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The Walker Percy Project

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)

  1. REQUIREMENT: You must be a member of the Percy-L Listserv Community
  2. 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.)
  3. 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.
  4. 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).
  5. 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.
  6. 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.
    In short, any personal or critical comments are welcome. Members are not required to respond directly to the weekly leader's post. Members can also introduce secondary references, quotes, or links to outside related resources when inclined. The only general requirement is that all posts remain respectful of others and the general community.

    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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Thank you for your participation in and contributions to The Project's discussion forums
for others to enjoy.