Quote:
Originally Posted by HarryT
Not at all. The purpose of teaching literature is to instil in children at least a portion of our cultural heritage. Modern novels have not been around long enough for time to decide whether or not they will become a part of that heritage.
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I never thought of teaching literature to be about cultural heritage...that's what the history, civics, etc classes are for. The literature classes I took in high school were more about how to deconstruct the books to find themes and symbolism. I wish the classes HAD included some sort of discussion of history and cultural heritage...I probably would have enjoyed them more. As it was, if I hadn't already been a diehard reader it would have been enough to make me not ever want to read another book.
Stories are magic. Just like magic loses a lot of it's appeal once you figure out the trick, once you deconstruct stories, they are no longer enjoyable--just words on a page. (at least in my opinion--I know that there are lots of people who enjoy the deconstructing more than the show/story...that's just not for me. I live for and look for the magic in everything.)
Shari