While I have never had a blog before, I find this whole process rather difficult. However, lets see how things go in this new adventure.
If I had to characterize myself as a reader of literature, it would not stray far away from the description we reached in class. I enjoy getting comfortable with a book and immersing myself into it completely. A good book really can just take me away from everything that’s beating down upon me.
I came to truly love literature as a history undergrad student. In my courses we covered many classic works from all over the globe. As a student, I was always interested in the passage of time; however, I came to find that I was more interested in how the events of time were recorded through literature. I learned that analyzing works was rewarding in itself without the requirement of some historical research paper.
As far as choice of reading goes, I like a lot of different things. I would have to say my favorite time period is Medieval, and perhaps even some Early Modern. I fell in love with the Anglo-Saxon language when I studied it as an undergrad. Although it looks coarse, i hear a subtle beauty in it: especially the poetry. One of my favorite parts of their poetry was their obsession with alliteration rather than rhyme. I found that feature very alien and interesting. Needless to say, I am a huge fan of Beowulf. Additionally, I really like Yvain, Judith, Gawain, and a lot of the hagiographies. One also cannot study medieval stuff without giving Chaucer and his couplets their due. As for the early modern period, I have read Paradise Lost and Paradise Regain’d countless times. While I am not particularly religious, Milton’s work spoke to me. His skill was unbelievable, and I personally believe more people would read the Bible if John Milton had put together an edition.As for being a reader in the information age, I still prefer the old trusty paper book. However, the information age has brought about incredible tools to facilitate research. Whether these tools are online works themselves, or search engines into academic journals, both can help to quickly find sources that may have otherwise been missed.I am not a particular fan of the blogging phenomenon. Despite my own opinion, I can understand why it is appealing. The social network sites were at one time appealing to me, but then i realized 4-6 friends was already too many!

Personally, the best result of the information age is the speed that news can be carried around the world. All biases aside, it is nice to be able to hear about events almost as soon as they occur. This is where I consider myself a reader in the information age. I like to read the news daily on the computer. Even though I still like to read the printed paper, I can find some missing stories on the web.

Overall, reading literature is something I do to relax and to stimulate my brain. Perhaps, i do it to take me away from reality for a bit. Reading in the information age is done to keep me grounded in the world I live in.