Republic of Noise ― The Loss of Solitude in Schools and Culture

"In this book, Diana Senechal confronts a culture that has come to depend on instant updates and communication at the expense of solitude. Schools today emphasize rapid group work and fragmented activity, not the thoughtful study of complex subjects. TheInternet offers contact with others throughout the day and night; we lose the ability to be apart, even in our minds. Yet solitude plays an essential role in literature, education, democracy, relationships, and matters of conscience. Throughout its analyses and argument, the book calls not for drastic changes but for a subtle shift: an attitude that honors solitude without descending into dogma"-- Provided by publisher.

Diana Senechal holds a Ph.D. in Slavic languages and literatures from Yale; her translations of the Lithuanian poetry of Tomas Venclova have appeared in two books, Winter Dialogue and The Junction. A former New York City public school teacher, she has written for numerous education blogs and magazines.