Grey Reads: The Fir Tree (Patreon)

Dear Listener,

I never expected to do another story for 'Grey Reads', for when trying to select stories I looked for those that could be read word-for-word, unmodified as the author intended.

But this requirement excluded nearly everything in the public domain, for that which is written more than a hundred years ago, let alone two hundred or more, limited by our English of today is difficult both to read and to listen to. 

Language is always evolving, and as it does, the past becomes further away from us than years alone might suggest.  This is a problem I'm long familiar with in reading historical documents, anything before the eighteenth century borders on another language when attempting to comprehend it's true meaning.  With stories, more-so.

Nonetheless, I stumbled upon The Fir Tree a story I wanted to read, yet had too many anachronisms that would, for students in particular, make needlessly difficult the understanding of certain parts.  

Then I thought of the times, very occasional, I was called upon to read a story to a group of students in my teaching days.  Never then did I feel a requirement to read the exact words as authored.  The written and spoken word are two different mediums, the reaction of an audience different again from that of a solitary reader.  

So I decided for The Fir Tree, and if I ever do another reading, to treat 'Grey Reads' as though I were again reading to a group of students, making changes for the sake of comprehensibility on the fly, skipping the boring or superfluous parts.  

I still haven't got the knack of reading in the style of an audiobook, but I think this is at least a bit better than my past attempts for this decision.  

Merry Christmas.

-Grey