First Entry

      When we found out today that The Reader was going to contain some “sexually explicit” material both in the text and in the film, I wondered why it was a big deal after reading The Sense of an Ending. The fact is, however, that this novel is different from that of Julian Barnes’ because while her work included a few sex scenes, they were not nearly as detailed and vulgar as they are in this novel. Moreover, in relation to tonight’s reading specifically, I have really enjoyed the author’s style thus far. I feel as if Michael and Hanna are indirectly characterized by their behaviors towards one another in a way that is almost flawless. The relationship between the two is one that is extremely interesting because they seem to be very different when we are first introduced to them. The audience would probably think that Michael would fall in love with Hanna and later get rejected. As the plot moves along though, we find that Hanna is actually just as weird and creepy about Michael as he is about her. I’m particularly interested to see which scenes are excluded in the movie because I feel as if every scene adds to the awkward nature of both characters which ultimately embodies their whole relationship that unfortunately comes to an end. The last idea that I would like to discuss involves a text to text comparison between The Reader and the “day in the life” short story that we read early on this year that followed a “reader”. In the story, the reader has to decide whether to give up his passion for reading to initiate a sexual relationship with a girl at the beach. Similarly, the novel involves a “reader” who manipulates his passion to actually read literary works to the woman he is falling for. Overall, I believe that the novel has a lot to offer because it is actually entertaining to see such peculiar characters in their everyday lives. In addition, I hope to see Hanna return later in the novel because I believe that she is a great source of entertainment for the audience.