this post was submitted on 15 Aug 2023
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Fiction Books
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I managed to avoid that one. But I never saw the point of The Old Man and the Sea or Flowers for Algernon. And much as I love Shakespeare now, it’s in spite of the required reading list in high school, not because of it. (Honestly, who thinks the tragedies are appropriate for underage readers?)
Shakespeare has been compulsory for pupils aged 11-14 in British state schools since 1989. The four plays most frequently studied across all age groups are Macbeth, Romeo and Juliet, Hamlet, and King Lear, and the plays most frequently studied by 11 and 12 year olds are A Midsummer Night's Dream, Macbeth, and The Merchant of Venice.
So in answer to your question, British people think the Tragedies are appropriate for underage readers.
And all the female parts in Shakespeare plays were originally played by boys.
ETA: 11 and 12 year olds.
No, all Brits don’t think that any more than all Americans think it. But curriculum developers and legislators appear to think it.
A Midsummer Night’s Dream is my favorite of all Shakespeare’s works. Macbeth is a close second. I can’t stand Romeo and Juliet and I’m at best ambivalent about Julius Caesar. Ironically, I think I might like R&J if it were presented at a more appropriate grade level. But then, it still wouldn’t be a love story but a tale of the adult romantic relationship between a 15- and a 12-year-old in which six people died.
Please don’t think I’m picking on Shakespeare. There are plenty of authors I loathe because well-meaning but ham-fisted teachers demanded that I read them at an inappropriate time (Hemingway, Fitzgerald, and Steinbeck leap immediately to mind).
I think Shakespear makes some sense at least, his works have had a profound impact on literature and culture as a whole
I agree completely. But his works are also profoundly inappropriate for many younger audiences. And they aren’t meant to be read; they’re best understood when presented on stage.
Of course, I also think that any work so dull it has to be on a required reading list to sell copies isn’t worth the time. This makes teaching an intro lit course challenging. :)
I think that young readers should be challenged and be brought out of their comfort zone during high school. High school is the last of not the only time they will have the possibility to safely explore difficult concepts, such as the one presented in Shakespeare’s tragedies. As much as I would like the opposite to be true, I don’t think the goal of high school literature classes is to make students enjoy reading, but to give them the tools to later be able to read high literature, and understand it at a deeper level.
Then, I agree that plays should be played and not read.
I have to disagree about forcing anyone out of their comfort zone. It’s up to the person to decide when or whether they’re ready; it’s not up to a teacher and certainly not up to a state curriculum committee.
I can’t imagine the universe where adults are not better prepared to safely challenge themselves after high school. If anyone else deliberately caused emotional distress to children and young adults, sometimes excessively, in a setting where they have literally no choice but to endure it, we’d have them up on charges. And rightly so.
I’ve seen too many people have their love of reading, and indeed of learning, irrevocably ruined by well-meaning but ham-fisted teachers. That’s the real tragedy because it’s unnecessary.
It’s probably obvious by now that while I love reading and am an educator, I’m not a fan of most public school systems. I hate book bans and legislative interference in the classroom, but I’m absolutely sympathetic to parents who are frustrated and simply trying to protect their kids.
I have been thinking about your comment for a while. Please let me know if I am misunderstanding your position: difficult and potentially uncomfortable questions and topics should not be presented to teenagers because they would be uncomfortable and therefore not like to read those works. Thus we should leave those works for self-discovery during adult years.
You're not misunderstanding. It isn't the state's place to tell children that their families and values are wrong.
If we're going to get into those weeds, it should be balanced. For example, if we're going to require Diary of a Young Girl, then we should also require Mein Kampf. If we're going to require Atlas Shrugged, then we should also require "The Communist Manifesto". That, I expect, would go over about like a lead balloon.
There are some key elements on which I have to disagree with you. I think that reading a book is totally different from saying that the values in that book are right. I also disagree that “Diary of a Young Girl” (a memoir) is in the same category as “Mein Kampf” (a political manifesto). I would put it in the same category as “Commandant in Auschwitz” (also a memoir, from a SS). And incidentally, both of them were required reads in my high school, and I support them still being mandated.
I think the goal of end-of-high school literature class is not to encourage kids to read, that should have been achieved earlier. At this late point the goal is to form the kids as individuals, by giving them the critical tools to understand the world around them. That is achieved by showcasing the largest amount of opinions and situations possible. Tragedies for that are great, because they are often based on the contraposition of ideals: Machbet has to decide between hospitality and greed, and then deal with the consequences. Romeo and Juliet have the choice between love and their families honors. Contrasting ideals of the time.
I also think that playing with these concepts in a safe environment, dealing with fictional characters, is a good test run for when these same kids will be presented with similar ethical choices. While I understand your statement about avoiding making kids uncomfortable, I disagree on its application in this context. Shielding kids from unhappiness is doing them a disservice. We should absolutely avoid inflicting unnecessary pain, but philosophical discussions are necessary, in particular with kids on the verge of adulthood.