Image credit: Reading Aloud by Hanna Hirsch-Pauli, public domain
Event Details
“Every time you read a poem aloud to yourself in the presence of others, you are reading it into yourself and them. Voice helps to carry words farther and deeper than the eye.“
Seamus Heaney
Reading aloud, the joy of hearing text come off the page in different voices, is at the heart of the studies that both Jane and Caroline lead. While these may not be performances as such, sharing poetry and theatre as a group brings us closer to unlocking the meaning and interpretation of these texts and can amplify the pleasure we derive from the work. But what are the elements that we draw upon when we read?
In this series of three workshops we will explore aspects of sound and speech that are rarely included in our regular Salon studies, with their strong focus on text and analysis. Suitable for readers with all levels of confidence, this fun and inclusive study will be useful and enlightening for anyone who regularly attends the Salon.
Each week we will focus on a different poem: Sonnet 29 by William Shakespeare, The Windhover by Gerard Manley Hopkins and And Yet the Books by Czeslaw Milosz. We will aim to demystify the practice of reading aloud as we consider meter, pacing and emphasis using these three very different poems as our guides. Most importantly, we will enjoy the process of bringing the words to life.