History of the Reading by Alberto Manguel - Book Report/Review Example

Alberto Manguel’s “Being Read To” in “A History of the Reading” Alberto Manguel’s “History of the Reading” is an interesting historical writing thatcombines a rich collection of learned knowledge and pleasure rather than mere reading. This informative reading takes on a different approach than to book organization, adopting what I may call a digressive route which does not have a conventional beginning to proceed logically as some would expect of a ‘historical’ writing (Manguel; Bell). Rather, Manguel’s writing tackles each of its chapters in a freestanding approach that picks on topics in the “History of reading” thereby bringing on a new approach to how reading approaches have conventionally been taught overtime, and peoples approach to reading both in private and public sphere, and what has been popularly referred to as reading as a metaphor, offering a relation what is conventionally being heard to that information which is read over time. (Page) According to Manguel, he takes on the approach that there is no universal governing law operating in this situation, though there seems to be a outstanding concept that repeats itself in a variety of forms. To this far, this writing as advanced by Manguel calls for what can be strongly referred to as privilege of the reader. The reader’s thoughts can therefore contribute in changing the book into more like a message that makes sense for his choice of writing on the historical platform in relation to the text of by an extension its author. (Manguel) Therefore through a multiplicity of effects and stylistic features, readers are then in a position to recompose a new thought, varied interpretation and illumination of the entire book in ways quite similar to the original words and meanings as put forward by Manguel, though this time, the audience is able to engage a new heading, re-constructing it as it occurred in the hope of bringing Manguel’s ideas to life. It has been suggested that this ability of the reader to look right into the thoughts of Manguel and redefine a new heading for the book can provide justifiable explanation regarding the ability of the Biblical writing and to an extension the classics to communicate effectively to successive generations, but also seek to deeply expose the personal liking of any favorite writing: and for this it support the notion of what ought to be said, or rather what people wish to say. The author’s refined, clear and straightforward tone looks back into what an ally enthusiastic concerning sharing his rich knowledge and zeal. It can thus be argued generally at this introductory stage that Manguel’s “A History of Reading” as seen in Alberto’s own eyes is digressive, unexpected, surprising, and cunning and above all pleasurably not just for the purpose of information but also in the aspect of reading, according to Page. Again, “A History of Reading” is indeed a history of reading in its own standing, a study of “Being read to,” moving forward to reading aloud, and to the aspect of silent reading, and of the love of books, and finally to the relation between the author and the audience- illustrating how we read, where people concentrate on reading, when we schedule our reading and to a considerable extent the reasons behind why we read. More importantly, the readers are engaged in reading a literary composition that is supposed to make the readers reflect upon the usage of words, and a page that is printed, and finally to the solitude reading that people tend to value-one that allows us as readers to get ourselves into each person’s thoughts, completely, without any obstruction experienced along the way nor distortions and filtrations. For a large percentage of us and other readers, Alberto Manguel’s book and especially his interesting chapter on “Being Read to” provide a unique escape. He places us in solitude in the comfort of our rooms, yet at the same time, we are in touch with the happenings of the outside environment. Yet, in every essence, as we read through this material, we are constantly thinking on what might really exist outside in the natural environment, having a fantastic and hyped moment in a noisy background, yet there we are in the quietness of our rooms, all alone, perhaps to get the insights of “A History of a Reading.” In every aspect, the chapter of “Being Read To” starts off as a narrative force. Other chapters including Whiteman’s poems, and the associated readings and his envy for words, and for sailors and bus-boys, into one overwhelming unit as whole. In more elaborate analysis, Alberto Manguel moves from the Whiteman’s to lunch, providing us with books and meals, food for thought, writers cooking up a story, rehashing a text, having half-baked ideas for a plot, spicing up scene or garnishing the bare-bones argument, therefore the discussion moves in an elaborate manner in putting the reader right into the context of understanding a History of a reading. (Manguel) Quite practically, Manguel gets down to his writing style, and brings out something that by far interests an average reader, for instance, when Manguel describes his lonely childhood, or his narration of his story of the cigar-wrappers of Florida, who went to the extent of paying readers to pay readers for them to read an entire writing to cheer up their days, we get to see his clear passion for the choice of word and writings, that is free of all the chilliness of the verbiage and drop of name. There are also even periods of high art during when Manguel describes the starting point of the greatest gravestone to Western literary and religious art; this is what can be described as the process in making of King James Version of the bible. Again, “A History of Reading” puts a very clear reminder as to the reasons why readers cherish the art of reading, despite the various distractions that occur throughout the eras, from the periods of inquisition to the snares of cyberspace. He demonstrates very practically what takes place when we read; and who we become; and the impacts of reading in teaching us how people can live. As people live in books, they find their own stories in books and by an extension the pathway of people’s lives. Similarly, it is important to note how our reading habits have expanded with the passage of time and the virtue that reading in it part of a whole human being. According to Manguel, he displays again in the Chapter “Being Read To”, he points out that a book in no resemblance to a leaf, can be read over again as a source of relieve, this reading can be done both in public and public sphere. He also explores the functions of the lector within the 19th Century Cuba, when tobacco employees paid some of their members to loudly read for them political pacts, histories, novels and even poems when they made themselves busy with the process of rolling cigar. (Bell) Moving from the mysteries of cuneiform right through the use of visual language as used during an Absoluet Vodka advert, thus in this analysis, it can be argued that the chapter views Manguel’s work can be viewed from our earliest written form of languages towards a chronological pathway to the modern age of information. (Manguel) He moves slowly behind the literary writing in giving us a perspective into medieval women of Japanese and their culture of reading in their chambers taking us back to the bookstores, and literary cafes during his youth in Buenos Aires. Therefore it can be concluded with “A History of Reading” is very simple, a bible For bibliographies, the kind of people who would question if one would be interested in reading. Equally, Manguel related his reading to adultery, touching the joy of letters, talking of imaginary thefts, the holy biblical books, even in imagery books; it is indeed one of the interesting essays about one of the favorite writers of all time. Works cited Bell, J.S. "Narrative Inquiry: more than just telling stories." TESOL Quarterly 36 (2002): 207 213.Print Manguel, Alberto. A History of Reading. Toronto: Random House Canada, 1996.Print Page, R. New Perspectives on Narrative and Multimodality. London: Routledge, 2010.Print Read More