Narrow Reading Is Valuable

I have been thinking about how valuable narrow reading is--whether it is reading the same book numerous times, reading a number of books by the same author, and/or reading a number of books about the same topic.

I recently reread Middlemarch by George Eliot.  Then we watched the DVD--all 7 hours of it!  Then yesterday I finished reading the Middlemarch Cliff Notes.  Every experience with this book gave me new insights that I would have missed if I had just said, "I read that book once.  I have also been reading a number of books by George Eliot even those I read quite some time ago.  Even though I knew some of the stories revisiting them enriched me. 

Using Classics to Teach Character

Gwendolen at the roulette table"

Last night we watched another movie based on a book by George Eliot--Daniel Deronda.  I am also reading the book.  As I watched the movie and as I am reading the book I am reminded that classics are classics for a reason.  Even though classics may not be the books that turn our Esperanza scholars onto reading--and obviously we wouldn't use this particular book for children-- it still behooves us to find ways to introduce our scholars to children classics.  They teach so much about character, values, and attributes through a story. 

Lessons From Adam Bede

Last night we watched this movie version (library DVD) of the book Adam Bede by George Eliot.  I also checked out the book so I can also read the story.  Although this story is not one that we will introduce to elementary Esperanza scholars it is a reminder that even though it may be hard to get young people hooked into classics it's still important to expose our scholars to them.  They teach principles that are timeless.

Watching this story also reminded of the importance of narrow reading--reading a number of books by the same author and/or reading a number of books on the same topic.  I so enjoyed this story I want to read (and in some cases, reread) more of the books by George Eliot. 

The reason we watched this movie was because the book was mentioned a number of times in the biography of Van Gogh that I have been reading.  This is something else that reading does--it leads to more reading as interest is piqued in a certain topic.