Shakespeare--a new must
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- FeManJay
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Shakespeare--a new must
There is something called the N400 which describes the 400 nanosecond response to something that your brain believes does not make sense. There is also something called the N600 which describes the 600 nanosecond response to something that your brain recognizes as something that does not make grammatical sense but still makes sense in its meaning. Usually your brain has the N400 response or the N400 in tandem with the N600. However, whilst conducting this study, they found that some phrases Shakespeare uses only inspire the N600 response. This is a rare phenomenon that has been proven to open new path ways in the brain and cause you to increase your ability to learn new things as well as your level of intelligence. In conclusion? Read more Shakespeare and become more smarter.
So while this wasn't really a review for a book, I do think it qualifies for this section because I urge everyone to go pick up a copy of your favorite Shakespearean work, or even a brand new one. Because there is no easier way to increase your intelligence than by reading a tragedy/history/comedy/romance.
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- DATo
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This is sort of what I undergo whenever I read Shakespeare after not having read him for some time. His prose seems alien and indecipherable at first. As I continue to read I begin to slowly acclimate to his mode of writing and soon find myself perfectly at ease with it. I think many people who are new to Shakespeare are unwilling to take the time or make the effort to acclimate to his style of writing and give up too soon. I do tend to read annotated versions to help me with words like fardels (Without an annotated version I would have no idea what a fardel is for instance, nor would I be able to distinguish one from an ape if my life depended on it).
― Steven Wright
- Maud Fitch
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Enjoyed your descriptive analogy. Not hard for me to conjure because the coastal regions of south east Queensland are full of scantily clad individuals. However, I believe Shakespeare wrote his works to be performed and perhaps the best way to understand his prose is to see a theatre performance. It gives the characters flesh and blood and breathes life into those immortal words.DATo wrote:.....At first one must make the mental shift of accepting the presence of people who are scantily dressed. We are conditioned to seeing people mostly clothed in our day to day affairs and the thought of walking into a mall, the workplace, or church dressed for the beach is enough to make one shudder. But once you have acclimated yourself to the beach or pool you very quickly feel that this mode of dress is normal and totally acceptable to you.....
- EM29
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EM
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Maude,EM29 wrote:Wow, thanks for that information. I have read quite a bit of Shakespeare's work. This has encouraged me to read more Shakespeare and perhaps revisit some of my favorite works. Thanks.
EM
Apparently I missed your reply when it was first posted. I agree that actually seeing a play can be a good introduction to Shakespeare. It is much easier to understand the meaning of the script when it is being performed. Voice inflections and body language can add tremendously to the meaning of the words being spoken.
EM29,
I'm not sure if your comment was in response to my post or to all of the people who have posted to this topic. If it was to mine you are most welcome. I strongly encourage you not to give up on Shakespeare. Anything of true value is worth working for and Shakespeare's plays are certainly worth the effort. As mentioned in my earlier post, once you get used to his writing you will find it much easier to understand. And don't feel bad about using things like Cliff's Notes or other explanatory guides to aid you with your reading.
― Steven Wright
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Of course, his language takes some getting used to. My daughter (14 yrs old) asked me a few days ago if I understood Shakespeare, and so we talked about his language--how you have to adjust your reading expectations, read more slowly, expect to have to work at it. I showed her some examples of how the order of his words and phrases is sometimes different from what we would expect as English speakers today, and how it helps to read to the punctuation rather than the line breaks. No one ever told me any of those things when we read Shakespeare in high school. I think that if we students had been better prepared to encounter the language of the play, I might have been more successful and might not have been scared off for decades! Luckily, I have conquered my fear, and I really enjoy Shakespeare now.
Great discussion--thanks!