Books; and dull ones at that, so no need to read on!
With me when an idea strikes I have to investigate it and at the moment it is Pesvner and his reception in England. Pesvner was a German Jew and had left Germany in the 1930's there was talk of him being sympathetic to the Hitler regime, but whether this is or was true I cannot say, only that he was a very clever man who could write on art and architecture. So two books thudded through the letterbox yesterday, Geoffrey Grigson - "Recollections" and Stephen Games on "Pesvner - The early life, Germany and Art." Both ex-library.
Dipping into Grigson I am immediately aware in his capturing of the notable people of his time, it is mainly gossip and labelling, something like we do today in fact. Stephen Games whilst reviewing a book of Pesvner had mentioned Hilter in his review but not in the way it was to be interpreted later by others. So his book is a long, lengthy explanation (much of which I will not read) as to Pesvner's life in Germany before the second World War.
I have a feeling that poor old Pesvner was a bit boring as far as the leading lights of Grigson Recollections are concerned, and it will be interesting to read little, short biographies of Elliot, Auden, Moore, Dylan Thomas and MacNeice.
The other book is far too long to go back to. I was talking to my son over the weekend, and he asked if I had ever read Dostoevsky. Yes said I in my early 20s, The Brothers Karamazov. I can impress my children sometimes! What had struck me though of this large book was the religious argument used in it. Meet the Grand Inquisitor and understand how if Jesus had followed the devil and not his good conscience we would all have been in a better place. He was burnt on the Auto-da-fe for not following the advice of the Grand Inquisitor.
Think on? maybe the human race has always followed the devil's teachings.....
Debby of 'Life's funny like that' blog had mentioned the other day of reading with much pleasure to her grandchildren. I remember I read to Mark my son till he was about 10 years old. Then one day found myself reading the 'Lord of the Rings' to him and realising I would never finish it. Telling him to read it himself, lazy creature.
Because I spent many years trying to teach children of secondary school age to read. it ws good to read of your bedtime reading. There is a wide variety of reasons why children - and adults- don't read even if they can if they wish. I have always advocated at parents evenings and at every opportunity I get that there is no substitute for being read to as a child (of course often the parent can' t read either which makes it difficult. It often takes several generations to break the circle (if ever). I have done quite a lot of family history and only one of my four grandparents was able to sign their name on their marriage certificate - the other three put a cross. I can't say it enough times and I do realise I am preaching to the converted here -that the very best thing a parent can do is to read to their children and then let them read absolutely everything you can find. I smiled at you finally giving up in the middle of a book. My son had a Ladybird book about Lazy Little Piggly wriggly and for months and months it was all he wanted at bedtime story time. It was in rhyme. He still has the book now and can almost quote it off by heart - but it certainly taught him to read. Lazy little piggly wriggly always stayed in bed to snore, after mother pig had called him - for he always snored before. Won't bore you with any more - you can always go to Amazon if you are desperate for the outcome!
ReplyDeleteAs you say reading is very dependent for children on their parents being interested. Interestingly, my eldest grandson at a very young age was curious about words. He worked out the words in the Radio Times referred to what he saw on television. Pushing him in his buggy and he would try to read everything he saw, whether what was written on lorries or shops.
ReplyDeleteIt seems that the human race has great curiosity from its very beginning to express themselves. You only have to look at cave art or hand prints to know that language would develop into what it is today. Early language was pictorial and complicated to read for us, so it has became simplified, but we should not forget there is a 'hundred' words for snow from the Eskimos, probably not written down. I think actually technology will overcome illiteracy, after all you have to process mobile phones in a written language ;)
One of Tamzin's first words was "more" - as by ten months she had 4 stories at bedtime (very short ones of course!) - and I always read to them. The only book I hated was one that Danny loved about Street Sharks - heavens! It was horrid. Then there was a horrid repetitive one (Chicken Licken?) which I gave to a charity shop to avoid reading it . . . They are all keen readers to this day.
