Literature and the Love of Life

presented by Dr Kelp

2006-04-29

A Woolf Thought

I loved the following quote by Virginia Woolf in her Common Reader Volume 2
about how a book is read through the generations:

"We like to summon before us the ghosts of those old readers who
have read their Arcadia from this very copy - Richard Porter,
reading with the splendours of the Elizabethan's in his eyes; Lucy
baxter, reading in the licentious days of the Restoration; Thos.
Hake, still reading, though now the eighteenth century has dawned
with a distinction that shows itself in the upright elegance of his
signature. Each has read differently, with the insight and the
blindness of his own generation. Our reading will be equally
partial. In 1930 we shall miss a great deal that was obvious to
1655; we shall see some things that the eighteenth century ignored.
But let us keep up the long succession of readers; let us in our
turn bring the insight and the blindness of our own generation to
bear upon the 'Countess of Pembroke's Arcadia', and so pass it on to
our successors".

I particularly liked the sentence, "Each has read differently, with
the insight and the blindness of his own generation". This is
something that is worth thinking about. I often think when reading
older works that I understand perfectly what is written. This is a
delusion as we often miss the nuances of a past age.

Cheers

drkelp

2006-04-28

So long...

Can't believe that I have posted nothing since the 16th March. It has been a busy month for work and travelling.  Life goes on and literature continues to burgeon. I' m still on a Virginia Woolf reading jag, she is a fantastic writer.

I'm writing this as I surf on a tabbed browser. I'm still getting great results from Traffic Pods, TS25 and Web Biz Solutions. You can join up these programs from my webpage http://www.angelfire.com/md/haematology/electrum.html

I don't know about you but I find web surfing traffic exchanges to be therapeutic... Maybe I'm a little crazy

Until next time take care

drkelp

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