I'm sorry about the hard disk Ian. This seems to be a frequent
occurrence, at least I've heard of many incidents of it among poets in
the last year. Would it make sense to have a poetry blog too, at
least some work would be conserved? This is where the tension between
print, web and self-publication also comes in.
Mairead

On 10/3/05, ian davidson <[log in to unmask]> wrote:
> Queen Geraldine. That sounds ok.
>
> And you'd be very good.
>
> realised in the dead of night that the two people i'd missed off the list of
> people i'd seen read last year and didn't want to stop were geraldine monk
> and alan halsey. other midnight moments will reveal more i'm sure but those
> two are worth going to see.
>
> not entirely sure about the high reading skills to Shakespeare model
> Geraldine. I taught sh'peare to only moderately literate adults and they got
> loads out of it. ordinary reading skills aren't that helpful, or won't
> neceassarily support readings, it's as much to do with people feeling the
> text is culturally distant from them and breaking that barrier down and
> giving people a way in.
>
> my hard disk wiped itself of all knowledge of my existence y'day. it's like
> being re-born, with all the trauma that involves. some people say the
> material will still be lurking somewhere. i doubt it, and i kind of want it
> back (a summer's worth of poems) and don't want it back.
>
>
>
> >From: Geraldine Monk <[log in to unmask]>
> >Reply-To: Geraldine Monk <[log in to unmask]>
> >To: [log in to unmask]
> >Subject: Re: teaching the "classics"
> >Date: Mon, 3 Oct 2005 00:26:14 +0100
> >
> >I don't think that's the point is it Robert. You do need basic lit skills
> >in order to read the classics. There's no way round it. It's not that
> >midup kids know how to unnerstan Shakey it's that they are actually taught
> >to read and once you can read you can 'do' the classics. One hapless
> >external teacher at my Secondary Mod school decided to give us all a treat
> >by springing on us Midsummer Night's Dream She thought we'd enjoy it.
> >Bless her. I mean really bless her. She tried. She had to abandon by
> >page 3 (or was it line 3) when she realised most of could barely string
> >together a Janet and John sentence.
> >
> >So the real scandal and question to be asked is why can't these kids read
> >so they CAN do the classics. It's outrageous. It shouldn't be a question
> >of either/or it should be a question of what the hell is going on in our
> >schools that is still failing pupils like I was failed (not that it did me
> >any harm - eventually - but I did more or less teach myself to read after I
> >left that blessed dump that was suppose to educate me).
> >
> >On another point although not entirely unrelated I was convinced Shakey was
> >incomprehensible when I saw filmed productions of the plays by RSC. I
> >couldn't understand a bloody word. So I read him and could undertand and
> >realised I couldn't understand what RSC were saying because all these
> >classical actors thought Shakey should be spoken in a ludicrously
> >artificial dramatic voice (all trying desperately to be the greatest
> >Shakespearian actor of their day - the silly buggers) with speech cadences
> >that bore no reality to how we speak and totally undermining the sense.
> >Now a lot a Shakespeare is dialogue which isn't written in Mongolian but if
> >actors read it as though it were it may as well be. So low grade schools
> >and glory-seeking actors have conspired against us all.
> >
> >Finally and totally unrelated I've just heard the daftest argument ever why
> >Camilla shouldn't be queen: Camilla doesn't sound right! Not regal enough
> >like Elizabeth or Victoria. One has to hope William doesn't fall in love
> >and marry a Tracy. Actually it's not unrelated it just shows a country
> >that sometimes gets it priorities in the mother-of-all knicker-twists and
> >you just want to kick it in the pantaloons.
> >
> >G.
> >With apologies to those who don't know who Shakespeare or Camilla are.
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >Geraldine Monk
> >www.westhousebooks.co.uk
> >----- Original Message ----- From: "Hampson R" <[log in to unmask]>
> >To: <[log in to unmask]>
> >Sent: Friday, September 30, 2005 12:18 PM
> >Subject: Re: teaching the "classics"
> >
> >
> >Yes, what do working class kids need with Shakespeare and the classics.
> >Let them learn basic literacy skills, and leave Shakespeare and the
> >classics to the middle and upper classes who know how to understand them
> >any way.
> >
> >Robert
>