The Case of the Disappearing Classics?
Wednesday August 9, 2006
School boards sometimes have difficult decisions to make when they determine the reading list for schools. They must sift through the mounds of potential candidates, and decide what books are important for the academic development of students. But, sometimes, the decision isn't really all that hard...According to BBC News, there was speculation about the possible disappearance of "great" books from reading lists. But, classics (including works by Charles Dickens and George Eliot) aren't going anywhere. In the article, Alan Johnson (Education Secretary) says, "We must encourage children to read English classics which have stood the test of time and for which there should always be time to test." This debate/controversy brings up questions for schools elsewhere as well. Is there a danger that we'll miss out on some of the greatest books--simply because there's a lack of space on a reading list? What classics do you fear will disappear from lists? What classics do you believe will always remain on every reading list?
Comments
Having books on the school reading list, does nothing to induce children to read them, in fact it kills the pleasure of reading entirely. In my high school reading we had Silas Marner by Geortge Eliot, Great Expectations by Charles Dickens and The Mayor of Casterbridge by Thomas Hardy. I hated every one of them. Some time later I vbought a copy of Essays by Albert Camus. A friend of mine who is a voraxious reader ofd thrillers, said, “Why did yopu buy that. That’s school junk” Keep the clasics out of school, then when people meet thm later they may enjoy them.
I would have to partly agree with you Larry because I never enjoyed being forced to read anything, but I have had many friends that loved the classics in school and would never have tried them other than in required reading in school. The secret is a good teacher that can make the book enjoyable.
I, for one, loved the classics, especially in English l01 in college; if you can believe such a thing, my oldest GD, who just graduated from college as an ENGLISH MAJOR had never heard of Thomas Hardy and was forced to read Jane Austen…I would rather have a root canal than read Austen. I read nothing but classics and think children should be exposed to them from an early age. My daughter was reading them when she was nine years old. A great teacher is an asset, but parents who find the time to encourage their children to read the classics are an even better asset..that along with classical music.
I agree that when it comes to literature in schools it is the teacher who makes all the difference. In high school I had a teacher who assigned a list of classics for us to read and then told us to just read the cliff notes because all she really wanted was for us to know about the books. Fortunately in college I took a British literature course with a professor who loved the written word. She opened a whole new world for me. Twenty-five years later I am still thankful to have been in Dr. Zoghby’s class.
I agree that a good teacher is the key to appreciating the classics. I’ve been a book lover since I was in grade school; but I learned to become a better reader, especially of the classics, when I took Great Books under Fr. Galdon in College. His passionate and candid attitude to the books we studied that year made reading even the most difficult books an enjoyable and inspiring experience.
Debates rage about classics. One should examine the curriculum of St. John’s College in Annapolis and Santa Fe. They have revised some of their choices to meet the post-imperialist age.However, the core of the curriculum retains its share of ancient,medieval,English,French,American classics.
I remember thinking in the 9th grade that William Shakespeare had to write the most boring plays in the universe. Had I read any of them? No. I just got the impression they were dull. Then my English class read Julius Ceasar and I was fascinated. I don’t know what others thought during that class when each of us took turns reading that play but I feel in love with Shakespeare’s plays and have read all of them and watched many of them live at the Ashland Shakespeare’s Festival which was not available to me at the time.
The same goes for Sophicles’ plays and even the original Sherlock Holmes stories and many more. I had to read them just once to get interested in them.
Just because they are classics does not mean all of us fall in love with them. I am not a fan of Charles Dickens. I think his stories just are too much for me except in movies, but there are plenty of others that I love that others don’t. I just love the fact that I was exposed to them during those boring classes that turned out to be very exciting to me. I would hate to see the classics die out and for kids never to know the basis for the current books (and television programs as well as movies). It would be a damn shame.