Literary Theory in the High School English Classroom
Like nearly all of you, I was not exposed to literary theory until early in my college literary studies. Considering that I’ve been out of high school for a long time, though, I thought that literary theory was something regularly taught in high school, since so many of my classmates, students who were of traditional college sophomore age, seemed to take to theory quite readily.
The various literary theories were presented in my “Intro to Literary Studies” class as “lenses” through which to view texts (yes, the same metaphor used by Deborah Appleman in Critical Encounters in High School English) in order to make meaning(s) from the text: literal meaning, alternate meanings, and conflicting meanings. My teacher in that class emphasized to us that it is not necessary to learn everything about the historical background of the various theoretical approaches (Marxism, Feminism, New Criticism, Structuralism, Psychoanalytic Criticism, Deconstruction, New Historicism, Postcolonialism, etc., etc., etc.), nor is it necessary to become indoctrinated into the various ideologies around which these theoretical approaches are formed. What is important, my teacher told us, is to understand what questions and what kinds of questions each approach asks of a text. I followed my teacher’s advice and developed a basic working knowledge about a good handful of these theories. I’ve found that these “lenses” have colored and enlightened my readings of almost all the literary texts that I have encountered since.
Literary theories would be difficult to teach in the high school English classroom if they were taught in depth. But I think that with some judicial decisions about breadth and scope, the payoff in students’ abilities to make multiple meanings of texts will make the effort worthwhile. I think that the ability to view literary worlds through differing lenses will translate into critically thoughtful citizens who are able to see and appreciate diverse viewpoints.
Introduction
I have started this blog as a requirement for a Theory and Pedagogy of English Instruction class, part of my M.Ed. program in English Education. I am excited about the potential outcomes of weblogging, and I hope that this will become a platform for reflection on learning about teaching, particularly about English instruction, as well as an opportunity for the development of a professional learning community. I expect this blog to be a place for the initiation of thoughtful, professional discourse in areas which might include (but are not limited to) the following:
- literacy
- writing
- literature studies
- professional issues in education
- education philosophy
My teaching philosophy is still in the formative stage. Actually, I believe it will always be in a formative stage, so I suppose I should say that it is currently under development. I look forward to many great insights from responders that will help me to make sense of it all.
