Wednesday, June 12, 2013

WIP Wednesday: A tale of two activities

Last week, having finished one book, I stood in front of my bookshelf and stared at it for a while, trying to decide what to read next.  Apparently my confidence levels are high not only in knitting (a cardigan!) and running (a marathon!), but in reading, because I settled on a 16th-century, 785-page tome: 'Don Quixote'.

According to a recent story on NPR, high school students are reading fewer classics, and I think that's a shame.  Contemporary novels are fantastic, but there is so much more to appreciate in those novels when you have a foundation in the history of the novel itself.  So kids want horror and fairy tales?  Hand them a Gothic novel (but maybe don't tell their parents about that one).  There are plenty of stories hidden in the harder-to-read books of the past.  And once you're lead to one, you're so much more likely to seek another one out for yourself.

And so here I am, with 'Don Quixote' on the sofa next to me along with my project bag.  I'm 86 pages in, and that is part of the reason I'm only a few more rows along in my sleeve.  I keep picking up my book instead of my needles when I have a random moment.  Also: I haven't been able to go to my coffee klatch at work for two weeks in a row now, so I've been missing on that prime knitting time.

But still, it's progress.  I'll find the balance eventually, and then I can sit on the sofa curled up with a good book while I'm wearing this cardigan.  Whether that book will still be 'Don Quixote', I'm not sure.

For more WIP Wednesday posts, go to Tami's Amis.


3 comments:

  1. I completely agree that it's a pity high school students aren't reading as many classics! It's one of the few topics I will really argue about :)
    Good luck with all three endeavors!

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  2. It's really sad that the classics are neglected.

    You know I developed an interest of the classics from the Wishbone Program. They picked the best parts and made them accessible to kids. So when I heard of Don Quixote, Pygmalion, Hamlet the themes and general plot were familiar enough I wasn't afraid of the book itself.

    What is really frustrating is that teachers teach books they enjoy out of the curriculum given to them. Most of what I had to read sucked. Then as soon as the school board gets wind of controversy, a book is pulled.

    One thing I did like was that the classics teacher would assign a class book to analyze but you would have to read a similar book to write the paper about. (i.e. read pride and prejudice but write about Sense and Sensibility)

    Some of the best books I read were not because of my lit teachers but other teachers that recommended them. It's all about being inspired and curiosity of what something is about.

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    Replies
    1. I loved 'Wishbone'! I can't help but imagine that little pup in my head as I'm reading 'Don Quixote' now because I saw that episode when I was a kid.

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