Hey, Someone Else Who Hates Literary Analysis!

August 27, 2008

This is an interesting article in the Washington Post. Makes me wonder if they hate literary analysis as much as I do.

Here is what the author, Nancy Schnog, says:

I’ll never forget what one parent, bemoaning his daughter’s aversion to great books after she took AP English Literature, wrote to me: “What I’ve seen teachers do is take living, breathing works of art and transform them into dessicated lab specimens fit for dissection.”

As someone who teaches in private schools, I find this especially painful to acknowledge. I haven’t been constrained in my teaching methods by Standards of Learning or No Child Left Behind testing. But even where teachers are free to design their own “best practices,” I’ve been amazed at the chasm between their sense of purpose in their curricular choices and teens’ sense that what they choose for them is irrelevant. Ironically, kids’ turn-off to books can originate in teachers’ hopes of turning them on.

Hmmmmm. I think I’ll stick with my guns, and just say again that it’s the LOVE of reading that matters. The author’s conclusion is that we shouldn’t beat kids up with literary analysis, and we should encourage them to read books they will love.

If that means an end to business as usual — abolishing dry-bones literature tests, cutting back on fact-based quizzes, adding works of science fiction or popular nonfiction to the reading list — so be it. We can continue to alienate teen readers, or we can hear them, acknowledge their tastes, engage directly with their resistance to serious reading and move gradually, with sensitivity to what’s age-appropriate, toward the realm of great literature.

Read the rest of my series:

I Hate Literary Analysis – Part 1
I Hate Literary Analysis – Part 2
I Hate Literary Analysis – Part 3
I Hate Literary Analysis – Part 4

signature Hey, Someone Else Who Hates Literary Analysis!

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31 Comments »

J W says:

Amen! It’s never ceased to amaze me that while only a miniscule percentage of the population actually earns a living from reviewing literature, every school child is expected to be good at it. Not to mention all the GREAT authors I missed out on (including Jane Austen) in favor of absolute wretched drivel that should never have earned the label “classic!”

August 27th, 2008 at 7:43 pm
Yvonne says:

Hmmm…well I think that if a teacher helps students hate literary analysis there is one simple reason: They don’t know how to do it!

Our family discusses books as we read them. We look for hidden messages as we go. We explore the various elements and how that influences/adds to the storyline. Literary analysis is one of our favorite activities. But I don’t do it the way my boring English teachers taught it to me. Done that way, I agree that it’s absolutely dreadful.

August 28th, 2008 at 4:17 am
Lee says:

Hi Yvonne,
I think book discussion is a wonderful thing (although I personally couldn’t get many words out of my own children.) But when I think of literary analysis, I’m not thinking about a normal kitchen table discussion. I’m thinking about worksheets, tests, quizzes, and essays. I think that’s why the words “literary analysis” really fills me with dread. I would have LOVED to have a discussion about literature with my kids.
Blessings,
Lee

August 28th, 2008 at 5:18 am
Yvonne says:

Yep, I hear you…I don’t think worksheets, tests, quizzes and essays are helpful at all. I’m right there with you, Lee!

August 28th, 2008 at 3:58 pm
J W says:

My absolute favorite literature class was in college – and in a foreign language! There were all of 6 people in this college senior level class reading in the original language. Not drivel, either – good, solid pieces that made you think. It was easily the toughest literature course I’ve ever taken, but the only one I truly loved. We could get really deep into discussion because of the small class size. We wrote a few short essays and had one long paper at the end of the semester, but the bulk of the grade came from daily participation. It would have been obvious if anyone had been goofing off. There’s some lessons in this for me as a home school teacher.

August 28th, 2008 at 4:09 pm
Nathania Johnson says:

My son, who we think has Asperger’s, hates to read. This is common among Aspies, who are visual thinkers – they think in pictures! So, I try not to worry about his reading at all.

I do try to have the kids watch movies and play video games that are related to literature. We have Charlie and the Chocolate Factory as well as Charlotte’s Web video games (my kids are 5th and 6th grade).

My daughter, however, loves to read. I just try to build on their strengths!

