“The young reader’s personal involvement in a work will generate greater sensitivity to its imagery, style, and structure; this in turn will enhance his understanding of its human implications. A reciprocal process emerges, in which growth in human understanding and literary sophistication sustain and nourish each other” (Rosenblatt, p. 52).
I continue to be impressed by the readings selected for this course. I only wish had read them earlier in my studies. I would have had a much better understanding of references to Rosenblatt’s transactional theory. But it’s not too late, and for now, I am content to think back to those conversations and finally make sense of them.
I began with the quote above because, as I read, I began to think about a remarkable literary experience my students and I shared several years ago. A group of students and I elected to read Ender’s Game. (To be more accurate, a group of students talked me into reading Ender’s Game because, according to one outspoken member of the group, I was not giving science fiction equal weight in my class.)
My decision to introduce the novel to a select group of voluntary students turned out to be a rewarding experience for all of us. The novel was immensely entertaining and insightful, beautifully written, and surprisingly dark in its exploration of the dark side of human nature. The male students were particularly drawn to statements such as –
“In the moment when I truly understand my enemy, understand him well enough to defeat him, then in that very moment I also love him. I think it’s impossible to really understand somebody, what they want, what they believe, and not love them the way they love themselves. And then, in that very moment when I love them... I destroy them. I make it impossible for them to ever hurt me again. I grind them and grind them until they don’t exist.”
– Card, Ender’s Game, Ch. 13
And –
"Ender's anger was cold, and he could use it. Bonzo's was hot, so it used him.”
– Card, Ender's Game, Ch. 7
I remember these excerpts well because students wrote them down (usually on index cards) and tucked them away inside their books. They also wrote sentences on the board in hopes of further discussion at 2 levels – social and aesthetic. Being adolescents, they always wanted to tackle the “what this means to me” first, but then the conversation would drift over to the syntax of a sentence or an exquisite word choice. Given my inexperience at the time, I did not stop to reflect on their complex level of engagement. It is only now that I see the bigger picture. (I still have the index cards. They’re tucked away in my book.)
That’s what literature is all about. It’s having the patience and insight to make connections to personal experiences, emotions, and attitudes. It’s also learning to appreciate the art of the writer. Rosenblatt fills her book with numerous references to the literary canon. I can’t help but wonder if she would be willing to substitute those titles for the novels, poems, and short stories our adolescent readers cling to today. Interesting to think about.
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4 comments:
Hi Kerry, I loved Ender's game and remember reading it many many many years ago. In fact, I remember staying up all night just to finish it. I really appreciate your ability to be open to the use of science fiction and to create a space for students to use the text to make meaning and connections in the classroom.
I bet Louise would be willing to substitute those literary canon titles for the "novels, poems, and short stories our adolescent readers cling to today."
Kerry,
You may not have read Rosenblatt until now but based on your story I think you believed what she said in your heart. The evidence for my statement is that you were convinced by your students to read Enders Game and you learned from them in this experience. Rosenblatt would be willing to substitute some of the literary canon because she says teachers of English need to be aware of issues facing adolescents and be aware of what they are interested in. It is wonderful that you brought this book your students were interested in, into your classroom. I do not think any of my high school teachers would have been receptive a request to read a book that was not part of her curriculum.
Although...I wonder to what category, "great" literature or "trashy writings" Rosenblatt would assign many of the contemporary novels that adolescents really love. She says that it's perhaps because young people have been told that there are correct ways to approach "great" literature that they seek freedom of engagement with "trashy writings." She distinguishes between great and trashy literature as the ability of the work to help us intensely feel and understand, in a new way, something important about human behavior, the human condition, ourselves; that the writer's literary craftsmanship as well as his ability to help us undersand the place of experience from which he speaks, distinguishes great literature.
I think certainly there are some contemporary novels that adolescents love that would live up to that standard (even though there may be those who would still not consider those books great literature). But for some other books, Rosenblatt would agree with those who unilaterally dismiss contemporary YA lit that they are "trashy writings".
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