Depressed in English class

erinbartholomew5

So, according to my experience in my college English class, 3/4 of the class do not read for fun, and more like 80% hate reading, period. I never thought I was such a minority! I feel a little odd and strangely intellectual beside the others, and I know I ought not to judge them. But I can't help it! Since when has reading itself become an uncommon or nerdy thing to do? I at least thought people read romances or fantasy. Seems that many people have no patience for books, period. It's depressing to have so little in common with my classmates, who will later be my peers in the workplace. Any people with similar school/work experiences? Do your friends read?

Wiseandcurious

There is very good chance that your future colleagues will have more in common with you than your classmates, considering they will have made the same choice of profession as you.

I couldn't really say if reading is out of fashion.I have been living in Montreal for a while and I am thrilled with how many people read on the public transport here - read books, not just newspapers or lectures. It seems like Kindle and other e-readers are everywhere. Also the libraries in Quebec are awesome and always full of people, both local, francos and anglos, and immigrants. May be move to another town, if it's really important to you to be surrounded by readers?

But on a really serious note, people can think for themselves and have their intellect and ideas challenged with all sorts of art media, not just literature. You can have the same level of discussion about a movie as you can about a book. It's all up to how you approach it.

maggymae78

As someone who taught college writing for the past eight years, I have learned that the big problem is that most of them have not had much of an example of reading for fun at home. Even those who have, were trained away from books by being "forced" to read without being guided to find things that actually interested them. I often talked to students who disliked much of what was assigned only to find that once they were introduced to a topic or style that related to their own interests, their desire to read changed. Its a matter of matching the reader to the book (kind of like dating - you go on enough bad dates, you start to think it isn't worth the effort, but one good date will restore your faith and at least make you willing to try again).

And I second mamameca, there are a lot of things in movies and on television to challenge and encourage free-thinking - you just need to look for them. Many of my students just ingested what they watched without really processing what they were doing (I call it popcorn media). Once they started talking about what they were seeing and asking questions, it changed a lot. Since your in college, check out a film class or cultural studies class (especially one related to modern or popular culture). You might find it interesting.

erinbartholomew5

Thanks for the responses, ladies!! I realize I forgot to mention in my post that I don't think people who don't like to read are stupid. The movies I watch and the art I like are related in some way to things I have read. So if a person hates to read, I don't know if they will share many interests with me. Once again, I didn't want to sound snobby, but this is a sensitive topic for some folks, so it's hard to say exactly what one means:)

bookworm_847

Before college, I read for fun all the time. During and for about 1-2 years after college, I didn't read for fun at all. I was a Political Science major, and was assigned a couple hundred pages per night to read. So, by the time I had free time to read again, I just didn't wanna!

I read for fun all the time again now. I don't know if that applies to any of your classmates, but that was my reason for not being my usual bookworm self during college.

michimew11

I've always had a passion for reading - probably why I became a librarian, and now a law librarian. I grew up around books, and my sisters and I went to the public library frequently. In college, I was also in the minority of loving the lit classes. Often, I built relations with my professors outside of class so we could talk further about the subject. I am nerdy I suppose I also have made a connection with the books/art/and film. i suppose I just like to pay attention to all realms of knowledge and expression.