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Connections - Literacy and Cultural Heritage: Lessons from Iceland »

Authors: Darlene E. Weingand, Sigrun Hannesdottir
ISBN-13: 9780810826021, ISBN-10: 081082602X
Format: Hardcover
Publisher: The Scarecrow Press, Inc.
Date Published: December 1992
Edition: (Non-applicable)

Author Biography: Darlene E. Weingand

Book Synopsis

Discusses the reasons for the remarkable, nearly 100%, print literacy rate in Iceland. Numerous tables summarize the interview data and implications for the future.

Booknews

Iceland has been 100% literate for centuries, and Weingand (education, U. of Wisconsin) investigates why, what it means to Icelanders, and what other cultures can learn from them. Drawing on interviews with people ranging from factory workers to publishers, she explores the relationship between being able to read and to take part in the culture, and profiles modern and historical Iceland. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)

	Foreword
	Preface
	List of Tables
Sect. I	The Many Faces of Literacy
1	The Importance of Cultural Literacy	3
	Roots: Connections with Heritage	4
	America, Roots and the Study of Humanities	6
	Connections and the Humanities	15
	Connections: Communications	18
2	Print Literacy: The Ability to Read	21
	Literacy and Language	22
	The Permutations of Literacy	25
	The "Bottom Line"	27
3	Media Literacy: Critical Analysis of What We Hear and See	31
	The Cultural Imperative	31
	Language and the Graphic Record	34
	Technology as an Evolution of Language	38
	Today's Technologies	41
	Social Impacts	49
	The Importance of Critical Analysis	52
Sect. II	The Land and People of Iceland
4	The Setting	57
	A Dramatic Beginning	57
	Portrait of a Landscape	60
5	A Heritage Revisited	68
	A Tale of Diverse Origins	68
	Portrait of a People: A Brief History	71
	Today's Icelanders	78
6	The Literature: A Living, Breathing Transmission of Culture	82
	Icelandic: A Language Spanning Centuries	83
	The Edda: A Mixture of Poetry and Religion	86
	The Sagas: A Merging of Literature and History	87
	Icelandic Folk and Fairy Tales	91
	A Tapestry for All Seasons	95
Sect. III	The Lessons from Iceland
7	Prologue	99
	Background	100
	Methodology	102
8	Language, History and Literature: The Linkages Between Past and Present	113
	Language: An Inter-Cultural Expression	113
	The Legacy of History and Literature	116
	Commentary	125
9	An Examination of Reading: Who, What, When, Where, How and Why	127
	Attitudes Toward Reading	130
	Personal Reading Experiences	134
	Materials Choices and Sources	142
	Reading Time Preferences and Locations	150
	Perceived Impacts on Reading	155
	Reading to Others: Continuation of a Heritage	156
Sect. IV	Implications for the Future
10	From Past to Present: The Impacts of Literacy	163
	The Evidence for Yesterday	164
	The Evidence for Today and Tomorrow	170
	Final Comments: Icelanders Consider the Issues	178
	Summary: The Lessons of Iceland	185
	Chapter Notes	190
	Appendices	200
	Index	205
	About the Author	214

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