But is it Literature? Christy Goldsmith English Education University of Missouri

Transcription

1 Write to Learn 2017 But is it Literature? Christy Goldsmith English Education University of TeachGoldsmith.com

2 Christy Goldsmith Write to Learn, 2017 But is it Literature? Considering the Elements of Literariness and Rethinking the Literary Canon In our culture literature has been positioned in much the same place as scripture. We have a canon; we have exegates who produce commentary; and, above all, we have believed that these texts contain treasures of wisdom and truth that justify the processes of canonization and exegesis (Scholes, 1985, p. 12). Essential Question: What defines literary merit? QuickWrite My List of Literary Non-Negotiables Practice: A Modern Sonnet Watch with a critical eye to decide whether, according to our literary merit standards, each musical is literary or commercial. Makes notes below to justify your assessment

3 Goldsmith, RWICA II Spring 2017 Group Activity Directions Begin by watching/reading the text your group is assigned. Do so silently so everyone can form their own thoughts. As you watch/read, jot down elements that speak to/against the text s literariness Feel free to then discuss/google info (context, for example) or rewatch/reread as time allows. Come to a consensus on the literary value of your group s text. Designate one person to explain what you read/watched to the whole group. Designate a different person to explain the literariness/commercialness of your text. Group Text Assignments (Locate all of the texts on Canvas) Group #1: Javert s suicide the Les Mis (2012) film Group #2: 3 Ways to Speak English, Jamila Lyiscott s spoken word poem (2014) Group #3: Robert Kennedy announcing the death of MLK (1968) Group #4: Teju Cole s Twitter text, A Piece of the Wall (2014) Text: Author: Text Elements for Consideration Literary or Not? Justification?

4 Agenda Grounding our inquiry in research (Scholes and Rosenblatt) For teachers eyes only Individual quick write: Literary merit Table talk: Compiling our lists Whole group discussion: Qualities of literary merit Revisit individual list Whole group application practice Break into small groups/small group application Reconvene to share outcomes Ten Minute Writing (formative assessment I d use in my classroom)

5 Scholes (1985) Textual Power In our culture literature has been positioned in much the same place as scripture. We have a canon; we have exegates who produce commentary; and, above all, we have believed that these texts contain treasures of wisdom and truth that justify the processes of canonization and exegesis (Scholes, 1985, p. 12).

6 More food for thought from Scholes: The text is always read by a historical person (Scholes, 1985, p. 47).

7 And some Rosenblatt wisdom My concern is simply with the social and intellectual atmosphere that sets up good literature as almost by definition works only to the elitist critic or literary historian, and that leads the average reader to assume that he simply is not capable of participating in them (Rosenblatt, 1994, p. 142).

8 Essential Question: What defines literary merit? In the light of some illusory unspecifiable absolute or ideal reading, all readings are failures. The emphasis should be rather on a creative transaction, a coming-together of a human being (with all that implies of past and present preoccupations) and a text (with all that implies of potentialities for participation) (Rosenblatt, 1994, p. 143).

9 Individual Quick Write Spend 5 minutes composing a list of elements that a text must have to be considered literary. Draw from your high school or college literature classes. Draw from your own personal beliefs about literature. It might be helpful to include: One text that definitely has literary merit. One text that definitely does not have literary merit.

10 Compiling Lists At your tables, try to democratically create a list of literary merit factors you can (mostly) agree upon.

11 Possible Qualities of Literary Merit? Embody a deep cultural perspective -- connects to real world Thorough exploration of abstract concepts Other meaning/message beyond text Main event/lesson learned Intentional creation (not an accidental creation) Timeless/applies to many eras Well-written (sophisticated language)

12 And more... Entertains the reader Does not conform to a single genre Shows thematic depth Shows innovation in style, voice, structure, plot, characterization Contains earned emotion rather than sentimental emotion Universal in its appeal Taught for a long time Aesthetic beauty

13 And what about these? Necessary or not? Has been judged to have artistic quality by the literary community Has stood the test of time Has a social, political, or ideological impact on society Intended by the author to communicate in an artistic manner

14 Cultivate your own list Create your own personal list of 4-5 non-negotiable factors that texts must have to be considered literary.

15 Assessing Literariness: Group Practice Few would argue that Shakespeare s sonnets are literary, right? An example

16 So what about this sonnet? Your task: Watch the performance of this sonnet and, considering the context, venue, and text, use your list of literary elements to discern whether this text is literary or not.

17 Group activity Begin by watching/reading the text your group is assigned. Do so silently so everyone can form their own thoughts. As you watch/read, jot down elements that speak to/against the text s literariness Feel free to then discuss/google info (context, for example)/come to a consensus in your group Designate one person to explain what you read/watched to the whole group. Designate a different person to explain the literariness/commercialness of your text. You have 15 minutes.

18 Get into groups Line up from the person who lives closest to Tan-Tar-A (near the podium/me ) to the person who lives farthest away from Tan-Tar-A (the back of the room).

19 Group Assignments Find all links on TeachGoldsmith.com Group #1: Javert s suicide the Les Mis (2012) film Group #2: 3 Ways to Speak English, Jamila Lyiscott s spoken word poem (2014) Group #3: Robert Kennedy announcing the death of MLK (1968) Group #4: Teju Cole s Twitter text, A Piece of the Wall (2014) Go where ever you d like but be back here by.

20 Literary or Not? Group Share Out

21 Ten Minute Writing (I would use this in my classroom, but we may not have time here) In a well-constructed paragraph with specific support from today s class, answer the following questions: Does today s discussion of literary merit challenge the established canon? Should it? Does it change the texts we should teach in HS/college classes? Include in your discussion a sentence statement of what defines literariness. If appropriate, also include how today s discussion has challenged your original interpretation of literature.