All fascinating posts! I really liked Germinal too - I really didn't expect to get so emotionally involved in it but it really grabbed my heartstrings.
I read the study on reading you linked and I felt for the students too - the authors are pretty unsparing in their criticism. My high school lit classes held a wide space open for any kind of personal reponses. While I think that's important it didn't really train you to pay close attention to language. I can see how you would then struggle in a context where the meaning of words is presumed to be definite.
All fascinating posts! I really liked Germinal too - I really didn't expect to get so emotionally involved in it but it really grabbed my heartstrings.
I read the study on reading you linked and I felt for the students too - the authors are pretty unsparing in their criticism. My high school lit classes held a wide space open for any kind of personal reponses. While I think that's important it didn't really train you to pay close attention to language. I can see how you would then struggle in a context where the meaning of words is presumed to be definite.