To think Michael Gove has actually got something right for once?

[privitandpetunias]

Article in the guardian saying that Mr Gove wants to remove the American literature from the GCSE curriculum and replace it with English literature (sorry can't do links). This is something I have often thought that there are so many great novels out there that are part of our cultural heritage that it would be great for our children to study.

[Ohwhatfuckeryisthis]

Repeat-Nothing Pob does is right. When he shows us his educational qualifications, THEN he should have a say in what is taught. (A say not a dictat)

[Viviennemary]

There should be a range of books. Sometimes reading the classics too early can put children off. I hated Pride & Prejudice which I had to read at the age of 12. But I like Jane Austen now.

[Pimpf]

Michael Gove is a twat.

[whynowblowwind]

Well ... Not really Disco

The AQA syllabus for English literature is:

One modern text (there is the option of a classic text but not all the texts or most even are classics.)
One from 'other cultures' which is where 90% of schools go for Of Mice and Men.
And a range of poems.

They DO have to do Shakespeare but this has the option of a controlled assessment ... so it's not exactly heavy on the classical text front. (I don't think that's a bad thing, but it is the spec as I remember it.)

[MyrtleDove]

TucsonGirl the vast majority of set texts are British eg Shakespeare, Jane Eyre - however, not all pupils will be from Britain and their heritage will be different.

Also, many 'classics' (who gets to decide what is a classic or not?) are very difficult to teach. Dickens would take fucking forever and is shit . Surely stuff like To Kill A Mockingbird is a)better and b)easier to teach and more relevant?

[SetPhasersTaeMalkie]

I think as usual Gove has got it very wrong.

Such a narrow, prescriptive view, so lacking in imagination.

He seems to be living in a 1950s grammar school fantasy world. Really quite baffling.

[RaptorInaPorkPieHat]

YABU

The man is single-handedly destroying our education system.

[Retropear]

Why op!I haven't read a good reason for him doing it yet.

[Minnieisthedevilmouse]

Don't be ridiculous.

School is the time to be introduced to as much as possible. Banning a whole swathe of books on the principle they weren't written by English authors is patently unhinged.

I judge a man by his attitude to books (or her). And this seems vaguely sinister to me. Doesn't surprise me off him. He's quite dictatorial.

[BeeInYourBonnet]

The man's a total fucking idiot!

What's next, no Beethoven, Mozart, Wagner, only Vaughan Williams and Elgar.

[Motherinlawsdung]

YABU. It should not be for him to decide what is on the curriculum.
A dangerous precedent.

[MiniTheMinx]

Governments deciding exactly what history and literature to study is dangerous yes to this

[Abra1d]

And what is so special about our cultural heritage. Some people might argue that the cannon is an imperialist sexist institution.*

You mean canon. And you seriously think all of it is imperialistic and sexist? Have you read Wordsworth or Shelley? Or any Dickens?

[hackmum]

I'm not normally one to defend Gove, but let's not pretend that the current GCSE syllabus provides a broad and challenging introduction to English. Over and over again, the exam boards set the same tiny range of texts, and the teachers over and over again choose the ones they know and that they think will be easy to teach. Of Mice and Men is nice and short. There are loads of resources out there that will tell you what the "themes" are so you don't have to put any mental effort into teaching it (or, if you're a student, studying it). These days it's all about getting the kids through English GCSE so you can improve your place in the league tables. Don't let's worry about challenging students or making them think.

There are loads and loads of fantastic 20th century books out there to choose from that represent a wide range of human experience. I've just read Half a Yellow Sun by the Nigerian writer Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, which could open students' eyes to a bit of modern African history that the vast majority would otherwise never come across. Then there's Maya Angelou and Alice Walker or, if you're looking at British writers, what about Kazuo Ishiguro or Ian McEwan?

Yet a large proportion of students leaving school seem to have only read a handful of books: Of Mice and Men, Lord of the Flies and To Kill a Mockingbird. Dull, dull, dull. (Not that I've got anything against those books but why endlessly put them on the syllabus when there's so much else to choose from?)

[mrsruffallo]

'What about Caribbean lit or Nigerian, plenty of decent books written in all languages from all cultures'

This takes the prize for the most idiotic remark on the thread. We are talking about the study of ENGLISH Literature.

[squoosh]

'Yet a large proportion of students leaving school seem to have only read a handful of books'

And this handful of books will grow ever smaller if Gove gets his way.

[mrsruffallo]

YANBU

I think it is important to have a solid, well rounded knowledge of English books and literary achievements.

[SconeRhymesWithGone]

US educational systems are very different and much broader (and so less in depth for many subjects) than those in the UK, but I just did a quick search regarding literature curriculum in some high schools in my state. What I found is interesting, especially since we are often accused of being a very insular nation.

The ones I looked at are similar to what I studied many years ago. Grade 9 is a general introduction to different genres of literature (and includes English and American works) and also emphasizes writing; Grade 10 focuses on world literature, including non-Western cultures, which means a good bit is read in translation; Grade 11 is American literature; Grade 12 is British literature. Each of these courses are often a year long and would, depending on the school, have lessons 3-5 days a week.

[squoosh]

A Tale of Two Cities will probably be abridged to become A Tale of One City, Just London Thanks.

[whynowblowwind]

I agree with hackmum

The author of Half a Yellow Sun has a text on the current AQA syllabus which only a very small handful of schools do. Those saying To Kill a Mockingbird is an excellent choice are RIGHT - but it is sidelined in favour of OMAM. There's also a fantastic text set on Bougainville Island - never studied.

It's a shame.

[Charlieboo30]

YABU - nothing that man does or says will ever be right. He makes me so sick I can't even say his name. The worrying thing is he thinks he's great...

[gobbynorthernbird]

He's bringing Dickens back so teens get used to the idea of workhouses.

[mrsruffallo]

YANBU

Sorry, meant to say I agree with OP, and Michael Gove on this one. It is important for scholars of English literature to be challenged, intrigued and inspired by books that may not be as accesible as those that fill the curriculum currently.
It's why I encouraged my daughter to read the English children's classics above all others- incredibly important to improve her own literacy work and just a solid base to work from.

[hackmum]

Also, he hasn't actually banned American literature from the syllabus, just got rid of a few he personally dislikes and replaced them with books by British authors. Now I agree it's ridiculous for one person to have that much power but I don't think people should overstate their case by making out that our poor kids are now being deprived of contact with great American literature. Personally I'll be glad to see the back of Of Mice and Men - just sorry it came too late for DD.

[Nocomet]

That the English lit. syllabus needs a shake up is without doubt, Gove, however, is not the man do do it.

To my shame, I've never fead to kill a mocking bird, Austin, Steinbeck, or Dickens.

I was put off anything worthy by Kes and Lord of the Flies. If those misery fests are what English teachers want you to read then I'm never leaving my science lab again.