Quote:
Originally Posted by HarryT
Isn't that the whole point of studying literature, though: to teach you how to understand what lies beneath the surface? Take Dickens, for example: most of his books have strong elements of satire and commentary on the social conditions prevalent at the time. A child isn't going to see or understand that unless they're taught to see the "sub-text", so to speak. That's the difference between teaching literature and simply reading for pleasure.
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I remember when we read
To Kill a Mockingbird; my best-ever English teacher showed us so much more in the book than I would have seen on my own and made it a wonderful experience.