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‘Reading is always a practice embodied in gestures, spaces and habits.’ (Chartier and Gonzalez) Explore
this statement with reference to TWO historical examples.
Gestures, Spaces, and Habits as The Essence of Reading
For each existing mode of reading there are a variety of unique spaces, habits,
and gestures that accompany them. Reading spaces are important to the reader
because it allows them a comfortable area to pursue their reading. Habits are important
because they allow the reader a certain schedule and persistence when engaging in
reading. Gestures can be useful in specific modes of reading such as reading aloud, as
they can help produce a visual version of the text to accompany the spoken parts.
Reading is embodied in all three of these, and they all play a role in maximizing comfort,
productivity, and allowing the reader to get the most out of their specific text.
Reading places are an area of comfort that a reader can contextualize and
engage in their text within. It is not just the scenery of a preferred reading place that has
an impact on the readers ability to examine their reading, “the sights, sounds and even
the smells of the places in which texts are read may have a profound effect upon how
readers make sense of them” (Colclough). A reading space is a place that engages all
of your senses, allowing a reader to relax and just read. It is crazy to think about how a
certain sent or sound of a particular place allows one to better connect with their text,
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but this phenomenon occurs with many readers around the world. Think about a reading
in a living room with the fireplace on, feel the warmth of the fire and hear the satisfying
crackling sound it makes. These minor details can add comfort to a reader and even
allow them to perceive a text in a different way. During the late 18th century,
“Subscription libraries and book clubs, which usually charged members for access,
became increasingly popular” (Colclough). These serve as good reading places
because the people going to subscription libraries and book clubs are in the company of
other readers. Surrounding oneself in a reading environment translates to more
productive and an enhanced level of reading. “By 1750, London coffeehouses were long
established reading spaces, but they only really become a feature of working-class life
in the early 19th century” (Colclough). Coffee Houses served as incredible reading
paces then, and they still do to this day. The aroma of a specific coffee house, as well
as the constant chit chat from various customers in the store, adds more depth to it as a
reading place. Coffee house reading can also produce good reading habits. Since
coffee houses became “a feature of working-class life”, a working class person may
have became a daily customer at a local coffee shop in the UK, and developed daily
reading habits while drinking their coffee before work or on break. Thomas Carter
describes this experience where each morning he gave his workmates a rundown “of
what [he] had just been reading in the yesterday's newspaper” (Carter 186). He then
explains how he “read this at a coffee shop, where [he] took an early breakfast on [his]
way to work” (Carter 186). This is just one example of a reader building their reading
habits in a comfortable place during 1750-1850 in the UK.
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Circulating libraries were another common way for anyone to get their hands on
a book during this time period, but there were downsides to using them as a supplier
and a reading space. Charlotte M Yonge, a novelist during this time, “recalled that her
family were opposed to circulating libraries because the books were “very dirty, very
smoky, and with remarks plentifully pencilled on the margins’” (Colclough). Since her
family was against these kinds of places they decided to look towards a local book club
as an alternative (Colclough). The local book club was chosen by her parents because
of the how the reading environment differs from a circulation library, along with the
difference in quality and condition of the books. This shows how a working class person
reading in solitary might prefer to obtain books from a circulation library and read in a
coffee house, whereas a collective family might enjoy an environment such as a book
club where books are read aloud and it can be more of a family group activity as they
can all share the experience.
Reading aloud and gestures used to assist reading aloud were important in the
history of reading as they allowed many illiterate people including young children to
listen and enjoy. Gestures allow impersonation of the characters in a text when read
aloud, and along with doing different voices, allow the reader to not only catch the
attention of the listeners, but also act out the story rather than just read it. A good
account of an act such as this comes from a listener named William Henry Hudson as
he describes his experience listening to “the Hudson children's tutor, a Mr Trigg”
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(Hudson 29). He explains how Mr. Trigg used gestures to “[impersonate] every
character in the book” as Mr. Trigg reads a popular Dickens novel (Hudson 29). He
describes how this tutor used “gestures ,manner, and expression that fitted him
perfectly”, and concluded with the statement that “It was more like a play than a
reading”. It being like a play shows the importance of gestures when reading aloud. The
gestures enhanced the reading so much that it became more than just a reading. It
engaged the audience and allowed them to feel like they were watching a performance
rather than having a book read to them.
Kinesthetic intelligence is a term described by Ellen Spolsky to be “our human
capacity to discern and interpret body movements, body postures, gestures, and facial
expressions in real situations as well as in our reception of visual art” (Bolens 1) This
concept can apply to reading aloud as it helps the listeners visualize and interpret
gestures and bodily movements used by the reader. Reading in this format, and in
general, has to be thought of as an embodied action rather than just reading. The
kinesthetic movements that a readers mouth, jaw, and tongue produce while reading
are proof that reading is not just a simple and non dynamic action. It is important to
keep in mind that some kinesthetic movements are intentional while others may be on
purpose and for added effect (Bolens 20). The kinesthetic acts that William Henry
Hudson's tutor was producing as he attempted impersonation of the books characters
were most likely intentional as he attempted to overemphasize the characters attributes.
In juxtaposition, unintentional hand gestures happen naturally in arm movements to
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show comparisons or hand movements to highlight a world while reading aloud.
Kinesthetic movements that other body parts act out during a reading session where
different modes are used can also illustrate this. Many people find that the act of
bouncing their knee up and down, or sometimes the act of flicking an object such as a
pen or bookmark back and forth between their fingers allows for an increase in focus
and productive reading when reading in private.
The two historical examples from 1740-1850 in the UK were used to showcase
how gestures, spaces, and habits are essential to the process and practice of reading.
Gestures allow for a more coherent representation of the text, allowing others to follow
along easier and allowing the reader to focus more. Reading space allows the reader a
comfortable and safe area where their thoughts and readings can come at ease, and
they can contextualize their work in a better way. Reading habits make sure that a
reader gets into the rhythm of reading their preferred text at a certain time so that their
mind knows that it is time to read and relax. Reading is not simple, it is dynamic and
embodied, and through these three aspects of reading one is able to maximize their
comfort, contextualize their readings, and get the most out of anything they read.
Works Cited:
Thomas Carter, Memoirs of a Working Man, (London, 1845), p. 186,
http://www.open.ac.uk/Arts/reading/UK/record_details.php?id=7621, accessed: 01
December 2019
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“History of Reading: An Introduction to Reading in the Past.” OpenLearn,
https://www.open.edu/openlearn/history-the-arts/culture/literature-and-creative-writing/hi
story-reading-introduction-reading-the-past/content-section-7, accessed: 01 December
2019
William Henry Hudson, Far Away and Long Ago: A History of My Early Life, (London,
1918), p. 29, http://www.open.ac.uk/Arts/reading/UK/record_details.php?id=33716,
accessed: 25 November 2019
Bolens, Guillemette, and Alain Berthoz. The Style of Gestures: Embodiment and
Cognition in Literary Narrative. The John Hopkins University Press., 2012. P. 1-22