group read update

[Byrnes Weir]

At 11:30 AM 5/18/96 -0400, you wrote:
>     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
>
>
>
        As a former lecturer on modern lit., in Canada, who is no great fan
of Pynchon's, and who is aware of what he must be missing, I would like to
read along. I read it when it came out. Not since. I'll have to buy a copy.
Gave a few away. I cannot moderate but am ready when you are to start and
contribute a least a few questions. 


                                        All the best,


                                        Byrnes Weir
>



                                    


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