[troggi]

Originally Posted by fuzzymctiger

After studying Whale Rider at school, I'll never be able to watch it again without being in an almost constant fit of laughter, same with To Kill A Mockingbird.

Sad what repeated studying of scenes and lines does, when you all you can think about is mockeries of them.

Oh, Eng. Lit. thou bastard child of Eng. Lang. and oft' mistaken for the "better" part! We have a beautiful expressive, living and evolving language and we subject our children to "dead" forms of it in the mistaken beliefs that it will make them "like" the book or "gain an understanding of the book/play/film. I truly believe that more people would be literate by choosing to read and not being forced to read.

Criticism is a specialised skill that should be taught to people who wish to become critics and most 12-16 year olds don't wish to become critics! Teach 'em instead to understand letters from banks, UK government departments and courts. Teach 'em the difference between omg lol and more formal ways of writing and when it is appropriate to use each. More importantly let them find the beauty of the written word in their own time and without the need to dissect ev'ry syllable!