In many ways this course has been a culmination of what I was expecting to gain from my English degree and, needless to say, I have thoroughly enjoyed it thus far. Minister Faust perhaps summed it up best for me when he said, “reading and literature should be fun; thus, if you’re not having fun you shouldn’t be doing it.” It’s hard to admit, but reading—at least materials derived from an English syllabus—was losing its allure. After four years of studying novels, poetry and short stories (among other various genres) I found myself withdrawn and stylistically overwhelmed.
It seemed to me that the course materials selected dealt more with the pomp and status of reading (Faust’s impersonations of scholastic elitism were priceless), than they did with literature’s true purpose—enjoyment. Why read something that is dreadfully boring and historically disengaged? To broaden one’s horizons? To give perspective on places, histories and civilizations one would otherwise not have access to? Perhaps.
And perhaps such a contention can be granted. In my opinion, however, literature is more effectively utilized when one is actually enjoying what one is reading. To do this, contextually relevant material is, at least for me; paramount. I have always had difficulty accessing a story that was written centuries before my time. Though I am a student of history, scholastic knowledge can never translate into personal experience or emotion. The way I think, act and feel about the world around me relates much better to contemporary fiction than it does to historical relativity.
As mentioned above, this will most likely be the last English course I ever take—though I said the same thing last semester—as this is my final term at the University of Alberta. I cannot stress enough how refreshing it is to be reading enjoyable stories once again, and having the opportunity to actually meet the authors who stand behind these great pieces of literature. I feel reinvigorated and look forward to entering the “real world” with my new found respect for the power of literature.
I'm sad to hear that you're only just now getting what you wanted out of your degree! I'm less than halfway through mine, and beginning to flag, for a lot of the reasons you listed. Too many thoroughly unenjoyable postmodern novels; too many canonically important works whose relevance I just cannot grasp, no matter how compelling the prof is.
ReplyDeleteI'm not trying to argue against literature that's challenging, or a little out of my contextual comfort zone, but I guess I am arguing that something doesn't have to be totally inaccessible to be challenging. I mean, if I wanted to introduce a friend to the idea of drag, I'd give them Darrin Hagen's The Edmonton Queen, not Judith Butler's Gender Trouble. I think that a lot of the power of literature comes from being able to invoke, in a reader, an understanding that is emotional, not just intellectual.
For me English 380 has done very much the same thing and I can legitimately say that I have enjoyed everything that I have read for the class (maybe the Michel de Certeau piece is a bit of the exception. Post-structuralism is a bit beyond me). It’s also incredibly bitter sweet because I’m in my last year of my English degree and this is the first semester where I have been genuinely engaged with all of the texts in my English classes. Not that I do not appreciate canonical literature; I’m all for challenging myself intellectually. But the works that we have studied so far, even if they may not be included in the traditional scholarly literary cannon, are a hundred times more relatable and enjoyable. It’s funny how reading something “fun” can actually be more translatable and therefore easier apply the knowledge to “the real world.” Just like Rita mentioned, The Edmonton Queen can teach a person just as much, or even more, and something written by Judith Butler. This class is helping to squash the stigma surrounding accessibility in a scholarly setting. Being able to connect to literature on an emotional and intellectual level teaches us more than a complicated essay you forget about as soon as class is over. Imagination has staying power.
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