Somebody has asked for an essay about teaching classic literature at school. Here's one. Sorry for being late. Should we stick only to teaching classic literature at school or include a wider variety of books into the syllabus? This essay will look at some advantages of teaching classics and some reservations concerning this.
Jane Austen once said that “a novel is…the knowledge of human nature…expressed in the best chosen language”. This may not be exactly true about any novel, but it is certainly applicable to the best examples. It is this deep knowledge of the world that accounts for the timeless appeal of classic works. In those every generation finds something that is relevant to their experience. Additionally, when we teach a classic to young people we expose them to rich language, thus giving them a perfect model to develop their own language. However, classic literature is not readily accessible. That is why school pupils need some guidance with it. If we do not teach a great classic at school we might deprive a young person of the opportunity to appreciate it.
On the other hand, a time-honoured classical book might not give answers to the questions that are posed by modern life. For these we should turn to our contemporaries. Besides, new literary styles are constantly developing, and pupils should get acquainted with them. Moreover, some modern works has literary merits in their own right and their authors may soon claim a place in the literary pantheon.
In conclusion, the right balance between classic and modern books must be struck while designing a school literature syllabus, but I believe, for the aforementioned reasons, the priority should be given to classic literature.
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