DeepSummary
Major Jackson opens this episode by discussing his disagreement with his wife over how to handle their combined book collections after moving in together. While his wife liberally writes in and marks up her books, Jackson prefers to keep his books pristine and views them as sacred objects.
Jackson then introduces the featured poem of the episode, "Illumination" by Natasha Trethewey. The poem explores the act of annotating and marking up books, portraying it as a way of engaging deeply with the text and making it one's own.
Jackson reflects on how the marginalia in used books can serve as a window into the solitary mind of the previous reader, with underlined passages and scribbled notes leaving a coded message for the new reader to decipher.
Key Episodes Takeaways
- Jackson and his wife have contrasting views on whether books should be kept pristine or actively annotated.
- Trethewey's poem "Illumination" celebrates the act of writing in book margins as a way to engage deeply with the text.
- Marginalia can provide insight into previous readers' thoughts and create a dialogue between readers across time.
- Annotating is portrayed as an act of taking ownership of a text's ideas rather than passive consumption.
- Books contain an inherent potential energy that can be unleashed through the reader's annotations and reactions.
- The episode touches on themes of literary appreciation, active reading, and the sacred versus pragmatic views of books.
Top Episodes Quotes
- “I believe books are sacred, thanks to my family's strong emphasis on literacy as a means of social ascension.“ by Major Jackson
- “Didi is a physical reader and tells me that marking a book is a way of remembering, a way to be in dialogue, a way of doing more than passively absorbing ideas, but a way of owning them.“ by Major Jackson
- “I follow its coded message, try to read in it the direction of the solitary mind, that thought to pencil in a jagged arrow.“ by Natasha Trethewey
- “How knowledge burns beyond the exclamation point, its thin agreement angle of surprise.“ by Natasha Trethewey
- “Even as they rise up to meet us, the white page hovers beneath silent, incendiary waiting.“ by Natasha Trethewey
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Episode Information
The Slowdown: Poetry & Reflection Daily
American Public Media
7/3/24
Today’s poem is Illumination by Natasha Trethewey.
The Slowdown is your daily poetry ritual. In this episode, Major writes… “Today’s elegant poem reads like a manifesto for those who rigorously annotate. For those who know that marking a book renders visible silent conversations.”
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