Is classical literature dying in our schools?
Ever since I was a little girl, I’ve always been interested in classics and history. I was thirsty for knowledge of what came before my generation. I have probably read all of the children’s stories written by classical authors such as Hans Christian Andersen, Brothers Grimm and Charles Perrault. Their stories have lived and survived many years, translations and editions and are still being read today by generations younger than mine.
What disappoints me, however, is that classical literature is largely ignored in Quebec French high schools. In school, I’ve never read anything written by famous French authors, for example, Albert Camus or Alexandre Dumas. In my English class, the furthest we’ve gotten was a few novels by Shakespeare. Yes, Shakespeare is considered classical, but I find it inappropriate for today’s times. Nobody speaks like that anymore. I understand why Shakespeare is taught and the proof that it has stood the test of time for many centuries is unbelievable. Yet, I feel there’s a gap between modern times and the language and issues that are introduced in the majority of his work. The grammatical structures and expressions seem démodé to use in everyday conversation. If Shakespeare’s plays were written in the 21st century, most people would probably assume he is simply abusing illicit substances.
If we examine classical literature from the last 200 or 300 years, yes, the language might have a few strange expressions or words here and there. But I feel the essence is the same and it’s comprehensible.
Gustave Flaubert’s, Leo Tolstoy’s, Guy de Maupassant’s work, just to name a few, is still relevant to society’s issues in present-day. They deal with problems like love, lust, adultery, personal and professional relationships. The lack of technology and the presence of Victorian clothing do not change people’s dilemmas in making a decision about choosing between two romantic relationships or what a wife is feeling when she is cheating on her husband.
In addition, I feel that the literary analysis of fiction work that could be sub-categorized as “realistic”, in the sense that it can happen in real life, has the potential for an in-depth psychological analysis. For example, in Madame Bovary by Gustave Flaubert, the wife finds a lover because she’s bored of her life as a mother and a housewife. Most readers will ask themselves why is she doing that? Her whole life is set-out for her, she doesn’t have to go to work, her only task is to raise her child and do some housework, what’s the big deal? From a psychological aspect, we could ask ourselves, is she doing that because she wants to stir up drama? Does she get a rush from the fear of getting caught? Why would she find such a rush enjoyable? Does it have the effect of a drug substitute on the brain?
The point I’m trying to make is that probably reading Jules Verne in my 7th grade English class would have made me more wise and audacious in a good way than reading “Holes” written by Louis Sachar, that was published not even 20 years ago, because I could have learned more things relevant to real-life earlier.
