Comments on: Can Classics Be “Bad”?

By: jesusangelgarcia

jesusangelgarcia — Sun, 28 Feb 2010 07:22:47 +0000

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.

By: marc nash

marc nash — Fri, 26 Feb 2010 09:27:41 +0000

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 I think it is this that means Classics are still great works of literature, but their formality of language and outdated mores means you don’t have to read them now, if you hanker after more contemporary treatments of our lives.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

By: SX Brase

SX Brase — Wed, 24 Feb 2010 19:06:32 +0000

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.

By: Michelle Wittle

Michelle Wittle — Wed, 24 Feb 2010 18:49:54 +0000

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.

By: Literature! Hurrah! « Culturally Progressive

Literature! Hurrah! « Culturally Progressive — Wed, 24 Feb 2010 15:15:20 +0000

[...] 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 [...]

By: Tanya Paperny

Tanya Paperny — Wed, 24 Feb 2010 15:08:22 +0000

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.

By: Tundra

Tundra — Wed, 24 Feb 2010 02:31:34 +0000

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.

By: Chris D

Chris D — Tue, 23 Feb 2010 22:28:25 +0000

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!!

By: NicoleS

NicoleS — Tue, 23 Feb 2010 19:36:38 +0000

Oh! Oh! What about Harlem Renaissance classics???? Some of those are so great.

By: NicoleS

NicoleS — Tue, 23 Feb 2010 19:33:04 +0000

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?