When I imagined finishing my last graduate course, I envisioned many hours of bubble gum reading. I'd indulge in every genre imaginable. I talked a bit about my intended reading lists here and here. As I look at those old posts, I'm happy to see that at least a few of them have been read.
I still intend to make my way through those lists before the year's end. Those and several more. After all, I set myself a ridiculous reading goal this year: 100 books. Right now, I've read a whopping 34 titles. That only leaves...66 to go before December 31. With approximately 15 weeks to go, that means I'll need to read four and a half books a week.
Um. Yikes.
That's a lot of books and not a lot of time. Now, I'm not saying it's impossible because I could absolutely select books that are easily consumed in a day or two. Skinny books with low page counts come immediately to mind. Also, some genres read easier than others.
Reading theory for fun, though, is seriously slowing me down. Right now, I've got three books at various stages of progress.
Foucault I started just last week. I'm reading this one with a friend (you know who you are!). Our goal is to read two chapters a week and discuss them on one of our afternoon walks. This is a good thing because I'm going to need someone else to bounce ideas off as this is not nearly as accessible as I first thought it would be. Although, as I near the end of chapter two, I feel he is beginning to speak a language I can once again understand. The abstract is becoming more concrete.
I've read about half of LeGuin's book. It's not theory on the same level as Foucault or Gubar & Gilbert, but it's defintely not easy reading, either. Well, some of the essays are actually quite accessible and even entertaining. In all honesty, this book will be the easiest of the three to finish. I just need to figure out where I left it...it's somewhere in the house. I'm sure of it.
Gilbert and Gubar's book uses theory but reads like literary analysis. It's interesting, but can be somewhat challenging when the discussion shifts to novels I've not read. Knowing the story and the characters the two have put under the microscope helps. Let's just say I'll never look at Frankenstein or Wuthering Heights the same way. Also, I now feel the very real need to sit down and read Milton's Paradise Lost.
On a more entertaining note, I'm also reading this...
It's perhaps one of the strangest pieces of fiction I've read in a very long time. I'm only page 74, so I'm not sure I should even try at this point to give any kind of an overview. Let's just say, I have a feeling the weirdness is only beginning.
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