Reading log

Just finished Thomas Foster's How to Read Literature Like a Professor. Came across it when I was browsing the library for books about teaching writing when I was almost going to have a job at the community college. It's reductionist, formulaic, and repetitive, but I still liked it. Foster goes over some obvious material, eg. watch for references to the Bible, to Shakespeare, and to Greek and Roman mythology. But he also makes looking for symbols and understanding them simple – and takes away the fear of getting their meaning wrong. So it appeals because it gives assurance of being correct – or close enough. The guy obviously has a schtick he sticks to when teaching – and usually that makes for an effective teacher.

And that’s something I lack. Maybe I should’ve majored in the sciences, because I like having answers -and doing research. I’ve been guilty of doing too much research looking for answers that aren’t available. The best lesson I learned from teaching the high school Brit lit class at our co-op is that I need to keep it simple. You can only cover so much information in an hour. I would spend so much time looking up dates, and terms and styles and contemporary works, that I shorted time on the text. I was guilty of what Flannery O’Connor accuses reading teachers: of reducing works to a theme or moral or social studies: 

"The High School English teacher will be fulfilling his responsibility, if he furnishes the student a guided opportunity through the best writing of the past, to come, in time, to an understanding of the best writing of the present. He will teach literature, not social studies or little lessons in democracy or the customs of many lands." (Mystery and Manners)

Also reading The Anthologist by Nicholson Baker. Grabbed it off the New Fiction shelf as I was checking out at the library where all the homeless hang. It’s about a poet who has to write a preface to a new anthology of rhyming poetry, but he suffers from major writer’s block and from the break-up of his love affair, among other sorrows, but he’s actually still capable of hope and moments of joy, particularly when expounding on his favorite poets. The main character is a little pathetic, like one of Richard Russo’s heroes (breezed through That Old Cape Magic; glad I didn’t spend more time on it, yawn.), but I’m thoroughly enjoying the musings on poetry and literature and the praise of rhythm and rhyme. Inspiring me to pick up some poetry. Wish I had read both these books before teaching Brit Lit.

Kids started reading an Eoin Colfer book. I can't keep up with what they're reading, but I just started to reread The Great Gilly Hopkins after reading the Katherine Paterson book about her writing. She does have a gift for painting a picture with words.

Just love books about books …