Varislintu wrote:We at least usually got these lists in Swedish & Literature class, from where we could pick a book to read for class. I felt that was a really good system. The teacher usually organised them into loose genres, and even if sci-fi or fantasy was never on the list per se, there was almost always a "classic dystopy" section. I usually picked that.
So I read 1984, Brave New World, Fahrenheit 451, A Handmaid's Tale, Lord of the Flies, etc.
Sometimes they let us pick books, but most of the time it was from a list, although sometimes we could bring something not on the list and have the teacher approve of it. That said, I still hated to be forced to read something, it'd still decrease my enjoyment of the book. Guess I'm just a rebel on the inside or something, but I don't like being told to read or when to finish the book by. That said, I may not mind as much now since it's more of a habit in general.
Hoogstwaarschijnlijk wrote:Yeah, it's very sad when literature classes do that with people (but sometimes understandable). Reading is so much fun, school should make you enthousiastic for these kind of things, in stead of turning people off. I really believe that it's possible to give good literature classes which make people want to read more in stead of less.
Yeah, it's sad but school did turn me away from some subjects, at least temporarily. I also think the type of literature class that will make a person want to read more will depend on the student. While more analytical classes and ones focused on the classics may fit for some, I hated those. I'd rather read what I want (some of it will not engage any form of higher thought at all) and not focus on pleasing someone with some answer about symbols and deep meaning that I bullshitted.
loqu wrote:You can't make 14-year-olds read the "adventures" of some kids in a rural place in the post-war Spain and expect them to enjoy it. It's more fun to watch flies flying through the room in the summer.
This but about a lot of things. I've had a few people tell me the reason I thought
A Tale of Two Cities was a boring piece of shit was because I read it in the 8th grade (we were the "advanced" class). Well, who the fuck decided to make 13 and 14 year olds read this shit then? I think they should at first try and get you hooked on reading (through whatever means necessary, even if it's not the "classics" some dumbfuck English teachers loves) then try and have them analyze it. If they start off not liking it, it's going to be much harder in the long run. Actually, I did love reading at one point before school turned me off to it. I devoured
Harry Potter books,
A Series of Unfortunate Events, and
Left Behind* in elementary and middle school. Probably some more I forgot about too.
I also think making people take literature/writing classes like that every year and up into college is bullshit. When the hell am I going to do this type stuff in the real world? Never, not with the field I'm going into (or any of the ones I've ever thought about going into).
@Johanna: I did like
To Kill a Mockingbird.
*Popular books about the Rapture based on the book of Revelations. I read the kids' version; I was a bit more religious then.