Wednesday, 5/7/97 Marathon puts ‘fun’ in fund raising Community
invited to participate in ‘Bleak House’ reading
By Brooke Olson Daily Bruin Senior Staff It might be a "Bleak
House", but don’t plan on it being a bleak day. Celebrities, fog
machines and a miniature 19th-century Victorian set will transform
the Sculpture Garden this Thursday at 10 a.m. as UCLA’s English
department presents its second annual Marathon Reading. The
30-hour, nonstop reading of Charles Dickens’ 1853 novel "Bleak
House" is designed to unite the surrounding community as well as
raise money for the English department. The complex novel
encompasses multiple plots, satirizing the English legal system and
presenting social critique. Event coordinators believe the topics
are as apt for discussion in the 1990s as they were in the 1850s.
Charles Dickens never would have imagined his novel would be read
this way – with professional sound systems, "surprise Hollywood
legends" and World Wide Web advertisements – but then again,
Dickens didn’t have to deal with Generation X. In an age of short
attention spans and music videos, event coordinators believe these
tactics are the surest way to appeal to youth. The event has
already attracted the attention of many people across the Western
states. "We’re expecting lots of people … everywhere from Utah
and Arizona all the way up the coast of California," said Greg
Jackson, an English graduate student and project coordinator for
the event. Last year, the department presented Herman Melville’s
"Moby Dick," a 24-hour reading that garnered more than 300
participants, 2,000 spectators, $2,000 and a guest appearance by
Charlton Heston. This year, event coordinators are projecting a
larger, more profitable event. Close to $7,000 will be raised and
nearly 8,000 spectators are expected to attend the event, which
will have each participant reading from "Bleak House" for 5 to 10
minutes. Sean Astin of "Encino Man," his father, John Astin of "The
Addams Family" and "Star Trek: Voyager"’s Kate Mulgrew are just a
few of the celebrities expected to read sections from Dickens’
novel. Spectators are encouraged to bring blankets and sleeping
bags and enjoy a night in the garden, as participants will read by
candles and moonlight throughout the evening. The reading slots are
open to anyone, and event coordinators plan to leave a few spots
available for latecomers. "We’re trying to save some spots for
walk-in readers," Jackson said. "Last year we were booked pretty
full, and people would walk in and say that they just found out
about it. "So, we’re going to save some room each hour for anyone
who wants to read," he added. Student readers are "sponsored" by
various groups, such as businesses, the Alumni Association and the
"Friends of English" – alumni described by coordinators as "big
Dickens fans." Other participants pay up to $50 to help complete
the round-the-clock reading of a single literary work. The funds
are used for travel grants, libraries and scholarly enterprises for
undergraduate and graduate students of English. Students who
attended the event last year commended the reading, noting that it
is a great way to mix entertainment with friendship and bonding.
"Last year, my friend and I set up sleeping bags and spent the
night in the garden and we had a great time … although it was
kind of hard to stay awake the whole time," said Jaime Hanson, a
third-year English student. Event coordinators are already making
plans for the 1998 and 1999 marathon reading sessions. As the last
two years have focused on 19th-century novels, coordinators plan to
present 18th-century literature next year. "We’re thinking of
having something by Fanny Burney or Ann Ratcliffe," Jackson said.
"Whatever the novel is, though, it has to be long – something that
will take more than 20 hours to read." Previous Daily Bruin stories
Singing A Christmas Carol Solo, December 2, 1996