From time to time I audit Master’s courses at the local university. While formal education normally derails my intellectual pursuits, I am a total nerd. I can’t resist it. I love homework. Not to mention classroom discussions.
In a recent lit class I had the kind of professor who had nothing to say, but used every four-syllable word in the SAT study guide to do it. I forgave him his skullet. The tie-dyed shirts. The way he held his chalk like a reefer. But I simply could not get over the way he squinted his eyes, held the chalk-joint like he was about to hit it and said, “The vivacious exposition effectually saltates off the page!”
Because I am addicted to 4.0’s, I dutifully attended his office hours for requisite brown-nosing, and it was here that he finally became worth my $500 (get your minds out the gutter, fellow bloggers!). I had no cohesive theme in my endeavor to compare Homer’s Iliad to some essays from the Vietnam War. Professor Skullet leafed through my books and said, “I see you’ve partaken in underscoring innumerable passages.”
“You mean I highlight a lot?”
“Indeed.”
And then, for the first time since the semester began, he said something: “Peruse the highlighted text. It’s the map of your mind.”
What advice. Pages and pages of seemingly unrelated prose all pointed to the same theme: my position on war. A position I could never really articulate before. My highlighting taught me what I was learning.
And furthermore (this is where I bring it all back to writing, folks) I found that I had been drawn to snazzy sentence structure, unlikely pairings of words and various characterization tricks. Highlighting helped me define what writing techniques I was ripe to experiment with.
I highlight/underline all my reading now for this purpose. It teaches me more than any homework or classroom discussion could, irresistible as they are. How do you decide what your writing needs?
That’s an interesting approach.
And is that really him in the photo?
I don’t highlight – but I do writing little notes all the time. If I really look through them, I usually find a theme brewing. It’s kind of the same process, I think.
Interesting post — and funny as well. Lately I’ve been reading books from the public library and so haven’t been underlining. But with my new stash of used books, I may do more of that. Not so sure I would underline too much with fiction, but it might be worth it to emphasize writing techniques that interest me.
I’ve always done a lot of highlighting when reading for courses or for my analytic/research work.
hmmm….. I might just pick up my highlighter when I get back into Confederacy of Dunces tonight….
Oh great, now I am missing college all over again. *looks up MA programs*
I highlighted my way through college! But I never thought of doing that with my writing books. I think I am going to go back through the ones I own and give that a try.
Like Natasha, I get most of my other reading material from the public library. But if it has been spoken by Dr. Skullet, it must be true. I could use a road map of my mind these days.
I love this! I totally feel like I know this guy after reading your post….hey wait a minute, I think I had him for some of my college classes, too.
And, uh, I think I went to grad school with this guy.
But, saltate? Really?
AlexJ – it’s not him, but it’s not too far off!
This whole conversation is out of my league. I’m still looking up the work saltate. Yep, think I’ll become a cave dweller.
Natasha – share what you highlight!
That book is a love it or hate it, btw. I’m curious to see which it is for you.
work —> word (same finger opposit hand) I need sleep.
My attention is drawn exponentially to this grand concept and I anticipate endeavors to partake in this extravagant manipulation of my underscoring equipment.
I knew I should have tried out to be a professor!!
Sheesh.