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Declaim this!
Jan. 26th, 2006 10:33 amI'm at work again, digitizing old cassette tapes of English literature. There are some treasures here, radio interviews with authors, audio plays, and poetry, sometimes read by the authors themselves. It's a project for at least half a year, and it's worth it.
The tape in the player at the moment is of English poets - Auden, Yeats, Dylan Thomas, t.s. eliot - great to listen to, though it's like a very heavy banquet with no breaks to rest the mental stomach.
What makes me wonder is how differently the poetry is read, spoken, declaimed. Sometimes, it's with a tone of voice as if someone is telling me a story, or with a melody like normal speech. And sometimes, you can hear that whoever is talking is raising their voice, both in pitch and in volume, with very little variation in the melody, but a lot of pressure on the voice. I have to admit that those declamations are very difficult to listen to, or rather, difficult to draw meaning from. They are hypnotizing, but not gripping.
Now, it occurs to me that the latter way of oral presentation of poetry is somehow the traditional, classical, or perhaps the "learned" way of doing this. If that is so, then I am sure that generations of schoolchildren will have been turned off by, and from, poetry.
Am I correct about this? And if yes, why is it done like this?
The tape in the player at the moment is of English poets - Auden, Yeats, Dylan Thomas, t.s. eliot - great to listen to, though it's like a very heavy banquet with no breaks to rest the mental stomach.
What makes me wonder is how differently the poetry is read, spoken, declaimed. Sometimes, it's with a tone of voice as if someone is telling me a story, or with a melody like normal speech. And sometimes, you can hear that whoever is talking is raising their voice, both in pitch and in volume, with very little variation in the melody, but a lot of pressure on the voice. I have to admit that those declamations are very difficult to listen to, or rather, difficult to draw meaning from. They are hypnotizing, but not gripping.
Now, it occurs to me that the latter way of oral presentation of poetry is somehow the traditional, classical, or perhaps the "learned" way of doing this. If that is so, then I am sure that generations of schoolchildren will have been turned off by, and from, poetry.
Am I correct about this? And if yes, why is it done like this?
Books, books, books
Jan. 19th, 2006 10:48 amLate last year, I visited a colleague of mine in the University student's council room, and I noticed they are selling books there. Specifically, english language books. So I had a look, when I chanced upon a stack of books a Professor had brought in earlier. He's leaving the Uni and wants to get rid of those books he won't need any more. I immediately went through that stack and selected a few.
Today, I finally brought the money for them, and I now have these books sitting next to me:( for those not interested in bookish things )
Hwæt! We Gardena in geardagum þeodcyninga þrym gefrunon hu ða æþelingas ellen fremedon. :-D
Today, I finally brought the money for them, and I now have these books sitting next to me:( for those not interested in bookish things )
Hwæt! We Gardena in geardagum þeodcyninga þrym gefrunon hu ða æþelingas ellen fremedon. :-D
Ready, Set, Go!
Dec. 28th, 2005 04:03 pmSo I've decided to join the ![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-community.gif)
50bookchallenge, since I'm a bookworm anyway, and even if I don't make the goal, at least I'll have an overview of what I am reading.
And, since![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
brisingamen told me that there are no rules, I decided to make some up myself. I'll be keeping the "official" 50 books tally, but at the same time I'll do a "50 points in 12 months" list. Each book is one point. A book I'm re-reading and have read in the last five years (such as the Terry Pratchett books) or a textbook which I am only partly reading will get 1/2 point, and a book with more than an arbitrary number of pages, say, 365, will get 1 1/2 points. Hence, Lord of the Rings is worth one point: 1 1/2 because it's long, minus 1/2 point for being re-read. Hah!
The good thing about rules you make up yourself is that at any time, you can break them. I'll be starting today (with the reading, not with the rule-breaking, though that might be fun as well). Let's see what happens.
In other news: Do you know the feeling of having an absurd or nonsensical phrase stuck in your head for no discernible reason? For the past half hour, the phrase that has been stuck in mine is "voracious manatee".
50bookchallenge, since I'm a bookworm anyway, and even if I don't make the goal, at least I'll have an overview of what I am reading.And, since
brisingamen told me that there are no rules, I decided to make some up myself. I'll be keeping the "official" 50 books tally, but at the same time I'll do a "50 points in 12 months" list. Each book is one point. A book I'm re-reading and have read in the last five years (such as the Terry Pratchett books) or a textbook which I am only partly reading will get 1/2 point, and a book with more than an arbitrary number of pages, say, 365, will get 1 1/2 points. Hence, Lord of the Rings is worth one point: 1 1/2 because it's long, minus 1/2 point for being re-read. Hah!The good thing about rules you make up yourself is that at any time, you can break them. I'll be starting today (with the reading, not with the rule-breaking, though that might be fun as well). Let's see what happens.
In other news: Do you know the feeling of having an absurd or nonsensical phrase stuck in your head for no discernible reason? For the past half hour, the phrase that has been stuck in mine is "voracious manatee".
