Post 241: How To Get Teenagers Interested In Classic Literature

Post 241: How To Get Teenagers Interested In Classic Literature

When I was a teenager sitting in class, I couldn't wait until the class bell would ring so I could escape to the next class. Many teenagers feel that what is taught in their literature, math, history classes does not apply to them, nor will they use 'algebra' when they grow up, so teenagers tune out what the teacher is saying.

For instance, English teachers love to teach literature like Canterbury Tales, Shakespeare, Iliad, Oedipus, or Beowolf just to name a few classics.  And as teenagers these classic literary names just seemed so abstract and far away. Instead, as a teenager, I found topics like, "Does Susan have a boyfriend?" much more interesting or keeping up with the latest teen idol in Seventeen magazine seemed more relevant to me than Shakespeare.

The trick for literature teachers to get teenagers interested in literature and to develop in children a life long love for reading is to make literature accessible and exciting just like the action movies kids like to watch or the video games kids like to play.

I had a teaching colleague who got his students interested in Shakespeare by saying, "Do you want to read stories that are filled with illicit affairs, bloody murders--very graphic bloody murders,  utter betrayal of son against father, mother against daughter, racism and violence?

He got his students interested in other classics by saying "Did you know The Iliad has war, blood, betrayal, and violence?

Did you know at the end of Oedipus, the main character is so filled with guilt he gouges his eyes out?

Did you know Canterbury Tales has fart jokes? What teenager doesn't want to learn fart jokes right? Fart jokes are timeless from generation to generation and fart jokes never go out of style and get old. I remember when I mentioned this question to my face to face students, you should have seen their eyes widened with interest.

For my online students, I had them search Canterbury Tales/fart jokes/video on Youtube for them to watch the story in Canterbury Tales that has the fart jokes and then we would discuss the significance of the fart joke of that story in the discussion forums.

For my face to face students, I would have them tell me fart jokes they know and then compare that with the English fart jokes in Canterbury Tales, then I would ask them why do they think Chaucer included fart jokes in Canterbury Tales to begin with.

Suddenly, the students realize that classic literature is not just old English that rhymes and puts them to sleep. They realize that classic literature is just like the movies they watch at the theatre. A good literature teacher knows how to make literature more relatable to modern life.  It is all about making students realize that classic literature has good drama, great conflict, addresses social issues that are still relevant today, like the possible racism in Shakespeare's The Merchant of Venice.

Then, my teaching colleague won a Teacher of the Year award for this way of teaching Shakespeare. He had his students perform their versions of famous Shakespeare plays in front of the whole school, and his students grew to love Shakespeare and did not think classic literature was boring or out of date and most of all, he helped his students develop a lifelong love of reading classic literature.