Samantha Stopple

I guess I question why time has to be a factor in
learning something from reading or whatever? We all
learn how we learn in our own time.

The value of stories are fun. (anyone have a good
suggestion for an inspiring book?) It is also to learn
about things. I much more enjoy reading historical
fiction then maybe pick up some non fiction of the
same period then the drier non fiction can come more
to life in my mind when I remember the fiction book I
have read earlier. I could skip the fiction book and
go right to the non fiction history book but that
would be boring.

Peace,
Samantha


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I mostly read non-fiction, and have read as much non-fiction as fiction even
as a kid (and now read much more of it). I have a very large library, little
of which is fiction.

My husband reads fantasy and sci-fi and historical fantasy (what-if books).

My favorites are old Kurt Vonnegut and fairy tales.

I enjoy fiction in movies (and just saw "Unbreakable" which was not only a
cool story with deep connections to all stories in a Jungian kind of way [and
more], but had knock-out cinematography). Fiction provides characters who
are often representative of archetypes which connect to all history and the
human psyche, and lets them play through various situations. We judge their
decisions and actions as the play/tale unfolds, and in so doing we run our
own judgements through their paces. We experience emotions, the desire to
warn people about danger we can see that they can't, we ride the swell of
extreme loyalty, courage or noble sacrifice. It can be like a mental roller
coaster, letting extreme emotions which don't normally come up in everyday
life have a little biochemical run through our minds and bloodstreams while
we're still safe at home. We can try out our reactions to situations we'd
just as soon NEVER actually happened to us in real life.

There's more to fiction, but that's enough for me for now.

Sandra

DiamondAir

Though many valuable things come to me from reading stories - information,
language, insight into other people's lives, cultures, geography, etc. one
of the things that I love best is just the beauty of language itself. Like
looking at a wonderful painting, or listening to a fine symphony, it opens
up vistas that were previously hidden. A good author can paint a scene in my
head of a place I've never been before. I can fall in love with the city of
Charleston reading Pat Conroy, or long to see the moors of Wuthering
Heights. Language can paint an emotion on your heart and enable you to see
the world in an entirely different way. In "The Poisonwood Bible", Barbara
Kingsolver talks about how the women in this particular village in Africa
all gather together at the funeral of a child and crawl towards the coffin,
eating the dirt along the way. How can an image like that not affect a
person? There are many books I have loved just for the joy of escaping into
their stories, but the books that I treasure are the ones where I have to
stop frequently and re-read a sentence multiple times just for the sheer
beauty of the phrasing.

And on this subject, my mom and I were talking one day. She always reads
non-fiction, I usually read fiction with about 20% non-fiction thrown in.
When I read fiction, I "see" the story unfolding in my mind, I am unaware of
the words on the page unless a particular turn of phrase calls out to me.
Mostly it just washes through me with my imagination providing the images.
My mom says that doesn't happen for her when she reads fiction, she's just
seeing words on a page and hearing them in her head. The words don't
disappear for her the way they do for me. I found this really intriguing,
and I don't know if it is because she almost always reads non-fiction,
whereas I almost always read fiction, or if our reading preferences were
influenced by the differing ways that we experience the printed word. I know
it's one reason I don't like non-fiction as well, because it just seems like
a bunch of words - it doesn't take my mind away like fiction does.

Blue Skies!
-Robin-
Mom to Mackenzie (8/28/96) "What if there was no gravity, but we all held on
to something really tight??"
and Asa (10/5/99) who says "Odwalla!" (her favorite treat at the store)
http://www.geocities.com/the_clevengers Flying Clevenger Family

Elizabeth Hill

----- Original Message -----
From: "DiamondAir" <diamondair@...>
To: <[email protected]>
Sent: Friday, December 08, 2000 5:45 PM
Subject: [Unschooling-dotcom] RE: What are the Value of Stories?


> And on this subject, my mom and I were talking one day. She always reads
> non-fiction, I usually read fiction with about 20% non-fiction thrown in.
> When I read fiction, I "see" the story unfolding in my mind, I am unaware
of
> the words on the page unless a particular turn of phrase calls out to me.
> Mostly it just washes through me with my imagination providing the images.
> My mom says that doesn't happen for her when she reads fiction, she's just
> seeing words on a page and hearing them in her head. The words don't
> disappear for her the way they do for me. I found this really intriguing,
> and I don't know if it is because she almost always reads non-fiction,
> whereas I almost always read fiction, or if our reading preferences were
> influenced by the differing ways that we experience the printed word. I
know
> it's one reason I don't like non-fiction as well, because it just seems
like
> a bunch of words - it doesn't take my mind away like fiction does.

This is intriguing. I've been reading about Meyers-Briggs personality
types, in a career book called _Do What You Are_. I would think that from
what you describe, your mother is more of an "S" in the Sensation-Intuition
category, and you are more of an "N", Intuitive.

I think my husband and I are both Intuitive in our processing of
information. When we talk it's really fun, because he comprehends my wacky
ideas, even if I do a lot of hand waving and have trouble finding the right
word. Boy, it's bliss to be understood!

Anyway, Sensation people really focus on the real, and process information
well about things that they can see, hear and feel. Intutition people are
more likely to be able to imagine things unseen.

Betsy

[email protected]

In a message dated 12/9/00 7:48:03 AM Pacific Standard Time,
ecsamhill@... writes:

<< I've been reading about Meyers-Briggs personality
types, in a career book called _Do What You Are >>

This stuff is fascinating and very useful. The book I'm working with is
called "Gifts Differing." I was introduced to the Meyers-Briggs philosophy at
a homeschooling workshop around 10 years ago. It has really helped me
understand the individual personalities in my family as well as the
relationships between them.
-Amalia

Tracy Oldfield

I can fall in love with the city of
Charleston reading Pat Conroy, or long to see the moors
of Wuthering
Heights.

I'll put you up, if you really want to come over and
see them! Quite spectacular in late Summer when
they're covered in heather flowers...

Tracy

Valerie

I'll put you up, if you really want to come over and
see them! Quite spectacular in late Summer when
they're covered in heather flowers...

Tracy

Oh geez I've been reading too many posts at once. I thought that said
"heathen flowers" and I sat here wondering what heathen flowers would look
like. Okay, off the computer now...

Valerie