1. Week 5: LITERATURE HU 300

2. Reading in America  In 2004, the National Endowment for the Arts put out a study called “Reading at Risk,” about the decline of reading in America. In 2007, another study showed that 1 in 4 adults read no books in 2006. (Fram, 2007)  What do you think of these findings? Do they seem accurate to what you observe?  What might a decline in reading say about a culture?

3. 1 in 4 Read No Books Last Year  Woman and older persons read the most  West and Midwest read more  Southerners read more religious and romances  Whites read more than Blacks and Hispanics  Those who attend church regularly read 50% less  Democrats read more than Republicans and liberals  2/3 rd of those surveyed who read- read the Bible or other religious texts  Men read more biographies and histories  Older, married, lower earners, less educated, rural, Republicans and Conservatives also read more religious texts

4. Unexpected Twists  There is a rise in reading!  2002: 56.6% of those surveyed did not read outside of work and school  2008: 54.3% did not read outside of work and school  The highest increases in reading are in the 18-24 age range (40% of total readers)  Article argues, “Is this the Harry Potter Phenomenon?”

5. Update on Reading  For the first time since the NEA began surveying American reading habits in 1982 -- and less than five years after it issued its famously gloomy "Reading at Risk" report -- the percentage of American adults who report reading "novels, short stories, poems or plays" has risen instead of declining: from 46.7 percent in 2002 to 50.2 percent in 2008 (Thompson, 2009).  (Note: Nonfiction is excluded from the study)  What might explain the increase of reading in the last 6 years?

6. Which books/authors do you enjoy? Which have inspired you?

7. Poetry  In our unit we discussed poetry, which is rarely a best- seller. Why might poetry be less popular than fiction?  Where are some places that poetry does exist and thrive in our culture?

8. Why Poetry?  What are some of the unique benefits poetry can offer to the reader or listener?