The comment we've been hearing most often is "How on earth did you whittle all the world's great literature down to a mere ten books?" OK-perhaps not worded exactly that way, but the gist is, what criteria did you use? So, here is our methodology.
First, we started with the titles that were submitted by staff. From those titles, we eliminated the few titles that have not yet withstood the test of time. There were not many, but those we eliminated. Then we looked seriously at the titles that had been submitted by more than one person. But even then, we were looking at more than 10 books. Some titles were favored by one or the other committee person, so we discussed and each gave in on a title or two. Finally, we metaphorically threw darts at all the titles pasted on a dartboard, and thereby decided the final choices. Very scientific, no?
Although all of the books are classics, are they suitable for the newer generation?
ReplyDeleteIn a generation of instant everything, "been there done that" mentality, are these books that speak to them?
Would high schoolers or junior high students enjoy reading these books? I certainly didn't. In fact, out of the 10 books, I've read 5 (I can't count having read the bible, since I'm only familiar with the parts I've heard in Church).
I've never read The Great Gatsby, The Jungle Books, Pride and Prejudice or To Kill a Mockingbird. I've also never read Grapes of Wrath, Of Mice and Men, Flowers for Algeron or any other supposed classics.
Most students would tell you that these books are unrelatable. Is that true? Probably.
There are Clique series books and Harry Potter books that speak more to how they feel.
I read Catcher in the Rye,the Graduate and On the Road by Kerouac and thought how I didn't have anything in common with any of those stories.
1984 is more relatable since we have so much government oversight and a feeling of big brother is watching with cameras and wire taps and instant access to everyone.
In fact, I have yet to hear of an author that everyone says, "wow, he or she really gets me". I understand a retort will be the kite runner or million little pieces. Good books? I guess. But can I relate to those stories? How many people do they really speak to?
Summer after summer, you see the same tired (for me anyway) books on summer reading lists.
Just once I would like to see the teachers put books on their lists by popular, current authors and let students read to enjoy. If you're going to ask them to read during the summer, at least let it be mindless stuff.
If they enjoy the mindless fluff, who knows, maybe they'll want to read the other stuff when school starts.
Interesting. For a few years the teen librarians in this area submitted their picks for summer reading to the high school district. Almost without exception these fresh, age-appropriate, critically acclaimed books were rejected in favor of the same old, same old, or new books that are not exactly page-turners for teens. I think for teens, I agree with everything you wrote. But for a lifetime, at least some of the classics should be sampled. You might find that now that you are older, there's more there than you thought.
ReplyDeletePaul, first, thanks for writing. You may be right that some of the books on the list are beyond their time. Though I read Catcher in the Rye 40+ years ago in my teens, I didn't see what the big deal was. I much preferred Salinger's Franny and Zooey and some of his Nine Stories.
ReplyDeleteBut per your comment, "There are Clique series books and Harry Potter books that speak more to how they feel," great literature should not always confirm the ways we think and feel, but show us that there are other ways to see things. Maybe literature should make us a bit uncomfortable. Take Huckleberry Finn for instance. Many people think of this as a young adult book. I read it years ago and liked it. More recently, I listened to a recording of it and found it to be darker and deeper than I remembered it. It's much more complex than say The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, with which it shares some characters.
L47, I don't disagree that "classics" should be read or that literature should be a way for people to expand their horizons.
ReplyDeleteMy general point is that we should let kids/adults/teens find books they enjoy reading first.
I would rather readers find their way to the classics as opposed "having to" read them. No fun comes from that and most people don't read the material with an open mind.
Graphic novels and comics would be a great place to start (for people who don't have the love right away) and if/when they want to move on to a more traditional piece of literature, we suggest other books they might like.
I recently recommended Ender's Game to a 13 year old. He loved it, and wanted to know about the rest of the series. He wanted a good book to read. Who knows, from there he might want to read 1984 and understand it's bigger picture implications.
Our jobs as librarians should be introducing people to books they might enjoy and than enhancing their enjoyment with other books and suggestions.
As for Huck Finn, I read it in high school or junior high. I can't remember which. Was it a good story? i guess so. did i notice it being dark? probably not. I grew up reading stephen king at an early age (my mom is a librarian and i spent a lot of time in the library reading).
The books i read now tell tales that are far more horrific than Huck Finn and some are even ripped from the actual news stories.
I might have to read Huck Finn again and see if it's truly complex.
Paul, I'd have to agree with you that school assignments forcing students to ingest classic books has probably put a lot of people off reading.
ReplyDeleteOn the other hand, I agree with E.D. Hirsch, Jr.'s book Cultural Literacy that people should come out of school with a working knowledge of a number of subjects including great literature. By the time students get to college they should have been exposed to most of our 10 books and some other authors such as Hemingway, Emily Dickinson, Shakespeare, etc. I'm afraid that there is no other way of doing this except by assigning these books.
It's a conundrum.