What makes a novel a “classic?" Definitions vary depending on who you’re talking to, as well as opinions on whether they’re still relevant for students today to study in schools. Which novels do you remember reading in high school? How many of them would you consider “classic" and why?
Most of us are familiar with novels that have been deemed “classics” such as "The Great Gatsby," "Of Mice and Men," "Animal Farm," "Lord of the Flies," "To Kill a Mockingbird," etc. How and why did these novels become such well-known classics? Students in high schools across America today most likely still read at least a few of these texts, along with Shakespeare and other titles that would be considered household names. How are these novels chosen for high school curriculums?
Marie Smith and Sean Samon, the two secondary English language arts curriculum consultants in the Richland County School District One , had some answers to these questions. When asked what constitutes a piece of literature as “classic," Smith said, “I think the classics are those works that are considered groundbreaking, or they carry great significance for their era. They stood the test of time for a reason.” In her eyes, "classics" are those books that carry significance many years after their publication; those books that stay with you long after you read them. Samon said, “For me, I think of something that’s been in education curriculums for a long time, usually for some literary value.” Similar to Smith, Samon felt that a literary "classic" would be something that after many years still has some value as a piece of literature, whether that be because of its style, language or themes.
Kat Keyser, a professor of English at USC, was more skeptical about defining something as “classic”. She said, “I like the idea of calling literature 'classic,' because of the idea that you could revisit it, and keep learning something from it. But, I am very suspicious of the idea of a classic that can’t be questioned or interrogated or understood as political or as historical.” Through this lens, we might think of a “classic” as something that can’t be touched or examined critically, which could potentially become a dangerous way of studying these texts. Lucky for our students, we have people like Smith and Samon who are working towards curriculums that expose students to a wide variety of literature and hopefully help them form their own questions about the world in which they live.
Smith, Samon and Keyser all mentioned familiar, and fairly expected, novels that they read in high school, including "The Canterbury Tales," "Romeo and Juliet," "The Great Gatsby," and "To Kill A Mockingbird." Keyser, on reading "To Kill A Mockingbird," said, “I do think I benefited from reading that. I do think that the combination of a coming-of-age narrative with an ethical argument about racism in the United States had a major impact on me as a young white high school student.” She went on to later mention a few other novels that also had a profound effect on her, including Chinua Achebe’s "Things Fall Apart" and Mark Mathabane’s "Kaffir Boy," two novels that don’t necessarily fit the “classic” definition. In Keyser’s experience, both “classic” and more modern novels were relevant and important to her education. So, how do schools decide what to teach?
Samon and Smith both contribute to creating a curriculum used by all Richland One high schools that help determine what texts students should be required to read. There are four non-negotiables, these being the broad unit theme, thematic essential question, sequencing of indicators and the writing focus. Smith said that these guidelines are mostly in place in order “to create equitable access and consistency across the district.”
While teachers are encouraged to choose their texts based on these variables, Smith said, “We very much feel that teachers and instructional leaders in buildings are the people who are best suited to make decisions about which texts [they read] because they know their students best.” Therefore, teachers generally can choose the texts that students study themselves depending on their students and specific needs.
This leads to the big question; what is important to consider when choosing which novels students read? Is it the theme? Genre? Author? Samon, when asked this question, said, “I think the most important factor is always the students.” According to Samon and Smith, text selection could vary from class to class, depending on the students themselves and what they need to grow in their education. Some classes might benefit from a novel focused on a certain genre of literature, while others might benefit from reading a novel with a specific theme.
Smith said things like the students’ “socio-economic backgrounds, their development levels, and their learning styles” are all taken into consideration. There's a novel for every type of student, and it's the teacher's responsibility to pick ones that will uniquely help them, whatever their situation might be. To sum it up, the number one factor is the students, and Smith and Samon’s job, along with the individual teachers in the schools, is to make sure their needs are being met and match the standard.
Samon also mentioned the importance of “the variety of different texts” in classrooms. A variety of different genres, as well as themes and authors, are important factors to consider. Keyser echoed this sentiment. When asked about the importance of a variety of different genres, she said, “I think if it’s a genre that speaks to people, if it’s a genre that sparks new ways of imagining or representing the world, then it should be in the classroom.” Genre variety, it seems, is universally important to educators, as it opens students up to varying perspectives and ways of reading and understanding.