ReplyDeleteGlad I missed out on Dostoevsky - not my sort of bedtime story at all!!! The nearest I got to Russian authors were Pasternak and Dr Zhivago, and seeing Chekov's The Cherry Orchard at Chichester Festival Theatre. But give me a huge tome on Early Christian Monuments and I'm reading it for hours :)
I used to love buying children's books at Waterstones. Series like Mog, The Church Mice and later Asteriks. I vaguely remember 'Chicken, Licken', I suppose a bit like Dr. Seuss, a book I never got on with.
DeleteYes in my youth wanted to educate myself by reading everything I expect it was too long and too boring but the Grand Inquisitor went into my commonplace book.
There is so much competition in the world for a child's attention these days. Television, tablets, VR (in my house at least, sadly). Reading to a young child is a healthy exercise for the brain, but I also think it feeds the soul. It is such a cozy nurturing thing to do, and in the end, I think that children need to experience that as much as they need the words. LOL at the Tolkein. You know how I feel. I tried. I tried to read Lord of the Rings for 30 years. I finally accepted the fact that it was not going to happen. I had a three box set that I donated. My daughter got quite into Harry Potter in 3rd or 4th grade. I initially read the books because there was so much controversy. I saw nothing controversial at all. In fact, I didn't really like them. Now my grandson is reading them, and we read back and forth from them. I actually am enjoying them.
ReplyDeleteWell either your a child at heart or not, I think I never grew up in a proper way, loving stories as I do. But of course there is a nurturing part as well when reading to children. There is a lot of talk about books becoming obsolete but it doesn't seem to be happening, but once you get past those picture books of the very young, the next tier of reading has less pictures in and a lot more writing which may put children off.
ReplyDeletePerhaps one should only read Tolkien when young, the films are more easy to digest Debby;)
Your last paragraphs remind me of my wife reading books to our children, doing all the different voices. Her duck was hilarious. Well, that's how you would sound if you had a hard beak, she explained.
ReplyDeleteAnd never, ever get the voice wrong for the character Tasker. ;)
DeleteI learnt to read at age 4, read everything I could find and when stuck in boarding school read all of the few (donated) books in the cupboard. As well as Enid Blyton there was also The Brothers Karamazov and A Day in the life of Ivan Denisovich. What a mix, and that was before I was aged 10. Read and loved Tolkein in my teens and still a major fan. The one thing I miss about teaching -Infants, is story time.
ReplyDeleteI think that is what is called 'devouring' books Ruta. I got moved into the adult section of the library when I was a child because I had read everything in the children's section. Story time for little ones is marvellous, just to watch their intent faces as they absorb the pictures and story.
DeleteMy elder brother and I were both taught to read (and write) by our mother before we went to primary school, and both of us carried on with a lifetime of reading. As children we had no TV as a distraction - that came the week of the first ever episode of Dr Who (a pure coincidence as the TV was bought for my brother to be able to watch some school TV programmes). One of the books that I well remember reading was the complete Arthur Mee's Children's Encyclopedia, which was an eclectic mix of everything from science topics to Greek and Roman mythology.
ReplyDeleteAll those heavy encyclopedia books Will now destined for the book grave yard. It seems sad of course but Wikipedia has the knack through the internet of recording the history of everything with far less bulk. I remember the first television coming into the house, my brother and I sat practically nose to screen. Also the programme 'Quatermass' , we would sneak downstairs and hide behind the sofa, it was so scary.
DeleteReading seems to me to create a bond between adults and children which is impossible to replicate in any other way. In my very brief foray into teaching I remember having little ones read to me and later, as a care-worker, I read to children at bed time. In all cases our relationship seemed changed in the process.
ReplyDeleteI think it is the world of imagination that unites both the reader and the child read to John. It just creates a bond.
DeleteYour reference to the world of imagination reminds me of a comment once from a work colleague comparing reading or listening to the radio to watching television. He said that the pictures (in one's imagination) were so much better.
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DeleteI very rarely watch popular television Will, so always out of the conversation. Radio has always been my go-to place to relax, much happier with the talking voice then people jiggling around on tv.