[Dominus]

Scenario: You're sitting by yourself in a nice quiet corner of a coffeeshop, sipping coffee and reading a good book. People around you are reading the newspaper or a sports magazine or talking quietly. You are reading a very funny passage or a very adrupt and clever statement, and a you chuckle quietly to yourself, or let out a small laugh. And then, everyone who hears you glances up at you curiously, wondering how anyone could find anything funny in a book.

Thats just a general, hypothetical scenario, but has this happened to anyone else? Anytime I do it at school, or where other people are, they always stare at me and ask me "Whats so funny, it's a book." Like that makes it impossible to be humorous. I think that people who read just don't get it that books, can be just as entertaining as movies and other media. Any thoughts?

[kater]

Take a water pistol with you and shoot anyone who stares :D :D (j/k)

[Eldanuumea]

I was in my English classroom years ago reading "The Scarlet Ibis" so I could teach it the next day. For those of you who have no idea what the story is about, let's just say the ending is unbelievably heart-rending. I got to the last couple of paragraphs, where Hurst just literally tears the reader's heart out with what has happened, and I cried quite loudly, "No!" with tears in my eyes. My students were dumbfounded that words on a page could evoke such a response.
The next day, many entered the classroom with a remark about how now they understood.........;)

Another year, I was reading aloud the chapter of The Grapes of Wrath in which the destruction of the fruit crop is done because of dropping prices......the one in which the title of the book is used at the end. I began sobbing as I closed the chapter and had to stop a few minutes before I could continue teaching. The class was strangely silent, watching what the book had wrought in me, some in puzzlement and a few in awe at its power.

Moments like those keep me teaching literature.

[kater]

*Teachers - The government needs you* :D :D

[Beldaran]

It has happened many times to me. Every time I sit on the school bus and read a book and laugh for my self, everyone stares at me like I were crazy. :rolleyes:

[Daenerys]

Eldanuumea, great motivation for me to try and get back to teaching again. I only taught English for a year, but I still miss it.

I am often moved by books. Maybe not to tears, or to out loud laughter (too distracting, I want to keep on reading) but I do smile while reading or feel tears well up and sometimes I even look puzzled or angry. That last bit is just before I throw it down and mutter about how utter crap the writer is.

Like yesterdaym when i got my hand son a translation of Othello. Imagine: translated into Dutch! Argh!It was the worst page I had ever read. I was so annoyed at how he had used Dutch to imitate English... it was not a realy translation even. And even if it was: you do NOT translated Shakespeare! Especially not in Dutch! And most certainly not Othello!

(One exception, there is a good translation of Romeo and Juliet in Dutch. But that was translated by the best dutch poet still living today)

Emotions and reading go hand in hand, anyway. I use my response to a book to sell books to people. That is what most readers are looking for anyway.

[fortytwo]

Quote
"Like yesterdaym when i got my hand son a translation of Othello. Imagine: translated into Dutch! Argh!It was the worst page I had ever read. I was so annoyed at how he had used Dutch to imitate English... it was not a realy translation even. And even if it was: you do NOT translated Shakespeare! Especially not in Dutch! And most certainly not Othello!

(One exception, there is a good translation of Romeo and Juliet in Dutch. But that was translated by the best dutch poet still living today) "


Shakespeare is best read in it's original language- Klingon :)

42
( I hope I'm not the only one who saw that Star Trek film)

[kater]

Don't worry 42, my father has made sure I've seen all the star trek films at last five times each, I remember the quote :D ...sadly :rolleyes:

[I, Brian]

Often happens to me, without reading a book!

[Daenerys]

Originally posted by fortytwo
Shakespeare is best read in it's original language- Klingon :)

42
( I hope I'm not the only one who saw that Star Trek film)

I know... that is why I have the Klingon version of Hamlet :D

But back on topic... sort of. I can read anywhere: at home, on the bus, during lunch in the crowded and noise lunch hall. But yesterday I saw something that amazed even myself: someone reading while walking!

I don't think I can do that. I'd walk into anything in my path... or out of my path for that matter. I'd get lost! Can anyone tell me the secret of reading while you walk?