Now that we've reached the middle of the semester, my friends, I think it's safe to say that reading for fun is getting more and more difficult. With midterms on the rise and papers being handed out left and right, I've noticed a few soldiers in the Reading Army jumping ship.
I know that when the class texts pile up, you might be finally rushing out to buy books you were assigned to end weeks ago. Picking up a novel is not the first thing you'd like to do. Obviously, we've all been there. Well, not me, but let's just say I'm a superior being.
In any case, I'm here to help those with a case of the reading woes. What, the public asks me, can we read in bite-sized chunks? What will keep our interest for more than thirty seconds when we need a break from the all-nighters? Or at least these are the questions I believe I would be asked if, you know, more people actually read for fun.
After much thought about this theoretical question and imagining some requisite scenes in which I imagined giving prophetic lectures to my adoring fans, I came up with what I think must be my best idea yet. Poetry.
Wait! Don't stop now! I know that it may be difficult for many of you to fathom reading poetry at all, much less for fun. But as the 14th annual National Poetry Month kicks off next week, I thought I might as well try.
I'm not suggesting anyone start with ""Beowulf""—God forbid anyone except Old English TAs read that terrible oppression—but picking up the occasional poem is not as terrible as you might think, and could contain some pretty useful insights.
If you are, say, a dude wishing to woo some chick, or vice versa, the lessons of Andrew Marvell's ""To His Coy Mistress"" definitely could come in handy. If you've been feeling particularly angsty (and who isn't when stuck studying with spring break just around the corner?), you can always pick up Phillip Larkin's book ""High Windows."" Who wouldn't enjoy poetry that fills you with a hefty dose of self-righteousness before heading home? And with lines like ""they fuck you up, your mum and dad,"" Larkin does just that.
For those of you who've been through all that and are looking for something new, there's always the short but amusing, ""Eunoia"" by Christian Bök. With each chapter dedicated to using one and only one of the five vowels in the English language, it makes for interesting reading for sure.
If I still haven't convinced you to go out and buy a poetry book, so be it. Not everyone can love T.S. Eliot or E.E. Cummings like I do—and though I don't understand it, I can accept it. But for all you science majors out there, just remember that numbers never win any hearts the way words always have.
Need any poetry recommendations for this last leg before spring break? E-mail Alex for suggestions at kuskowski@wisc.edu.
