Upon doing so, one may find that they dislike this particular novel, poem, prose, or play. This is not uncommon, for there are styles of writing that one may just grow to detest. One may also find, however, that they may grow extremely fond of a certain work or kindle a fascination deep in their heart for a specific author. These things happen, and one must look upon them with optimism no matter which way the tide turns.
In this course, one should not expect to encounter wonderful pieces that they just absolutely fall in love with. Though this does happen for many, it is not a commonality to find your entire class absolutely infatuated with Pride and Prejudice. One must take the challenge of reading a novel with their head held high, and most importantly finishing this undertaking regardless of personal sentiments.
Look at this way. In any advanced placement history course, one memorizes a bunch of names, dates, places, et cetera et cetera. Generally, this is a burden for many but one does it anyway. Ideally, one will understand how all these proper nouns affect each other, how they can be compared and contrasted, and in the end how everything works in the big picture. Realistically, these connections aren't made till the last minute before the AP exam.
Likewise, while we do have a textbook in this course, it is difficult to see how similar our layout is similar to one of a history class. Just remember: read not so that you appreciate the individual merits of each work, but rather to contribute to your general understanding of literature. I view these pieces of literature not as individual works, but ways for us to foster a general information base for the essays on the AP exam.
I love it. I totally love. Your personality has really shined through. At first I was a little uncertain that "read" was a good way to organize the course but it really is. Reading is where everything starts. We have to read to understand. I was lucky that I enjoyed most of what we read, the exception being Ceremony. I hate Ceremony. I learned a lot but I hated it. Just because we are supposed to analyze how these post would work to study from I'll say that you probably should have included more on each work just for the sake of "studying". But we both know that our blogs are not likely to be our number one studying tool when it comes time for APs.
ReplyDeleteNo comment from Claire, here?
ReplyDeleteI'd have liked to see info on Critical Theory, the history of lit, and a bit more on topics like close reading, writing the essay, and so on--you got a bit caught up in your personal opinions and lost some focus on the course material at times.