Do we need more contemporary novels about wealth inequality in the school syllabus ?

[mids2019]

The question arises as I have been discussing two of my daughter's set texts for GCCSR, a Christmas Carol and an Inspector Calls. Both texts deal with historical wealth inequality and power imbalance in Edwardian and Victorian society and are hugely y powerful but do we need a modern equivalent in our schools?

My daughter who fully comprehend the texts from an academic perspective is of a view that there is no real poverty in the UK and has quite a right wing perspective on these things. I don't quite know how the perspective evolved but I think it may be due to peer influence, the internet and the fact her school is in a moderately wealthy part of town.

The question is would more contemporary novels looking at wealth inequality in the 21 st century widen students' views? Who are the Dickens and Priestlys of this centrity?

fair point.

But remember before Netflix books were how we learned about lives and existences and spaces that were not our own.

Different situation but I grew up very poor. Reading broadened my horizons and showed me a world beyond the rubbish estate I grew up on that I wanted to be part of. I worked hard and got out.

I don’t see why this wouldn’t work in reverse. That a kid could see worlds beyond theirs and empathise. I’m sure we’d all agree empathy is a good quality we’d all want to foster in our kids

I thought about this a little more and id be up for more contemporary texts if they taught the same skills and also inspired far more children to enjoy reading more and be excited by what they were reading.

Im not sure that im as keen on more contemporary texts with the main aim of making privileged children more aware of thier privilege day to day, especially if those texts were not as accessible to lower ability children or put children on fsm off reading even more, or even attending lessons.

It would require very careful thinking through!

Shuggie Bain and Poor both have child sexual abuse. Very graphically. Both autobiographical so… well it’s grim.

The year of the Runaways details a massacre (which also happened in teal life) in India and has accounts of elderly people being burned alive and unborn children being cut from pregnant women and killed. (It’s the reason a survivor / witness is an asylum seeker living in the UK in poverty, which is the main part of the story and relevant to this thread).

So yeah, grimmer than homeless people on the tube.

@Bookishworms I don’t think Netflix is how dc learn about poverty. We were poor and it made me determined to escape too. Did I want better off dc pitying me in some sort of poverty awareness programme? absolutely not! I wanted what they had and I made a huge effort to get it. Just was not born with it. I’d rather instil every single child with a route to be the best person they can be but not via poverty “tourism” and pity.

I also read the title and thought of Poor by Catriona O’Sullivan an incredible but tough read. As said there is child sexual abuse in it which might mean it’s not appropriate based on age.

Call the Midwife is based on books and lots of it look at poverty in in the east end, immigration and the start of the NHS.

Again tv and I know it’s for ratings but Rich house, Poor House actually can be an eye opener for a lot of privileged teens.

Thank you @Bookishworms , I haven't read those novels so was just wondering.

Sorry this posted twice

Having to read a graphic account of sexual abuse in a school set text put me off contemporary literature for life.
Forcing children to read or watch what is essentially on a par with a horror book or film is abusive in my opinion. I don't need to see Saw to know that torture is bad.

It's interesting to reflect on the level of privilege the vast majority of people in the UK have compared to the rich in the pre-modern medicine/sanitation era - death in childhood, childbirth or early adulthood were all extremely common, little sanitation or heating, no support if you lost your money, no means of women divorcing - now unless you are street homeless you are likely to be better off than many rich people a hundred years ago.

I think it would be very difficult to write good literature about modern poverty, I remember when we were living in poverty it was just incredibly dull and nothing to write about, just constant work on low wages, exhaustion and worry.

Writing graphic novels can be borderline "poverty porn" IMO but actually in so many cases there is nothing graphic in poverty, no addictions or abuse, just the structure of the modern economy. Like a family on another thread, with two parents fully employed in jobs requiring post grad qualification, going without heating and evening meals not because they are alcoholics/uneducated/dysfunctional or whatever.

I'd rather read a non fiction on that to understand the mechanisms of modern exploitation better, something like Toynbee did in Hard Work though of course it's poverty tourism too.

In general I think the historic descriptions of poverty are a useful reminder of what the vast majority have now. Two post grad people living in one home just need to get promotion. That’s within the grasp of all educated people. In Victorian times education was up to age 9 or 10. My grandfather left school at 10. He could read but his father couldn’t. His descendants have been to university and have very different lives. Most aren’t rich, but they aren’t poor either. Education and opportunities were grasped. Looking at family history opens eyes I think!

I was from a middle class, comfortable and loving family. I read a lot of Jacqueline Wilson. It definitely shaped me and my views. But it probably wouldn't have been as effective if it were forced on me at GCSE.