Slow Reading Group
How to Form a Slow Reading Group for Discussing Walker Percy's Writings using Percy-L
Instructions
What is a Slow Reading Group?
Periodically, The Project organizes a Slow Reading Group of a Percy novel through the Percy-L Listserv Community. Any member may also suggest a novel (or essay) for a chapter-a-week discussion.
The use of a slow reading group is sometimes referred to as a collaborative, close reading and is beneficial as a technique to more fully comprehend and appreciate a complex text. Through writing to one another in a group-distributed email format, members gain the unique opportunity to reflect more deliberately on member insights as opposed to a verbal-based discussion.You must be a member of the Percy-L in order to participate. Past group readings during the summer months include The Moviegoer, Love in the Ruins and The Second Coming.
How to Suggest a Percy Book or Essay
Percy-L members may submit reading suggestions to the community at any time; however, most readings occur during the summer months. Options include Percy's novels, non-fiction works, essays or other resources about them.
Slow Reading List Steps (Overview)
- REQUIREMENT: You must be a member of the Percy-L Listserv Community
- START DATE: After a reading selection has been chosen, a Start Date will be determined by group consensus. Most reading periods last a total of 5-6 weeks. The start date is the posting of the first comments by a volunteer weekly leader. (Participants should read the first section of the novel before then.)
- WEEKLY READING LENGTH: Reading for a given week usually follows one or more of the book's chapter breakdown. However, another breakdown maybe be agreed upon as reasonable for the item in question. A volunteer leader will post topics or questions of any length to open discussion each Friday for that week.
- WEEKLY LEADER: A volunteer leader each Friday will provide opening comments and/or questions for that week's reading. There are no set guidelines for opening posts (usually 1-3 paragraphs, or a list of questions, as desired).
- DISCUSSION FORMAT: Open discussion. All Percy-L members may make posts at anytime whether participating or not. This includes responses to current or past discussion posts, or any other Percy-related comment.
- DISCUSSION TOPICS: Open with no set agenda. All listserv members may introduce any topic related to the book as you might expect in any book reading group. Among these include:
- Any personal responses, appreciations, and/or lingering questions you have
- Comments on the novel's literary themes, conventions, or plot and characters, etc.
- Considerations of the novel biographically or in relationship to other authors' works.
Additional information or instructions may be provided once a given slow reading list is begun.
Past Slow Reading List Discussions
The Moviegoer
Love in the Ruins
The Second Coming
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