Silence.

I love being a Studio Art major. I really do. But here is what bothers me with my studio classes and, particularly, my lit class this semester:

A book is art. It took time to write, to compose, to fine-tune, to edit a million times, and to be published. It should be given time when read. It is not something you should have to skim because you are asked to read 200 pages in two days. It is not something that should be sparknote'd because you really do not have the time to read it in the short amount of time that is given to you. To skim a novel is to listen to a CD on fast forward. It is to watch a movie by only going through key images from every scene with a few moments of dialogue. It is to experience a museum by running through it with sunglasses on. To read a novel in such a rush takes away the experience, the awe, the sense of attachment to the characters and plot -- it destroys the concept of a book, and of art. Art is meant to be experienced thoroughly. It unfolds with time, reveals itself when given a proper amount of attention. It is loaded with details that come forward with a second, third, even fourth look. So then why are we forced to read eight 18th century British novels in one semester? Are we really getting more out of skimming eight? Wouldn't we actually appreciate the novels more if had the opportunity to take our time, to fall in love with every page, to make the trip that the author wanted us to make? Yes. Yes we would. But this is our society. Fast-paced, utilitarian, goal-oriented. There is no wandering, no silence, no time to appreciate the fine details. And that's fine when you're taking economics. It's fine when you're taking public relations. It's fine when you're taking advertising. Such is the nature of these careers. 

But I'm a freaking art major. Come to terms with who I am, and, please, let me take my time.