Oral Traditions

Sometimes when reading texts for this class, I wish I were always at home, for I feel the need to read them aloud in order to fully absorb the full tone of a section.  This is especially true for when we read Shakespeare.  However, other works I have read that require an out loud reading include Descartes, Sir Francis Bacon, The Illiad, and 1,001 Nights.  Strangely enough, I do not feel the need to read aloud when indulging in Twilight or Fifty Shades of Grey.  The lack of poetry and depth in some of today's bestsellers is heartbreaking, and yet I can get immersed in a good trashy romance novel.

The idea of reading aloud is not brand new in this world.  Oral traditions came far earlier than the written word, and in some opinions, is far superior.  According to Nicholas Carr in his book The Shallows, about how the Internet has diluted our manner of learning:

"Even as the technology of the book sped ahead, the legacy of the oral world continued to shape the way words on pages were written and read.  Silent reading was largely unknown in the ancient world.  The new codices, like the tablets and scrolls that preceded them, were almost always read aloud, whether the reader was in a group or alone... It's hard for us to imagine today, but no spaces separated words in early writing.  The lack of word separation reflected language's origins in speech.  When we talk, we don't insert pauses between each word -- long stretches of syllables flow unbroken from our lips."

After reading The Shallows I felt much more comfortable with my desire to read The Arabian Nights aloud.  I feel connected to a tradition that helped bring about the written word, and which has not diminished in significance throughout the centuries.  With the nature of The Arabian Nights being stories being told within stories, the oral quality (snigger) holds fast.

The choice to sit down and immerse oneself into a story such as the The Arabian Nights should not be taken lightly, especially if you have the inclination like me to let everyone around you hear what you are reading.  I have to be in the right mood, and the right environment.  But when the mood hits, I will continue to read aloud with pride.