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Talia Franks

Talia Franks is a writer, poet, translator, cosplayer, and podcaster from Massachusetts. They are a co-host and the executive producer for The Wibbly Wobbly Timey Wimey Podcast. When not reading, writing, or translating Talia enjoys hiking, swimming, meditation, spending time with friends and family, indexing their personal library, and trying to find more time in their schedule to read. You can find Talia on Instagram and Twitter as @talia_franks.

4 Comments

  1. Emily
    March 19, 2019 @ 07:14

    Great post! I think there is a lot of truth in this; some people certainly hide behind the theories and books they have read. They quote extracts of text and use complex language, but even then it doesn’t mean they are “intelligent”. Memorising a theory doesn’t make a person well-read – it just means they have a good memory.

    For me, being “well read” means reading diversely. Yes, you can be familiar with critical theories, but you can also be familiar with classics like Dracula and Frankenstein. You can also have read a lot of contemporary works and still be “well read”. An academic who quotes Freud’s The Interpretation of Dreams may look ignorant and foolish if they are asked to give an opinion on the recent winner of the Man Booker Prize. It’s all about perspective, and I honestly believe you can be “well read” in any genre – as long as you’re reading! Happy blogging!

    Reply

    • Talia Franks
      March 19, 2019 @ 11:15

      Thanks! I completely agree re: memorizing theory, and I see what you mean about reading diversely. I feel as though I didn’t always read particularly diversely when I was younger, and it’s something that I’ve been trying to fix, and something that every much inspired this post. Though as you say, it really is all about perspective. Thanks again for sharing your thoughts!

      Reply

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    April 5, 2019 @ 06:01

    […] talked a couple weeks ago about what it means to be well-read, and in that context, it can seem strange for me to insist on something being mandatory reading for […]

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    July 17, 2020 @ 21:57

    […] talked a couple weeks ago about what it means to be well-read, and in that context, it can seem strange for me to insist on something being mandatory reading for […]

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