Alice: Hello – this is 6 Minute English, I'm Alice and today, I'm joined by Yvonne. Hello, Yvonne!
Yvonne: Hello Alice!
Alice: Now Yvonne, if I said Don Quixote, what would you say?
Yvonne: Oh, it's a famous classic Spanish novel – but that's all, because sadly, I'venever read it.
Alice: Oh well, don't worry - because you're not the only one! In fact, Don Quixotehas been described as Spain's best-known, but least read book.
Yvonne: So like me, most people have heard of it, but not many people have actuallyread it.
Alice: Exactly. But before we find out what the Royal Spanish Academy is doingabout that, here's today's question: in 2005, the BBC announced the UK's bestloved- or favourite book. What was it?
a) Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire by JK Rowlingb) The Lord of the Rings by JRR Tolkien orc) Pride and Prejudice by Jane AustenYvonne, what was your guess before you looked up the answer?
Yvonne: Well, I said Harry Potter - because I must be the only person on earth who’snever read it!
Alice: Oh, me neither! Isn’t that terrible? Well we'll find out what the UK's best-lovedbook is later on. Now people say that most Spaniards have never managed tofinish reading Don Quixote, even though it's a classic. What do you thinkmakes a classic novel or book, Yvonne?
Yvonne: Well, excellent writing that people want to continue reading into the future, but,it doesn't have to be old - although Miguel De Cervantes finished writing DonQuixote way back in 1615.
Alice: No, I suppose you can have modern classics. But the Royal Spanish Academyhas been trying to get people to feel more passionate, more excited, about thisold book by using new technology. And what they're doing seems to beworking, as the BBC's Nkem Ifejika reports:
Extract 1: Nkem Ifejika, BBC reporterByte size chunks for a sound bite culture - the novel was divided into 2,149 shortpassages. Any Spanish speaker can then pick a passage, record themselves reading itand upload to the internet. A quick search for video of Don Quixote shows they'vealready done so; the novel being read aloud by people across the globe - the exactmanner in which young servants used to read it when it was written, never all at once.
Alice: So the novel was divided up into 2,149 short passages or sections – whatNkem Ifejika describes as 'bite size chunks for a sound bite culture'. Yvonne,can you help us out with that phrase, please?
Yvonne: I'll try, Alice. Now, lots of people can't or don't like to concentrate – or focuson one thing for a long period of time, so they're happier with things they cando quickly – with 'bite size chunks' of information, for example.
Alice: And what would you say is 'a sound bite culture'?
Yvonne: Well, lots of us like to listen to a short piece about something rather than readabout it, so we're 'a sound bite culture'. For example, we seem to enjoy short,snappy advertisements that get messages across really quickly.
Alice: Yes - and more and more people on trains are listening to a chapter of a bookon their iPods rather than reading it. As we heard, it's all about 'bite sizechunks for a sound bite culture!'
Yvonne: It certainly is!
Alice: Now the Royal Spanish Academy is asking people to read passages of DonQuixote out loud, just as people used to when the book was first written in the1600s. People never read the entire book all at once.
Yvonne: And most people don't do that today either.
Alice: No, they don't - but Spanish speakers from all over the world are recordingthemselves reading Don Quixote out loud, which means more people arelearning about and can listen to this classic.
Yvonne: And that's a good thing – plus, I think it must be fun listening to all thosedifferent voices reading it.
Alice: And lots of different accents.
Yvonne: Hmmm – really nice.
Alice: What about other classics? Here's what a few of our colleagues had to sayabout what they've read – or rather, what they haven't!
Extract 2: BBC Learning English colleaguesMAN: I read a lot of Dickens and I even read Moby Dick when I was at school -and I think I am one of the few people who's ever read Don Quixote.
WOMAN: Well, I’ve read quite a few classics, mainly English classics like ThomasHardy and Jane Austen. However I did try to read James Joyce’s Ulyssesand actually carried it around on holiday with me for 6 weeks once - and Istill didn’t manage to get through it!
Alice: Ah-ha – so we've found someone who's read lots of classics and has even readDon Quixote!
Yvonne: Good – the Royal Spanish Academy will be extremely pleased.
Alice: They certainly will, although he read the translation of it in English. He's alsoread Moby Dick, an American classic about a whale.
Yvonne: Now I've never been able to finish reading that!
Alice: Well, unlike many of us, our other colleague has done rather well - althoughshe hasn't managed to finish the Irish classic, Ulysses.
Yvonne: Well, that's not exactly relaxing reading, is it?
Alice: No, it’s not really holiday reading I think. Now earlier on, Yvonne, I asked:
which is the UK's favourite book? You thought it was Harry Potter and theGoblet of Fire – which is a good guess, but it's Lord of the Rings by JRRTolkien. He wrote the book between 1937 and 1949 - mainly during theSecond World War.
Yvonne: Now that is amazing. I couldn't concentrate long enough to write a book -during a war. No way!
Alice: No, it’s probably because now, we live in ‘a sound bite culture’ and need ‘bitesize chunks’! Well, that's all for today's 6 Minute English. Join us again soonfor more.
Both: Goodbye! |