I have always thought that reading is one of the best ways for my students to complement any other means in their path to achieving a more-than-interesting level of English. I do love reading books and , in fact, I do most of my reading , if not all, in English. Between my favourite genres are, indeed , Crime, Thrillers and unfailingly Mystery.
A good book, which sadly is not always the case, must await for us at home. It is the best of all excuses to find your moment to unwind after a long day. It is the need to sit down and surround yourself with the most perfect silence while you dive back into the story that kept you so much absorbed the previous day.
It is this ‘ absorbing’ that makes a good book so interesting when ‘using’ it to comprehend why, those grammatical rules teachers try to instil in us every day, develop into beautifully arranged words that transmit ideas, thoughts ,.. different perceptions of the reality that surrounds us.The English Language is not just Grammar and Words put together.
That notion is what I am exactly trying to make my students be aware of when I suggested the novel “Heart of Darkness” by Joseph Conrad for a Compulsory Read this year. Mr. Conrad was not English himself but had trained long through the years in the mastery of the written English Language turning into one of the best writers of his time. He considered English was a very ‘plastic’ language , very likely to be molded into extremely meaningful structures.
Who knows if with time we might enjoy another extraordinary writer among our students, but meanwhile we will definitely continue the reading of many books lying on our bedside tables , after another long day,… and better if it is written in English!
English Department
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