The Reading
Jul 12th, 2008 by madelinekelly
I didn’t make it all night, but it was a neat partial experience–and there is always the possibility of other, spin-off all-nighters. I’ll be in England for the 400th anniversary of Milton’s birth, so maybe I can catch a reading in London…
When you set off to read something in such a deliberate fashion, it feels like setting out on a journey. Because we were committed to seeing the end of the epic, the descent into Hell felt more real, the war felt more real, Adam and Eve’s love felt more real. We were following the characters’ paths, with Milton as our guide. Each of us was alone, and yet we were all together… what an odd experience, simultaneously personal and communal, shared but unshareable. I suppose that is contiguity.
Also, how moving–and how appropriate–to share in a blind man’s creation aloud. And an epic, no less, as in the glorious oral tradition of Homer.
I could not agree with you more, on all of your thoughts. This experience really made P.L. come alive; though, alive seems an inadequate description for what actually took place. It went deeper than that. I think for myself, I will let the experience roll around in my head for awhile, before I will actually be able to best define my feelings. I will then add them to my initial blog response.
Enjoy England, and you must find a Milton reading while you’re there!
That is contiguity.
Yes!
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