I wish I could have had a love-hate relationship with annotating, but I have only experienced the latter half of the phrase. Since elementary school, english teachers would encourage my classmates and I to ladle post-it notes over the pages of our texts, but it was never something I enjoyed. When I had to annotate while reading I felt like I was talking during a movie - each pause to note the symbolism, imagery, or vocabulary dragged me further and further from the world I was trying to lose myself in. Since then, I have adopted the method of reading the assigned section first and going back to annotate after. The actual annotation involves using post-it notes every couple of pages to identity key ideas, repeating symbols, and provocative moments of dialogue. I make sure to keep the post-it notes on the page of the writing that I am analyzing. That way, I can easily go back to find textual evidence if I am writing an analysis of any sort. By using the described method, I can enjoy the story's story and then later explore its teachings. That is the kind of annotation I hope to practice during this class; after all, in a World Literature course, aiming for the best of both worlds is probably not a bad idea.
Hi Heather! This is a cool way to annotate. I totally get how sometimes annotating can pull you out of the world of the story. I find that writing quick notes in the actual book as I am reading doesn't take me out of that immersion as much, but I definitely agree that pausing to write and add a sticky note can be a bit bothersome. I hope the method you talked about works well for you this quarter! :)
ReplyDeleteHeather, thanks for sharing your annotation style with us! I agree with the first half of your statement: the rigid annotation rules given to be my previous teachers made me dislike annotations because I felt like it disrupted my reading mid-story. I think I might try out your annotation style of going back and annotating after finishing a reading. That seems like a good way to avoid the "talking mid-movie" feeling and it would also help me be able to make annotations connecting to broader themes of the whole book!
ReplyDeleteI really respect your dedication to annotation without the sacrifice of losing yourself in the book. Annotation is an incredible to find meaning in a book, but if you aren't reading for value, instead for pleasure, then annotation hinders that. A lot of annotation is finding what works for you, and if your goal in reading a certain book and annotation are mutually exclusive, then don't sacrifice the pleasure of losing yourself in the book.
ReplyDeleteI totally appreciate your desire to have it both ways. I hope it works out! (I always pause the movie to talk about it--if I don't pause, I'll forget what I was thinking and lose out on the chance for a good discussion, but I hate missing any of the words or scenes...)
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