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I’m about to start teaching creative writing and composition once a week to a group of 11th and 12th graders in Harlem. Many of them will struggle with basic reading and writing comprehension, but my goal is to get them excited about telling their own stories, but also to respect the craft: to understand that editing is an important part of any artistic process, that attention to details helps the final product, and that constant practice (via writing and reading regularly) can only make their own creative and academic writing better.
So what kind of stuff do I want to encourage them to read in order to get excited about books and about writing their own stories? My mind automatically goes to “the classics,” a list of books many of which I haven’t even read myself (cue the guilt). But are these the best works to get them excited?
The bigger question is this: Is a classic work of literature (fiction and nonfiction included) always “good” writing?
Having studied literature at the undergraduate and graduate level, I know that I fall into the trap of wanting to love works that are “important” just because they are “important.” It’s intimidating to criticize a work that’s widely loved and respected and revered.
But the reality is that we are all different kinds of writers…and readers. We’ll connect with different works. And beyond that, just because something has prestige, doesn’t mean it has literary merit.
That’s the point of the latest anthology from Autonomedia: “The Worst Book I Ever Read.” It’s a gutsy title, and an ever more gutsy collection. The authors take on the most standard works of our cultural commons: from The Bible, to David Sedaris, to Jorge Luis Borges, and admit that they’ve always hated them. It’s a no-holds-barred take on the world of the literary untouchables. Check out a review of the collection here and buy the book here.
Luckily, I’m starting to get to a point where I feel comfortable thinking for myself, liking what I like, and admitting that I don’t like Jane Eyre. A good mix of the contemporary and “classic” sounds like a good place for my students, too.
What a fun thing to do!
While I agree that the classics are important, I also think that it is important to encourage students to read books from all genres. As important as the classics are in shaping current literature, they can be… um… dense, I believe is an appropriate word. And for students that aren’t already into reading hundreds of pages, might not be the best window into how fun reading really is! I’m a total nerd, I know, because to me nothing is more exciting than a new book… even a bad one. But to convince people to read more, I think a decent mix of both is important.
I was a TA in a British Lit survey (Blake to Present) in grad school. One of the most interesting (and influential) moments of that class was when the Professor described the Later Romantics(specifically Wordsworth and Coleridge one or two hit wonders). The class gasped.
I liked this because I partially agree (I’ve never connected with 19th Century British Literature despite many tries).
Another reason I found this interesting is that it’s rhetorically compelling to the students. They don’t expect teachers to say this kind of thing and, as a result, it can provoke some interesting conversation.
I’ve since tried this myself and am generally satisfied with the result.
bloody violent classics like HAmlet and Macbeth usually go down well with the kids. The key thing is not to bore them because they expect Lit class to be boring
I HATED ‘On the Road’ and I’m supposed to love that, right? Then again, I’ve absolutely loved books like ‘Little Women,’ ‘Anna Karenina,’ ‘Jane Eyre,’ and ‘Jude the Obscure.’ I made my mom read ‘Jude the Obscure’ because I just thought it was so amazing and she was tempted to beat me with the book afterward.
I wonder what the result would be if you asked the kids to make a list of 5 books or so that they’ve always wanted to read, but never thought they had the time for or were a bit overwhelmed by?
Oh! Oh! What about Harlem Renaissance classics???? Some of those are so great.
The whole mentality of needing to appreciate the ‘classics’ transcends literature; from music, to restaurants to fine wine, nearly any choice you can make as a consumer can be influenced by hype. It’s classic literature – I know – but it’s still hype. I completely agree that it takes everyone a while to develop confidence in acknowledging their own tastes. I can now be as sure of thinking Pride and Prejudice is a boring piece of classic literature as I am of thinking that Anchor isn’t the best craft brewery. …!!!? No, but really, it’s not.
High school kids are probably more likely to respond (if not ‘like’ than at least respond) to the ‘important’ literature with more overtly engaging or fantastic stories or plot developments. Mmmmmaybe Fahrenheit 451? Along those lines?
In any event, good luck! Really exciting!!
Absolutely. If you can not like things that are hugely popular and everyone loves (Harry Potter and Twilight, I’m looking at you!) then you can critique OLD things that everyone loves and are hugely popular.
“Bad” however, is subjective.
Good point about not liking the new stuff. Because one day, those will be considered “the classics.”
Oh yeah, and the use of the word “bad” was definitely tongue-in-cheek.
[...] started by the talented young fiction writer JK Evanczuk, and I joined about six months ago. My most recent post takes on the institution of literary “classics” : I’m about to start teaching [...]
Hey…I taught a creative writing class to that same age group and I have also worked in the inner city.
I say, stay away from the classics because they are so out of reach for many of these kids. I’m not talking about the reading levels…just the topics are so out of their comfort zones. Let them come to the classics when they are ready to read them.
I found that, as much as it pains me to say it, those Chicken Soup books…the kids loved them because they were kids writing about issues. Find things like that to start hooking them in. Then start peppering in some better writing.
best wishes to you and I would like to hear more about how this goes for you.
As Nicole said, maybe a Harlem renaissance book or two? I read Zora Neale Hurston in high school and she was a lot of fun.
I was a typical boy and never read books but preferred to play sports outdoors. I got into reading through music, bands/songs that cited from literature made me go back to the original sources. So i started reading aged 14/15. By then I didn’t want to catch up on the Classics written 100-150 years earlier. Jane Austen doesn’t speak to me though I can appreciate the finesse of her language (had to study one of hers for exams). I think it is this that means Classics are still great works of literature, but their formality of language and outdated mores means you don’t have to read them now, if you hanker after more contemporary treatments of our lives. I only read late 20th Century & 21st century stuff. I write 21st Century fiction myself. Having no back catalogue of Dickens, Hardy, James, hasn’t seemed to restrict me. And I place an absolute focus on language. Formal and informal, sometimes mixed together in the same sentence.
Dellilo or Thackery … the two cannot be compared. Doesn’t make either of them less than Classic.
marc nash
For teaching high schoolers who struggle with basic reading and writing comprehension, I say, forget the “classics” and give them strange, compelling, contemporary short stories. Aimee Bender comes immediately to mind. I would grab meaty stuff from the online lit mags. Be confrontational, fresh, essential with content and language, but give the kids something they can understand and dissect without too much trouble. Otherwise, you’ll lose them.
However, if you feel the absolute need to mine the classics, then how about Langston Hughes or Zora Neale Hurston? They both have short meat-on-the-bone works that are easy to “get” and yet rich with literary art. Or… “The Yellow Wallpaper” or Ambrose Bierce.
My three cents.