph Campbell: "Writer’s block results from too much head. Cut off your head. Pegasus, poetry, was born of Medusa when her head was cut off. You have to be reckless when writing. Be as crazy as your conscience allows."