September 3rd, 2008 at 3:46 am
The HomeScholar Helper » This Is My Guinea Pig… says:

[...] in literary analysis, LOL! I always WANTED to be good at it, but I never was. Here is my series of blog posts, so you can read and decide for [...]

October 2nd, 2008 at 6:30 pm
S.K. says:

I read all 4 parts of your posts. I agree with you! Amen

The only book that is worth to “think deeply” and “dig” what is the meaning of it is the Bible.

August 16th, 2009 at 4:34 am
April E. says:

Thank you! My daughters love to read, but I hate literary analysis, too. My oldest is in 9th grade this year and I kept telling myself I needed to start doing more analysis with her. It’s good to see another, more relaxed, and natural perspective.

October 14th, 2009 at 11:24 am
Renee Zeliff says:

I really agree with adding different reading preferences to our child’s list.

I found that my son struggled with reading in the early years because he simply found the material boring. Once I allowed him to mix in some titles that he enjoyed his love for reading took off.

Now in High School, I can really see his own writing style and analysis of the material taking shape. He just completed an 8 page short story and loved every moment of writing it.

I say, encourage your kids to read in the area that they are interested in. Mix in some of the classics and allow their own style to shine through. It might just amaze you on how much they really do comprehend.

October 23rd, 2009 at 8:46 am
Lois says:

This is an interesting post. I always loved to read, so I always looked forward to reading the books teachers assigned. Then we’d have to answer questions like: “What is the author trying to say…..” or “How do you think so-and-so would have handled the crisis?” I never did ace those tests, as it involved too much subjectivity and speculation.

The only literary analysis I did successfully with my kids was during a read-aloud. I’ll tell you what it is, because we all thought it was a horrid book and an enormous disappointment considering the other books the author wrote. “Danny, the Champion of the World,” by Roald Dahl. The boy and his father have a good relationship it seems, but the boy discovers his dad poaches. He thinks there must be something wrong with it, but his father takes him along on a hunt. They actually go onto private property and steal the turkeys (I think it was). The father justifies everything, and at the end we find the sheriff and the minister are also involved. There was no repentance or consequences for this behavior, and the father taught his son to do wrong. My kids were only about 10 and 8, and I just about didn’t finish reading it, but we discussed what makes a good story, and how to analyze situations, how to make decisions, etc. We also dug into the Bible to see what it had to say about all the elements we saw.

It’s funny that it was a BAD book that we analyzed, but we’ve read hundreds of excellent books that we just enjoyed (or not.)

December 18th, 2009 at 10:55 am
Susan Mueller says:

I’m a “veteran” homeschool mom who absolutely hated history when I was in school. I put up with the high school literature courses, but didn’t enjoy them. When I homeschooled, we used a living books history/literature curriculum and guess what my favorite subject was to teach.

Most of my sons developed into good writers and have great comprehension skills. I attribute that to using fascinating and engaging literature.

March 16th, 2010 at 7:38 pm
Susan Mueller says:

I’m a “veteran” homeschool mom who absolutely hated history when I was in school. I put up with the high school literature courses, but didn’t enjoy them. When I homeschooled, we used a living books history/literature curriculum and guess what my favorite subject was to teach.

Both of my sons developed into good writers and have great comprehension skills. I attribute that to using fascinating and engaging literature.

March 16th, 2010 at 7:41 pm
Dena says:

I have recently started homeschooling my 5th grade son who slept 2 hours each afternoon for the first two weeks at home from being so overly exhausted from school (we have never done nightly activities because he’s so tired). He has told me his favorite part of homeschooling is reading time because he is able to truely hear the story not be asked 20 questions about it. He is not an independent avid reader yet, but is learning to love literature for literature. Thank you Lee, I agree with you.

April 23rd, 2010 at 12:37 pm
Sarah says:

We just finished literature course based on Veith’s “Learning to Love Literature”. It was full of discussion and all my 3 teen boys enjoyed it very much so. The linguist amongst them is pursuing literature further. I have kept classical literature in the home for the most part only and the boys love all the classics. Now and again they will read a non-classic and are amazed at the difference of the richness in the writing.

Sarah
Sarah´s last [type] ..Discerning Between The Regenerate & The Unregenerate.

