The Search For Marginalia

Marginalia is a way people remember or reflect parts of books. One does this by underling, circling, or highlighting memorable lines, writing words or responses to a piece of text in the margins, or by recording important page numbers somewhere on the book. Sam Anderson believes marginalia is important because it is how a reader connects with a book. He also finds it important because marginalia is its own form of literature. Marginalia connects the reader to the text because, the reader is analyzing and recording their reactions, questions, or any other feeling they have for what they are reading. If one marks up a book then gives it to their friend to read, this friend would not only be reading the book, but the insight the previous reader has recorded.
This gets the reader interested because most people have played monopoly before. On the first page of the story it becomes clear that this is not just a story about some game of monopoly, but in fact it’s much more. “Marvin Gardens is the one color-block Monopoly property that is not in Atlantic City.” Throughout the story the author is talking about what all the squares on the board are like in real life, however he does not mention Marvin Gardens until the very end. He does this because every other block on the board is located in Atlantic City, and these places are run down and poor. Marvin Gardens is not in the city and is “the ultimate outwash of monopoly, is a citadel and sanctuary of the middle class.”, which means that Marvin Gardens is a relatively nice place unlike the other spots