Marginalia (n., pl.) - notes in the margin of a book, manuscript, or letter (source)
I had borrowed a few books from the library earlier this month. Soon after reaching home and flipping through them, one book in particular stood out – The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath. For one, it wasn't a glossy, newer print like the other books in the stash. It was older, more used but still in excellent condition. More importantly, it had light notes and markings in pencil on the margins of some pages.
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I am one who never defaces a novel. I can't bring myself to write anything in those beautiful leaves which transport you to a whole different world. Textbooks, though, are a different matter. I underline important passages. I jot down small points on the margins. Sometimes, I even draw some pictures in it… Maybe I'll do a whole separate blog post about this later.
This novel bears some one-word notes on the margins at some places, as well as a few marked paragraphs in every page, all by a very light hand, in pencil. I reckon this is by a student, the way it's done; someone who read it as part of their school or college curriculum.
I was rather surprised I didn't find it as disturbing as I'd expected. In fact, by lightly marking out certain paragraphs and words, the person has succeeded in making me pay a little extra attention to those parts. I find it is quite like having my own friendly ghost teacher, encouraging me to read and understand the book on my own, but still gently pointing out the parts I should pay more attention to so I can eventually understand the plot better. I am now halfway through the book and am eager to finish it, even if only to find out if my ghost teacher is pointing me in the right direction and making me take more note of the details that will eventually prove to be the important ones all along.
Tonight again, I'll be curled up on the sofa, book in hand, with my ghost teacher silently watching my progress. In the end, I'll see if I'm disappointed, shaking my head at her for distracting me throughout, or quietly nodding in agreement and smiling when all the highlighted passages finally come together and make sense.
Hi Vivienne! I'm sorry it has taken me so long to visit your blog! Thank you thank you for coming by and for your very kind comments! I'm following along with you as well and you have covered some very interesting topics!
ReplyDeleteThis is so neat. I first have to say that I've never read the Bell Jar, though I really need to. The second thing that came to mind is Harry Potter, of course! Nerdy, sorry. I would love to read a post about you writing in textbooks. I never used to do it either, but towards the end when I bought all my books secondhand (and usually the older edition) I thought, to hell with it! And had a lot of fun.
That sounds like the perfect evening! It just started pouring here so I would love to do the same...but I'm working tonight, yuck,
perfectly priya
Nice to see you here, Priya :) I haven't finished The Bell Jar yet, but so far, it's been an interesting ride. I've read all the Harry Potter books at least five times each, so no, no one will judge you here ;)
DeleteI could never bring myself to write on books. I cannot disfigure them with even small notes in pencil. I sometimes enjoy reading library books that have been read as study material and have all those small notes in margin :)
ReplyDeleteAt least, the person who wrote in the copy of The Bell Jar I have with me wrote in pencil. Writings in ink are a huge no-no! I wouldn't ever write in my novels either. Text books, yes, but novels, no.
DeleteLove the 'ghost teacher' concept. There was a time when I, too, couldn't mar the sanctity of the white space in a book. Law school totally changed that. Once I HAD to in order to dissect, analyze and remember what I needed to for those on-the-spot interrogations from given professors (the birth of my color-coded system) it got easier to do elsewhere. Since I started a blog in January, I find myself frequently underlining, highlighting, and otherwise "marring" books when I come across statements or topics that inspire blog posts (in addition to the notes I jot on the notebook I keep nearby while reading). Still wouldn't dream of actually folding or dogearing a page, though - that would be wrong!
ReplyDeleteDog-earing pages is one of my pet peeves. In school, I used to make lots of bookmarks for my friends (for free!) because I couldn't stand to see them folding pages of the books from the school library.
DeleteI write and mark in textbooks too. That aids in memory consolidation ;) But in a novel, nope. Never have, never will :)
I love used textbooks that have little bytes of information scribbled in the margin. It helps a lot especially if it was used by another student. I personally can't come to defacing a book myself. Even if I have used a book a lot it usually looks as good as new :) Except for the highlighted points
ReplyDeleteI used my sister's textbooks in school, and I loved them. I'll probably post why sometime.
DeleteVery interesting topic. Dog ears to mark the page that strikes me is a habit, but I've always avoided writing on them except for small dedications when giving a book to a friend as a gift. However, I wrote a lot of notes on textbooks back in school during classes to make sure I don't miss anything.
ReplyDeleteI think writing a small, personal note on the first page of a book is a must while gifting! It makes the book so much more special for the recipient :)
DeleteThere's no way around writing in text books, is there. It makes studying easier too.