Writing About Reading

Although the ability to read in Elizabethan England was considered important, the skill of writing was treated as optional, even unnecessary. To us, the idea of teaching reading without writing may seem rather odd, yet in the sixteenth century, it was a deliberate and widespread practice rooted in privilege and power.

Reading was seen as important for religious devotion, moral instruction, and obedience.  The Book of Common Prayer and the English Bible were central to daily life, and being able to read them was considered necessary for spiritual salvation. Writing, on the other hand, was not required for salvation. It was a skill associated with record-keeping, commerce, administration, and theology—jobs typically reserved for clerks, merchants, government officials, and ministers.

Mostly, those in power wanted people to read what they were told to read, but they didn’t want to see what just anyone might write.  Their idea was to maintain order, not to encourage creativity.

But in this day and age, many of us we are luckier than our foremothers and forefathers.  A lot of us have been taught to both read and write.  And one good way to find things to journal about is to consider your favorite books, and write about them. 

So, consider gathering up your pen and paper (or computer), making yourself a cup of tea or other adult drink, and writing about your favorite books.  Here are some literature prompts to encourage just that.

1. Write a poem about a place, a character, or an idea in a favorite book.

2. Imagine that you could become a character in a book.  Not only that, imagine that you could change the plot to suit yourself.  Would you do it?  Would the story end differently?  How would you manage it?

3. Consider a character that you absolutely despise.  What makes them so revolting?  How did the author present the character to make the reader hate them?  

4. Think about how the passing of time is shown in a book you have enjoyed.  Does it seem to flow smoothly and realistically? How would you (as the author) do it differently?

5. Consider an animal or an object in a favorite book.  Was it given a personality like a human?   What do you think about making non-human characters act like people?