Hale ruined me for reading… but in a good way!
I used to read books like Harry Potter with ease. I didn’t pay attention to why I enjoyed them, or why they were like candy for my brain? But now, now what am I doing? I am reading them through the lenses that Hale helped create and the books have taken on a new dimension.
Now when I read:
Ron and Hermione came crashing down the stairs behind Harry, wands pointing, like his, at the unknown man now standing with arms raised in the hall below.
I read it in an entirely different light.
I can see the use of action words that help create A Sense of Sound: Crashing. Instead of Ron and Hermione followed Harry down the stairs, you can now hear the noise they are creating.
There is also a fantastic use of Commas with Ing Phrases. Rowling is able to give a clear description of Ron and Hermione in comparison to Harry, and as a group, by using commas.
The final part of the sentence “at the unknown man now standing with arms raised in the hall below” helps Show the scene because her description of the man “standing with his arms raised”.
And there is also the length to her sentence. Instead of making two medium length sentences she chooses to create one long sentence. Which, in my opinion, helps propel the listener forward, much like the characters, as they come “crashing down the stairs”.
Yes, Hale has ruined me for reading without seeing the intentional language that authors use. However, it excites me. She gave wonderful practical application skills and helped me to develop lenses for reading in a way that will help me teach my students. LOVE IT!
Oh man, I haven't tried reading anything but school books for the last week. Now I wonder if I'll start seeing things this was as well. I know this happened for me during film school. Once the professors started to point out the importance of continuity, I started seeing the continuity errors in every movie and tv show I watched. Funnily enough, just like your reaction with Hale, it both "ruined" and enhanced my viewing experiences. I'll let you know if I start having the same craft reading reaction!
ReplyDeleteThat is great that your reading has changed. It is like you are savoring the book rather than just consuming it. I think that this is the kind of reading that leads to enriched writing, and it would be amazing to be able to pass this skill on to students.
ReplyDeleteI have also been reading books in a completely different way since reading Hale's book. I have noticed I have become much more aware about the way an author is structuring their sentences and how certain events I'm reading about come alive. I love when I become aware/knowledgeable about things I have overlooked for years! I read all the time but I never stopped and considered why I love certain authors or types of writing and now I understand! It is awesome!!
ReplyDeleteI absolutely love how you related the concepts from our reading to Harry Potter. I'm a huge fan and I also enjoy the Twilight books. You are so right in your observations of why Harry Potter and other books are like candy for the brain. I love your comparison. In fact simile's rock according to Hale and according to me!
ReplyDeleteWhat a great example! I think Rowling's style of writing is part of what makes the Harry Potter books such great read-alouds. It's easy to put some performance into it when you're reading stuff like that.
ReplyDeleteI finished reading a book by China Mieville recently, and while the book was great and really stretched my imagination, some of the prose was really difficult. It was like he was trying too hard. Now I want to go back to see what specifics I can learn about what I DON'T like.
Yes, I am also forced to consider a deeper analysis of fictional writing, which includes becoming aware of what make a story rich as opposed to boring. I expect this will also impact my writing in terms of economy and quality of words, as well as overall production time. Less is not always more, huh?
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