group read update

[ckaratnytsky at nypl.org]

     Yowza!  More than a dozen hardy souls told me of their fervent 
     desire to participate in an organized reading/discussion of _V._  What 
     this means, in case my usual ability to obfuscate relatively simple 
     ideas was working overtime, is that we will each individually and 
     simultaneously read _V._ and engage in subsequent illuminating and 
     insightful text-based cyber blah-blah.  OK? 

     I put out the call, once again, for an intrepid moderator to lead our 
     discussions.
     
     LOT64 asked:
     
     Ah, now that raises the question: what exactly does the moderator do?
     
     (S)he moderates: (S)he postulates, modulates, analyzes, synthesizes.  
     (S)he orchestrates the discussion, presides over the assembly, leads 
     the way through the inferno, brings light to darkness and makes order 
     out of chaos.  This begins with the magic phrase, "Today we will 
     consider Chapter One..."
     
     ...perhaps it involves raising questions for others to answer.
     
          That, too.
          
          Sorry.  Just having a bit of fun...
          
          U-um, I think what the moderator does is best left to whoever 
     decides to do the job.  The possibilities are varied:  One might plan 
     ambitious, formal discussions by suggesting various critical works for
     the group to read.  Or, one might simply pose a theory/query and 
     stand back to see what happens.  It all depends.  My main interest is 
     that the discussions have *something* -- anything -- resembling shape 
     and direction so that we can place the novel in its context -- 
     literary, historical, whatever.  That, and I'd like to make sure we 
     can chug along in our reading by adhering to *some* -- again, any -- 
     sort of schedule.  (A _V._ chat once every two weeks, maybe?  I don't 
     know.  Depends on how fast everybody reads.)  Someone else may have a  
     different idea of how this should work...  It's really up to the bus 
     driver.
     
     Save the bandwidth, she advised, write to C.H.R.I.S.

     
     ckaratnytsky at nypl.org