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Making the subtle difference: literature and non-literature in the classroom
DOI link for Making the subtle difference: literature and non-literature in the classroom
Making the subtle difference: literature and non-literature in the classroom book
Making the subtle difference: literature and non-literature in the classroom
DOI link for Making the subtle difference: literature and non-literature in the classroom
Making the subtle difference: literature and non-literature in the classroom book
ABSTRACT
Inthecontextofthisopinion,thepositionIshouldliketoargue inthispaperistosomedegreeparadoxical.Itisonewhichwill allowtheteachertomakeaclearstatementofhisorherown values,makingthemavailableifthestudentwantsthem,whilenot tryingtoimposethembyforce(atacticwhich,whenappliedtothe youngbyteachersortowholepopulationsbygovernments,is thankfullylikelytoleadtotheoppositeoutcomefromthat intended).Itisanoptimisticpointofview,forithasfaithinthe assertionofvaluebyeachrisinggeneration(evenifthetextswhich theyvaluearedifferentfromthosevaluedbytheirelders)and recognisesthateachgenerationofteachersmustrelinquishto theirstudentsthetaskofselectionandevaluation.Acanoncanbe preservedonlybypopularacclaim.Thesolealternativetothisis theestablishmentofanelitewhosejudgementsofsuchmatterswhatisvaluableandwhatisnot-areseenasintrinsicallysuperior, anelitewhopromote(throughtheawardofexaminationsuccesses andjobs)onlythosewhosharetheirjudgements.Thankfully,there isnoneedtopreserveliterarytastethroughtheexerciseofsuch power.Thoughthenotionof'literature'initsmodernsensemay becomparativelyrecent(seeWilliams1983,p.183),humanbeings fromalltimesandplacesvaluesometexts1aboveothersfor reasonsotherthantheirimmediateusefulness.Thereasonsfor thispositiveevaluationareperhapsnotsodissimilarascultural relativistswouldleadustobelieve:dexteritywithlanguage,expressionsofvalueandbelief,insightsintothehumancondition.
