Post by twigz on Oct 19, 2021 7:50:31 GMT -5
Hi kiddys, I wrote an essay for my French class about the importance of reading and referenced 667 heavily. Here is the (roughly) translated English version. Note: I am a French LEARNER, so the sophistication of the language (even translated) is not very good.
sorry in advance for formatting i simply do not care
The merit of literature is exemplified by the moral and emotional learning of the collective human experience through different contexts, themes, and perspectives. This can be seen in Gaël Faye’s Petit Pays, through the eyes of the protagonist Gabriel aka Gaby.
isolated from a normal childhood, the central character seeks refuge in the pages of books he borrows from his neighbour. Gaby is at a disadvantage where his reading consists of two people, himself and Mme. This was useful during periods of confinement during conflict, but in regular life this also isolated him from friends his own age. “Les copains m‘envoyaient balader”
thanks to the advancement of technology, finding a like-minded community is easier than ever. Personally, i utilise the literary forum, 667 Dark Avenue. Whilst it originally started as a specialised group commenting on the works of a single author, it has since expanded to a multi fandom website. An example of this is the "What are you reading?” thread, which began in 2004 and has over 147 different pages and thousands of responses for individuals to recommend books to one another. A stranger being accepted with open arms, Mme allowed Gaby into her world, and this sense of unity I feel also with 667 dark avenue. Whilst my reading is not as direct as a book per day alike gabby “Tu l'as déjà terminé?”, I interact on the forum daily and do feel at home with these strangers. Perhaps my forum is a more globalised example, but even starting a small book club and extending his circle of readers would have allowed Gaby to feel closer to his peers.
a piece of history on this forum is that gaby is only a few years younger than the creator of the website, who was thirteen years old when it started in 2002(). i think this says a lot about the power of children, and how influential literature can be to one’s upbringing. without the emotional learning of fiction books, education is often seen as rigid and boring(“vous avez lu tous ces livres?"). by providing moral fables within adventurous or fun stories, children can learn moral lessons in an enjoyable way, without even realising they are learning. this cements the theme of the importance of literature, and how transformative it can be to people’s lives.
an interesting comparison is one of the forums partners, la pente glissante. this is the french version of the forum, with the same concept, but an almost defunct website due to a lack of community. all of the foundations and opportunity is there, but without the users contributing, asking questions and enriching the knowledge of one another, the books are not appreciated as much. this makes me question how gaby would perceive his borrowed books without the dialogue with his neighbour. would his emotional value be lessened? would he enjoy it more if he didn’t have to analyse and give feedback?
lisa papandrea studied this extensively for her 2016 thesis at Rowan University. her topic was on the perception of “READING IS BORING” within first-grade students. after her three-week study a d motivational program, she found even the most reluctant of readers had discovered a newfound excitement. interestingly enough, this was magnified by the community, where students would recommend and trade books with one another, engaging with each other emotionally and intellectually. this reinforces my own personal experience with sharing literature, and attests to why gaby would talk to mme for hours, instead of borrowing his books in silence.
the author’s own perspective is projected onto the page through the protagonist gaby. this occurs through his ennoblement of literature, and uses gaby as a mouth to speak as to why the author himself loves to read. this too connects the author to the reader, who must enjoy reading, as they are doing simultaneously as faye describes it.“Mes droughts couraient sur les rayonnages, caressaient les couvertures, leur texture si différente les unes des autres” this very meta link between the author-protagonist-reader is subtle, but reinforces the merit of literature, whilst making this book extremely enjoyable to study.
i connect with the protagonist gabriel through our common merit of the power of literature, him through his book borrowing from his neighbour, and myself through literary forums. this relates to the wider world through the shared understanding of the human experience through reading.
isolated from a normal childhood, the central character seeks refuge in the pages of books he borrows from his neighbour. Gaby is at a disadvantage where his reading consists of two people, himself and Mme. This was useful during periods of confinement during conflict, but in regular life this also isolated him from friends his own age. “Les copains m‘envoyaient balader”
thanks to the advancement of technology, finding a like-minded community is easier than ever. Personally, i utilise the literary forum, 667 Dark Avenue. Whilst it originally started as a specialised group commenting on the works of a single author, it has since expanded to a multi fandom website. An example of this is the "What are you reading?” thread, which began in 2004 and has over 147 different pages and thousands of responses for individuals to recommend books to one another. A stranger being accepted with open arms, Mme allowed Gaby into her world, and this sense of unity I feel also with 667 dark avenue. Whilst my reading is not as direct as a book per day alike gabby “Tu l'as déjà terminé?”, I interact on the forum daily and do feel at home with these strangers. Perhaps my forum is a more globalised example, but even starting a small book club and extending his circle of readers would have allowed Gaby to feel closer to his peers.