June 13th, 2010 at 1:46 pm
KB says:

This is SO true! I changed college majors because they took wonderful stories and poems and ripped them to shreds and sucked all of the joy from my soul.

Because of that experience our Language Arts/ Reading has consisted of reading books aloud, or sharing series we all love and fight over who gets the new book first. I cannot bear to spoil their love of reading. We do not do book reports or worksheets, vocabulary lists or other repugnant and repetitive busy-work.

For entering High School I did get Teaching the Classics: A Socratic Method by Adam and Missy Andrews. So we shall see how that goes.

Thank you for this timely set of articles.

June 15th, 2010 at 1:41 pm
Jennifer says:

As a homeschool mom, I was once looking into things that would help me do Literary Analysis with my children. As I was flipping through the curriculums, my school years came flooding back. At 40 years old I finally realized why I hated to read until, well into my adult years. I put the curriculum down, picked up a classic and began reading it to my children.
Now, we read aloud as a family. Sometimes one of the kids will sneak the book to bed with them to read ahead. Generally the book discussion is spontaneous and we usually find a movie based on the classic we read. Our discussions will usually compare the book to the movie. It just works for us this way.

July 10th, 2010 at 7:49 pm
Chris says:

This article came out just in time!! Just THIS WEEK, I was hyperventilating about what curriculum (christian, hopefully, ) does literary analysis.? Then when I got the book I thought I wanted, I wanted to repost it & try to sell it. Good thing I bought it off e-bay- not at full price.
My son already hates reading & so I’ve put off showing him this overwhelming book.
I’m definately going back to Charlotte Mason- let him read the classics. Then, I remember, he’s only in 8th grade!! Great job Homescholar!!

September 10th, 2010 at 3:31 pm
Lee says:

Thanks for sharing, and leaving your comments!
Blessings,
Lee

September 10th, 2010 at 3:34 pm
karen says:

I like to discuss a book but not dig deep into it. I just don’t see the point.

October 18th, 2010 at 8:09 am
Andi Bowen says:

Lee,
I absolutely agree! I have always loved to read but I hated having to read and analyze my literature class books. I had a wonderful and engaging teacher who would discuss the books and even took us to see a production of “Hamlet on Roller Skates”. You could tell that he loved teaching literature. The tests and essays were more standard, though. I would not even read most of the novels and just skim a copy of Cliff Notes instead. I hated the broken down chapter by chapter assignments and trying to find the meaning of every detail in the book. I just wanted to read it straight through. I have even dreaded teaching high school literature in home school because I didn’t want to drain the love of reading from my kids. I am now more encouraged in knowing that others also continue to teach reading the way we do in the younger grades even when they reach high school. They won’t have to dread the great books- they may even enjoy them! Nor will they lose that wonderful love of reading that I have worked so hard to cultivate.
I’ve enjoyed all of the materials I have received from you and passed along several of your links to my home schooling friends.
Thanks!
Andi

October 19th, 2010 at 1:50 pm
Lee says:

Thank you for passing along my information!
Blessings,
Lee

October 19th, 2010 at 2:16 pm
Laura says:

I quit “teaching” literature in 5th grade and let my daughter pick books (from a list of classic literature)to read with no formal instruction. She enjoyed this approach and has been a voracious reader over the years. After reading Hamlet, she decided she enjoyed Shakespeare’s tradgedies and comedies and read several of them. At 16, she just took the Analizing and Interpreting Literature CLEP exam and scored very well. She now has 6 english college credits!

I am, however, struggling with teaching my children writing skills. Any help would be appreciate.

Blessings, Laura

November 14th, 2010 at 8:43 pm
Lee says:

Dear Laura,
I’ll post an answer on my blog soon!
Blessings,
Lee

November 17th, 2010 at 2:44 pm
Elisabeth says:

Hi, Lee!

This information is very timely for me. Thank you for emailing a link to this post!!! : ) I’m trying to decide what to do for my son’s reading part of his curriculum. He’s currently 9 years old, and LOVES to be read to and to read on his own. However, writing down answers to questions is absolute torture for him. (He’s a little behind in his spelling/writing skills.) I was thinking of starting him on a reading program that would require him to really analyze the books he’s reading, but if that might kill his love of reading I think I’ll skip it! Are you saying that it’s really okay for him to just read the books, and maybe discuss them with me? (I hope that’s what you’re saying!)

