I suppose that I am somewhat biased in favor of classic literature as someone who enjoyed studying it in high school and college.

Dickens and Shakespeare aren’t crap in my opinion, even if reading them takes some extra effort.

I agree that great writing is great writing, and some students might find Peter Egan’s writing about cars or motorcycles more stimulating than Dickens.

A good teacher should be using writing of all kinds in the classroom. A column by Peter Egan or a chapter of Dickens, students are still reading great writing.

I agree that someone who takes that attitude that “everything else that is not a classic is crap” certainly does a disservice to students who are forming their reading habits.

A more common attitude among the English teachers who I know is to prefer some writers over others. Finding out which ones you like is part of the fun of studying classic literature or savoring a well written column by a local sportwriter.

Perhaps I was lucky, but I never had an English teacher in high school or college who fits the literary elitist description. Am I alone in that?

Maybe I’m an old fart, but I’m not ready to toss the classics out just yet. Anyway, I found your post and point of view interesting.

I think it is a great tragedy that we keep shoving the classical literature at these high school kids that do see it as a foreign language. This is one of the worst mistakes our school systems make. Right when kids are starting to form their lifetime reading habits we foist crap off on them telling them this is what good literature is and everything else is a poor comparison.

Rather than trying to engage these students with something that will interest them and encourage them to read out of love for it the schools the schools are simply pushing forward with a model trying to prove they are literary elitists.