Søren Kierkegaard. I've read some philosophers over time, or rather, excerpts of their work. Why did I think I could give Kierkegaard a miss? I just spent a very enjoyable few hours in his company, listening to him hold forth on life, sensuality, and Mozart (aka the first chapter of "Either/Or"), with a skilfulness and wit that has made me chuckle in pleasure and appreciation, to the amusement of the other people sitting in the café. Whoever translated him into German did an incredible job.
In other news, I really should get gloves, and some skin cream. The skin on my hands is drying out, making them look positively mummified. That is scary.
In other news, I really should get gloves, and some skin cream. The skin on my hands is drying out, making them look positively mummified. That is scary.
Library revisited
Nov. 3rd, 2005 05:36 pmI met with the head librarian for the foreign language section of our public library today. As I had hoped, she remembered me well, and we talked a while about books and things. And we struck a deal.
Since I am in London this coming week, I will bring her a handful of new Christmas books, and for that, I will get first pick of all the books they have to get rid of for reasons of space. They only have Christmassy books from fifteen to twenty years ago. I was planning on hitting the bookshops anyway, so this sounded good to me.
Since I am in London this coming week, I will bring her a handful of new Christmas books, and for that, I will get first pick of all the books they have to get rid of for reasons of space. They only have Christmassy books from fifteen to twenty years ago. I was planning on hitting the bookshops anyway, so this sounded good to me.
Library-ism
Oct. 28th, 2005 11:11 amSo, about a week and a half ago on brisingamen's LJ, she talks about changes in her local library, all for the worse, as it usually is in our fast-paced rather than past-faced world. I allow myself a little smile, thinking about our public library and how it developed over the years, and especially its English language section, where I first read Lord of the Rings in English.
Anyway. Yesterday, I paid said library a visit, wanting to rent a video on the 1910's and WWI. While there, I have a look into the English language reference section, and am stunned. The shelves are well nigh empty. Where are the volumes on British history? On music? On language? Even those on gardening, cooking and knitting were gone, except a few poor stragglers, and a bunch of books lying on the floor, looking as if someone was about to dump them in a bin.
Which is partly right, to my horror. Seems the music library, which at the moment is still in a different building, is going to be incorporated into the main library building, which probably also means that they will loose a lot of their books, scores and audio media, and the foreign-language section has to be shrunk to make room for it. As far as the librarian on duty told me, a lot of the English books are going to go to a library in Africa, which I totally approove of, but the rest are to be thrown away.
"No", says I. "No no. Nonono." Not if I have anything to say about it. Luckily, I know the librarian who is responsible for the foreign-language books, since I spent a few happy weeks on an internship at the then-seperate "Bridge of Nations" foreign language library during a time when I thought I might actually like to work as a librarian. I am more than sure she will remember me, we do meet and greet occasionally, and I will try and offer her a deal. I do not intend to let books be thrown away.
brisingamen's LJ, she talks about changes in her local library, all for the worse, as it usually is in our fast-paced rather than past-faced world. I allow myself a little smile, thinking about our public library and how it developed over the years, and especially its English language section, where I first read Lord of the Rings in English. Anyway. Yesterday, I paid said library a visit, wanting to rent a video on the 1910's and WWI. While there, I have a look into the English language reference section, and am stunned. The shelves are well nigh empty. Where are the volumes on British history? On music? On language? Even those on gardening, cooking and knitting were gone, except a few poor stragglers, and a bunch of books lying on the floor, looking as if someone was about to dump them in a bin.
Which is partly right, to my horror. Seems the music library, which at the moment is still in a different building, is going to be incorporated into the main library building, which probably also means that they will loose a lot of their books, scores and audio media, and the foreign-language section has to be shrunk to make room for it. As far as the librarian on duty told me, a lot of the English books are going to go to a library in Africa, which I totally approove of, but the rest are to be thrown away.
"No", says I. "No no. Nonono." Not if I have anything to say about it. Luckily, I know the librarian who is responsible for the foreign-language books, since I spent a few happy weeks on an internship at the then-seperate "Bridge of Nations" foreign language library during a time when I thought I might actually like to work as a librarian. I am more than sure she will remember me, we do meet and greet occasionally, and I will try and offer her a deal. I do not intend to let books be thrown away.
Books and Sheep
Sep. 23rd, 2005 10:05 pmSome kind soul keeps ordering new books of Science Fiction criticism for our University library. I have to try and find out who is it so I can thank them, since this means that I don't have to order them from a different library or buy them - while I'd love to buy them, they are quite expensive for my student budget. There are three new ones in again, all published this year. The downside is that they are usually designated as reference library books, short-term loan only. So I'll be reading lots over the weekend.
But tonight, I will be playing the new game I bought myself as a treat and reward for work done this week: a collection of games involving Sven Bomwollen, a black sheep, and his exploits in a herd of female sheep (designated PG 13). I have heard a lot about this, and it promises to be hilarious. Just what I need.
As an online friend of mine once commented, "The singular of sheep is shoop."
But tonight, I will be playing the new game I bought myself as a treat and reward for work done this week: a collection of games involving Sven Bomwollen, a black sheep, and his exploits in a herd of female sheep (designated PG 13). I have heard a lot about this, and it promises to be hilarious. Just what I need.
As an online friend of mine once commented, "The singular of sheep is shoop."
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