Quote:
Originally Posted by HarryT
I wonder how many children have been put off his works by having them "force fed" to him in school?
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Me, for example.
I was reading almost a book a day while I was in school, yet, I can't remember a SINGLE "compulsory" book I was forced to read giving me smallest amount of pleasure. I haven't be able to overcome my distaste for Dickens and classics (and ESPECIALLY classics written by authors of my nationality) in general ever since.
I can not understand this policy of force feeding books that are generally not appreciated by young people.
Pupils should be offered books that would make them to want to read. You can introduce them to great works of literacy later. Gently. Gradually.
Even as I was adult, almost thirty years old, I was forced to read some classics "of my choice", as a compulsory reading for my "English Language State Exam". At that time I had had read several hundred books in English, but those did not count. They force you to read "classics" - understand books that your teachers have read (or that were force-fed to them while they were in school), so they can ...aehmmmm... "discuss" the book with you during exam. No. Even authors like Terry Pratchett, James Clavell, or even JRR Tolkien (gasp!!!) do not count.
So I have "voluntarily" selected from the library of old, Soviet printed "students classics edition" Moonstone by Wilkie Collins ... and had to force myself to read. Every. Single. Page.
Many people tell me that Dickens was a great author, and if I keep hearing this for several more years, and I run out of other free content for my reader, I might, perhaps, one day, ...