Saturday, July 10, 2010
Blog entry 7: Freestyle
During this course I have read several short stories from the text book. I find it very challenging at times to understand the author's meaning. Are you having the same challenges? I often read portions over to try and find a key word, phrase or point. I have found that when I read the questions at the end of the story it helps me to track down information that helps find the authors meaning. I think literature in general, short stories, plays and poems require more abstract thinking to get the moral or the just of the story. I tend to be a more logical thinker. I have found that if I really concentrate and look for clues I have more success understanding a story the first time through. Sometimes I think the author is vague and allows you to interpret the story however you like?
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Hi, Kevin. Yes, I think literature requires a different kind of reading than reading for information. Scholars who study reading have termed the difference "efferent" (artistic reading) and "transactional" (informational reading). Essentially, literature gives you an experience and informational reading represents a transaction of information. I prefer lierature to reading for information, which I do very slowly. I am wondering what strategies might help readers who prefer informational reading? What should I tell this kind of reader to do in order to get into the experience of the story? Nancy
ReplyDeleteNancy,
ReplyDeleteVery good comment. I have chosen this topic for my blog party and I look forward to investigating this more. The information you have provided will give me a good starting point. Kevin