Keyser said, “High school is the last time that we all have to read. So, [students] should read things that matter, things that are beautiful and that can speak to people but also things that could challenge, complicate, deepen or broaden how they understand their world.” Different genres, as well as different authors and themes, are all necessary for students to have an accurate and inclusive view of their world.
Reading about experiences different than yours is extremely important, especially in today’s world of hyper-personalization and segmentation. With the rise of social media, everything is curated specifically for you, and this unfortunately is causing many young people to have a very narrow view of the world. Exposing students to literature that tells many different stories can help with this. Keyser had a few text suggestions of her own that could do just that. Keyser said, “If I could put a Toni Morrison novel into the hands of every person in America, I would do that.” She also suggests Jesmyn Ward’s book "Salvage the Bones." This novel follows a young Black girl in the midst of the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, and Keyser thinks that it might speak to a young audience well, as it carries themes of environmentalism and what it means to be a woman in our world.
Reading novels with significant, sometimes difficult, historical context can be tricky for young students as well. However, the past mirrors the present, and students need to know what's happened in our history so they can better understand the kind of discourse that’s happening in our world today. How can we relate historical text to our times now, and how can we then use that knowledge to our advantage now? In Keyser’s view, “The question for a teacher has to be whether the story is still an important story told in a beautiful or stylistically interesting form and whether you have the depth and breadth in your classroom to be able to provide a full context of the things that happen that we are disturbed by.” The students' abilities to process and understand harder themes is extremely important, and must be considered. Whether it be choosing another novel, or coming up with new ways of connecting students to the topics, teachers must focus on the students and fostering their ability to engage with difficult topics or themes.
Smith also mentioned the importance of context and connection that students have to have to what they’re reading. She said, “When we look at the classics, students have to be able to make a connection to it.” It’s up to teachers to make texts relevant to students today. Smith spoke about the importance of possible interdisciplinary studies to help students connect with texts that could have complex historical contexts.
This was an experience Keyser had in high school. She said, “The year that I took World History, we also read Chinua Achebe’s ‘Things Fall Apart.’" They also read a novel called "Kaffir Boy" by Mark Mathabane which dealt with South African Apartheid and sexual and racial abuse. They combined these two areas of study in order for students to more easily connect to the novel and historical context. Learning interdisciplinary actually proved to be a more memorable way for learning for Keyser. Perhaps this could be a useful tactic in helping students relate to older “classic” novels that deal with more difficult, complex historical contexts.
The remaining question is whether or not students need to read these “classic” novels that might deal with challenging historical events or ideas. If it takes so much effort for students to actually connect to these novels, is it really worth it? To Keyser, the answer is undoubtedly yes. She said, “It can’t happen if you don’t name the thing. If you drop everything that’s troubling, then you can never have the conversation that gets closer to justice.” In order to fix the less-than-satisfactory things we don’t like about our society, we have to think about it. We must think and analyze those things we don’t want to think about in order to create change.
High school is the moment to equip students with the knowledge of the world. For example, Keyser mentioned reading "Go Ask Alice," a novel surrounding drug use, in high school and how this novel helped warn and educate her about the dangers of addiction. In a way, reading about addiction and drugs kept students from doing it themselves. Keyser said, “If we really imagine that teenagers aren’t facing the costs of misogyny and racism, that teenagers aren’t experiencing sexual violence and the fallouts of addiction, that teenagers don’t need to be equipped to be citizens in the context of climate change and the rise of totalitarianism around the globe.” In order to fix the problems, you have to think about them. You have to talk about them. That’s what the classroom is for.
So, is there any real definition of what a “classic” is? The answer is still unclear. What is clear is that learning about our past, and the many different versions of our present is extremely important, and through different texts, students should have the opportunity to learn and expand their knowledge about the world they live in. Which novels do you think deserve the title “classic,” if any? Which novels would you put on your high school curriculum? Why?
