In Bed with the Word by Daniel Coleman. The University of Alberta Press; Canada, 2009. (142 pages). Reviewed by Donald R. Officer.
In a very compelling way, In Bed with the Word is of itself a meditation on reading. The Word, writ large in both a religious and metatextual sense, simultaneously stands for an immeasurable realm of knowing and an emptied out focus of contemplation. Even more than Chris Hedges’ Empire of Illusion (to whom Daniel Coleman alluded during his presentation), In Bed with the Word regards the essence and future of literacy in a multimedia world.
The origins of literacy and understanding are a recurring theme of this edition of the Festival. I was fascinated to hear from Alison Gopnick author of The Philosophical Baby how babies only slowly develop a complex sense of personal identity and how that is entwined with their construction of time. While a sense of personal time is obviously not dependent upon literacy, the child’s involvement with the book shapes the growth of his or her sense of what time and therefore self will become. Daniel Coleman believes reading at its best confirms what we know in our hearts. I believe this too at some important level especially as it applies to universal insights, but text based confirmation also makes me suspicious about how books manufacture self-fulfilling notions and that also belongs in the conversation that books inspire.
The book has many levels of being. My grandson at 17 months is in love with his picture books and the recital of their attendant stories. They mean so much to him. At a toy store in New York, he ran to a stuffed giraffe crying, “Hug!” – echoing the joyous shout of the main character in a storybook especially important to my son’s son. Not that many generations ago, literacy was exceptional and books were few and sparsely distributed. It has lately been suggested we are entering a post literate age. Certainly we now have many other efficient ways to convey complex information besides the book. Paradoxically, books are probably more important, more interesting than ever for being part of a more expanded media universe. This book of Daniel Coleman’s is submitted as evidence. It would be unimaginable as a text only a generation ago.
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In Bed with the Word by Daniel Coleman. The University of Alberta Press;
Canada, 2009. (142 pages). Reviewed by Donald R. Officer.
In a very compelling way, In Bed with the Word is of itself a meditation on reading. The Word, writ large in both a religious and metatextual sense, simultaneously stands for an immeasurable realm of knowing and an emptied out focus of contemplation. Even more than Chris Hedges’ Empire of Illusion (to whom Daniel Coleman alluded during his presentation), In Bed with the Word regards the essence and future of literacy in a multimedia world.
The origins of literacy and understanding are a recurring theme of this edition of the Festival. I was fascinated to hear from Alison Gopnick author of The Philosophical Baby how babies only slowly develop a complex sense of personal identity and how that is entwined with their construction of time. While a sense of personal time is obviously not dependent upon literacy, the child’s involvement with the book shapes the growth of his or her sense of what time and therefore self will become. Daniel Coleman believes reading at its best confirms what we know in our hearts. I believe this too at some important level especially as it applies to universal insights, but text based confirmation also makes me suspicious about how books manufacture self-fulfilling notions and that also belongs in the conversation that books inspire.
The book has many levels of being. My grandson at 17 months is in love with his picture books and the recital of their attendant stories. They mean so much to him. At a toy store in New York, he ran to a stuffed giraffe crying, “Hug!” – echoing the joyous shout of the main character in a storybook especially important to my son’s son. Not that many generations ago, literacy was exceptional and books were few and sparsely distributed. It has lately been suggested we are entering a post literate age. Certainly we now have many other efficient ways to convey complex information besides the book. Paradoxically, books are probably more important, more interesting than ever for being part of a more expanded media universe. This book of Daniel Coleman’s is submitted as evidence. It would be unimaginable as a text only a generation ago.