March 3rd, 2011 at 11:36 am
Lee says:

Yes, Elisabeth, that’s my crazy, radical idea! And it worked for me, too!
Blessings,
Lee

March 3rd, 2011 at 11:39 am
Elisabeth says:

That sounds great, Lee! I think it’s true that his love of reading will increase with experiencing the PLEASURE of reading, rather than the tediousness of writing down answers to lots of questions.

Thanks so much for your advice. And, by the way, it seems like most things we do in our family are considered to be crazy and radical compared with the “norm” anyway! So this idea will fit right in. : )

March 3rd, 2011 at 11:59 am
EEEEMommy says:

I enjoyed reading through your links and was so encouraged that the lack of “literary analysis” did not harm your kids in the higher education, and in fact produced a greater love for literature and the classics! That’s superb! My kids love literature now. My son even read through the Anne of Green Gables series (of his own volition)when he was 12 and loved every one. We’ve never done any literary analysis. You didn’t mention poetry, but we also enjoy poetry but never tear it apart the way my high school English teachers did when I was in school. (I HATED that!)

HOWEVER…at the last homeschool convention, THIS was the subject that was tormenting me! I knew that I wanted to read the Odyssey (and similar works) with my son next year (9th grade). For most books, I feel comfortable enough guiding a discussion; the Iliad and the Odyssey intimidate me. I searched through all the literary guides available (Memoria Press etc.) and shuddered at the workbook page formats. Finally, I went to hear Janice Campbell (Everyday Education) speak about teaching literature, and I ended up buying her World Lit guide (Excellence in Literature). It’s so much more my style. I don’t think I need to buy all of them, because I’ve always had a disdain for literary analysis myself despite my love of books (I can’t even tolerate book clubs). But having a little hand-holding for the Greek classics is great! Who knows. We may surprise ourselves and not need them. My only experience with The Odyssey was in my freshman year of high school gifted English class…I’ve never tried to read it as an adult just wanting to enjoy the classics.

Like others have mentioned, I too bought the Teaching the Classics DVD on sale several months ago and plan to work through it with my kids this summer. It seemed like it would be a good way to equip them with the tools of literary analyses so at least they’re aware of them…but then we can choose whether to implement them and with which literary works. We’ll see how it goes, after reading your posts, I’m wondering if we really need to do even that…

Grace and Peace,
Angel
EEEEMommy´s last [type] ..Faith Hope Love Family Card

April 12th, 2011 at 7:46 am
Mirdza Hayden says:

So true!! “We can continue to alienate teen readers, or we can hear them, acknowledge their tastes, engage directly with their resistance to serious reading and move gradually, with sensitivity to what’s age-appropriate, toward the realm of great literature.” Thanks for posting =)

May 4th, 2011 at 9:39 am
Stacy says:

Okay, I’m stepping out on a limb here, but I love this part! I equate it with a book club’s discussion after reading a juicy book — you just can’t help wanting to talk it through! With my kids, we draw a picture of the plot, talk about possible themes the author was trying to convey, and what we thought of the characters (did they change? grow? or what?). I think like any subject, how we teach can either inspire or discourage. And since I love the chance to talk out what I’ve read, this is the best part to me!

(Now science is another story…)

May 23rd, 2011 at 4:06 pm
Esteri says:

After watching “The Art of Reading” from the Great Courses (highly recommend), we adopted the instructor’s recommendation. You have to give the book 50 pages. If it hasn’t grabbed you in 50 pages, it’s OK to put it away. If you are thinking, “eh, maybe” at 50 then give it 100 pages. I think knowing there’s an “out” makes our son approach books he might not otherwise choose with a more open mind.

This approach has already got him through his first “classic”. He’s used to the rip roaring start of modern writing. Adjusting to the slower start of most classics will take some exposure. And “The 50 page Rule” helps get over that hump.

As for more modern classics – I can’t wait for him to be ready for a really serious Civics discussion (still a couple of years away). We’ll be reading Robert Heinlein’s “Starship Troopers”. Now there’s a book that makes you sit up and go “Hum.”

May 25th, 2011 at 8:42 am