The Friday 56 is hosted at Freda's Voice. Find a quote from page 56.
Check out the links for the rules and for the posts of the participants each week. Participants don't select their favorite, coolest, or most intellectual books, they just use the one they are currently reading. This is the book I'm reading right now---
Title: The Art of X-Ray Reading: How the Secrets of 25 Great Works of Literature Will Improve Your Writing by Roy Peter ClarkBook Beginnings: Introduction: Where do writers learn their best moves? They learn them from a technique I call X-ray reading. They read for information or vicarious experience or pleasure, as we all do. But in their reading, they see something more. It's as if they had a third eye or a pair of X-ray glasses like the ones advertised years ago in comic books.
Friday 56: X-raying James Joyce: Let's look closely at that first sentence, in which Buck Mullignan carries the holy objects of shaving: a bowl of lather on which a mirror and a razor lay crossed. If Buck is the priest, that bowl of lather substitutes for the chalice that will hold the blood of Christ. How appropriate that the mirror and the razor lay "crossed," as every Mass takes place before a crucifix and is considered a reenactment---not a symbolic imitation---of the saving suffering of Christ.
Comment: I bumped into this book at the public library and I picked it up in hopes of gleaning a few tips I could share with my teachers. But secretly I just want to learn all the tips I never learned myself due to the lack of lit classes in college. I am having such fun with it even if I haven't read all 25 of the books highlighted within its pages.
I love browsing through the library. Ya never know what might peak your interest.
ReplyDeletesherry @ fundinmental Friday Memes
I rarely browse the library like I do bookstores but this one was in the new book section I passed on my way in.
DeleteI haven't heard of this one before, but it looks pretty interesting and seems like it has a lot of great advice about writing. Thanks for sharing. :-)
ReplyDeleteThis sounds interesting. I don't want to be a writer; I'm perfectly content to be a consumer of other people's writing. This week I am spotlighting Marked in Flesh by Anne Bishop. Happy reading!
ReplyDeleteThis sound really good. I'd love to be an author, but the ideas in my brain don't seem to translate well when I put them to paper. So, being a reviewer and blogger is good enough for me! :-) I'd love for you and your readers to check out mine... http://tinyurl.com/LisaKsBookReviewsSBkd
ReplyDeleteI don't think I have what it takes to be a writer, either, but I like the idea of finding these treasures when I read literature.
DeleteSounds great, if you are interested in writing! Happy weekend!
ReplyDeleteI love the idea of a third eye...and X-ray reading. Thanks for sharing...and for visiting my blog.
ReplyDeleteI showed this book to one of the English teacher's who has a Great Gatsby unit right now and she screamed and grabbed the book from me and made copies of that section of the book right then. She had just told her class how much she dislikes the book. I hope she reads it and changes her mind.
DeleteSounds like a fascinating and informative book. I'm featuring a book on writing today, too -- THE LIE THAT TELLS A TRUTH.
ReplyDeleteHi Anne,
ReplyDeleteI wish that I could put pen to paper and write something worthy of publication, but even with the help of this insightful sounding book, I very much doubt that is ever going to happen.
It would perhaps be a useful tool in formulating my ideas for a review, into something cohesive and worthwhile, rather than the series of rather haphazard sentences I seem to string together now!
I also like the idea of X-ray reading, although all those authors out there who don't put too much thought into their writing, had better watch out then :)
Thanks for sharing and enjoy your weekend.
Yvonne
Yes, I hope it helps me be a better discussion leader in book club, or just so I can pick out techniques when I read classic books so I understand them better.
DeleteThis sounds interesting and helpful. I hope you enjoy reading it.
ReplyDeleteI don't think this one is for me - I have some books picked out on the art of writing that I want to give a try but this seems a bit dry to me. Thanks for visiting my Friday meme
ReplyDeleteI wish I could be a great writer or even good. I envy those with the calling and the wit to do so. Hopefully you get to read the books you haven't from the 25 in this book. Have fun reading (:
ReplyDeleteThey do say that to become a better writer, you need to read. Hope you enjoy!
ReplyDeleteSounds really interesting! That's a good find! Thanks for visiting my Friday post! Happy reading!
ReplyDeleteThis book does sound really interesting. Glad to see you are enjoying this one. Great post, you got my interest peaked for sure.
ReplyDelete