a piece of history on this forum is that gaby is only a few years younger than the creator of the website, who was thirteen years old when it started in 2002(). i think this says a lot about the power of children, and how influential literature can be to one’s upbringing. without the emotional learning of fiction books, education is often seen as rigid and boring(“vous avez lu tous ces livres?"). by providing moral fables within adventurous or fun stories, children can learn moral lessons in an enjoyable way, without even realising they are learning. this cements the theme of the importance of literature, and how transformative it can be to people’s lives.
an interesting comparison is one of the forums partners, la pente glissante. this is the french version of the forum, with the same concept, but an almost defunct website due to a lack of community. all of the foundations and opportunity is there, but without the users contributing, asking questions and enriching the knowledge of one another, the books are not appreciated as much. this makes me question how gaby would perceive his borrowed books without the dialogue with his neighbour. would his emotional value be lessened? would he enjoy it more if he didn’t have to analyse and give feedback?
lisa papandrea studied this extensively for her 2016 thesis at Rowan University. her topic was on the perception of “READING IS BORING” within first-grade students. after her three-week study a d motivational program, she found even the most reluctant of readers had discovered a newfound excitement. interestingly enough, this was magnified by the community, where students would recommend and trade books with one another, engaging with each other emotionally and intellectually. this reinforces my own personal experience with sharing literature, and attests to why gaby would talk to mme for hours, instead of borrowing his books in silence.
the author’s own perspective is projected onto the page through the protagonist gaby. this occurs through his ennoblement of literature, and uses gaby as a mouth to speak as to why the author himself loves to read. this too connects the author to the reader, who must enjoy reading, as they are doing simultaneously as faye describes it.“Mes droughts couraient sur les rayonnages, caressaient les couvertures, leur texture si différente les unes des autres” this very meta link between the author-protagonist-reader is subtle, but reinforces the merit of literature, whilst making this book extremely enjoyable to study.
i connect with the protagonist gabriel through our common merit of the power of literature, him through his book borrowing from his neighbour, and myself through literary forums. this relates to the wider world through the shared understanding of the human experience through reading.
Références Citées:
Falcon, Sapphire. 2004. “What Are You Reading?” 667 Dark Avenue. October 21, 2004. asoue.proboards.com/thread/22613/reading.
FayeGaël. 2016. Petit Pays. Paris: Grasset.
“La Pente Glissante Forum Sur Les Livres de Snicket.” n.d. Lapenteglissante.forumactif.com. Accessed October 19, 2021. lapenteglissante.forumactif.com/.
Papandrea, Lisa M. 2016. “‘Reading Is Boring’: A Qualitative Study on Motivating First Grade Students through Reading Workshop.” Academic, Rowan University.
Rhaldeen, Linda. 2012. “Timeline | 667 Dark Avenue: Answering the Wrong Questions.” 667 Dark Avenue. July 20, 2012. asoue.proboards.com/thread/30945.
Falcon, Sapphire. 2004. “What Are You Reading?” 667 Dark Avenue. October 21, 2004. asoue.proboards.com/thread/22613/reading.
FayeGaël. 2016. Petit Pays. Paris: Grasset.
“La Pente Glissante Forum Sur Les Livres de Snicket.” n.d. Lapenteglissante.forumactif.com. Accessed October 19, 2021. lapenteglissante.forumactif.com/.
Papandrea, Lisa M. 2016. “‘Reading Is Boring’: A Qualitative Study on Motivating First Grade Students through Reading Workshop.” Academic, Rowan University.
Rhaldeen, Linda. 2012. “Timeline | 667 Dark Avenue: Answering the Wrong Questions.” 667 Dark Avenue. July 20, 2012. asoue.proboards.com/thread/30945.