For many, classics seem inaccessible and boring, but who is to blame?
A lot of people struggle to read and understand classic literature, which often leads to a dislike for it.
Considering schools teach and introduce classic literature to kids, is it possible that academia is the reason some people struggle with and dislike the classics? Inaccessibility and bias in academia answers that question with a clear yes.
Academia puts classic literature on an unnecessary pedestal, framing it as better or more refined than other forms. By putting so much stress on teaching the works of Shakespeare, who is known to write in a very different English than what is used today, people feel the need to study Shakespeare to even understand the words.
In K-12 schools, reading is often followed by a quiz or essay, meaning that students are taught to read only with a goal of getting a passing grade.
Reading classic literature does not require hours of lectures; it only takes practice to read the classics. However, by pushing students to perform well when quizzed on them, it becomes a struggle. All of this makes classic literature seem unlikable and inaccessible and students struggle to enjoy or understand reading them.
Looking at reading lists for high schoolers, a lot of the same classics repeat.
There are lists of classics across the internet like Parry Sound Public Library’s video titled “20 Books you should read in high school that are worth reading now,” Alana Domingo’s article “20 American Literary Classics Every High School Student Should Read” and Vero Lecocq’s blog titled “The 31 Best Books to read in High School.”
Looking at these lists, there are multiple repeats, with four classics on all three: each listed The Great Gatsby, The Cather in the Rye, Fahrenheit 451 and To Kill a Mockingbird. All four books are classics that should be taught, but it shows that academia is so limited in its selective list of classics that there are repeats.
In school, students are only exposed to a small percent of classics.
By expanding the list of books taught, schools would allow students to find classics that fit their preference, letting them pick topics they enjoy and avoid repeats.
Another notable point is that most of the books taught in schools in the United States are written by white men and are rarely set beyond the English-speaking world. This isolates students who do not have a similar life experience as the authors that are taught, and it can teach students that those are their only options.
If schools would encourage the reading of classics written by minorities and those from a large range of countries, it would create an environment that uplifts diverse students without isolating them.
Academia is the reason why a lot of people struggle with reading classic literature. For classic literature to survive, academia needs reform.
