JESS CLUESS | AUTHORS BEHAVING BADLY

[@glynislily]

One reason why classics are so heavily used are because they are in the public domain and thus do not cost the textbook industry money. This is also the case in terms of purchasing books for students. It’s cheaper to buy books that are traditionally canon because the publishers makes them more accessible to educators. A huge issue with modern books is the barrier of cost. In many classrooms the budget is so small a teacher would have a hard time buying a class set of these texts. I think publishers and educators need to work together to come up with a way to make these books more accessible for the curriculum in rural and urban schools, where the budgets are especially small.

[@ReadswithRachel]

I wasn’t aware of this! Good to know

[@tto198]

I think that the cheap costs is a huge part of it, but a lot of books are canon without being in the public domain. Fitzgerald’s works are just now coming into the public domain, much of Hemingway’s and Faulkner’s work aren’t in public domain or are just now entering it, Langston Hughe’s first poetry collection is just now entering it, etc. So I do agree the biggest issue is books being declared canon decades ago, so publishers were incentivized to churn out cheap mass market editions they could make a tidy profit off of because of schools bulk ordering. Which may mean that efforts to diversify the canon need to be made at a high enough level and with enough buy-in, that publishers are so incentivized again. More schools issuing ereaders may also be an avenue for cheaper access to more modern works, as publishers might be willing take smaller profit margins on ebook licenses.

[@tiomela]

As someone who buys books for classrooms, it costs me the same to buy current books as it does classics.

[@taylorgayhart9497]

I was a nanny for education publishers in college and you hit the nail on the head!!

[@TheNotBees]

Hemingway, Faulkner and Steinbeck are not in the public domain

[@quirkyblackenby]

Her saying teens aren't on goodreads made me laugh because when booktube blew up back in 2014 I was teenager and of course I was on goodreads because it's a big book platform. Sounds like some authors just wanna believe their target audience is never gonna see them behaving badly.

[@moemunneymoe]

I personally think there is a need for classics to stay in the curriculum because they add to social studies standards and topics. It's beneficial for students to read The Crucible and The Scarlet Letter because it connects to their history lessons on puritans. I hate To Kill a Mockingbird but it's a great way for students to make connections to the story and racism and civil rights in the south post reconstruction. Frankenstein in AP lit is a great companion for the enlightenment chapter in AP Euro. I mentioned The Crucible already but it's a great way to dissect the 2nd Red Scare and McCarthyism. I do think that new books need to be introduced but the classics are equally important because they show us our past, globally and as a country. Many classic books provide commentary on social customs and events of the past.

[@ReadswithRachel]

Good point about tying it to learning about particular historical events

[@coyoteartist]

You read Frankenstein in AP lit? We had to read that in regular 12th grade English.

[@Bibliofilth]

It's not a funny situation but the way she went SO HARD in those tweets is just so baffling it always makes me laugh nervously. She came in swinging with the insults over the very benign and common suggestion that educators be able to teach more modern books instead of the same canon for all eternity. Bizarre behavior.

[@ReadswithRachel]

THIS. It was not only that it was unhinged, it was that it was OUT OF NOWHERE.

[@2eachaccording]

it was weird

[@megspydervenom9928]

What’s honestly scary now is how many significant and important books are being banned from schools and libraries. Especially dealing with sexuality and race. We need more books with differing sides taught and discussed so young adults and teens can be more involved and know their voices are being heard.

[@ReturnToSenderz]

I think classics can be great teaching tools (for writing style, as historical artifacts, etc.), but a lot of public schools don’t really engage with the text in a meaningful way, and the students don’t already come to the text with the needed context or experience to connect to it on their own. Unless the teachers take the time to bridge that gap (and I understand teachers often have no say in whether can take that time), students would often get more out of contemporary works than classics. The best lit classes I ever had included a LOT of historical context, and the best history classes used literature from the time to flesh out what we were learning.

[@genevievelok9496]

I’ve always thought high school would be best with as much variety in reading as possible, honestly - like, do Gilgamesh, do a Shakespeare, do The Count or Monte Cristo, do The Slave Girl, do 100 Years of Solitude, some Haruki Murakami, Rumi, throw in some fun YA, heck, throw in Lord of the Rings or Earthsea! Collab with the art class and do a graphic novel! Do a couple of weeks where they get to choose something off a big ol list, have them suggest and vote on one book so that you make sure you’ve got at least one thing solid that is relevant to them! Like, you’re probably going through 50 - 60 books in class throughout your high school years - they don’t ALL have to either be beatniks or Victorians, surely

[@alisaurus4224]

Or you can have my fundie Christian curriculum, which included dozens of missionary biographies/autobiographies and almost zero anything else-not even Shakespeare

[@danielbroome5690]

The US also has some pretty stupid books they insist on reading. Just gonna say it, the Great Gatsby is terrible. And in terms of Mark Twain, the students would be better served reading some of his anti-imperialist writings from after the war with spain. Mark Twain's life is a great story of starting off fully in favour of US Imperialism to becoming one of the strongest anti-imperialist voices in the country.

[@coyoteartist]

50 - 60 books? We learned about a fair amount in class but I wouldn't have said it was that many individual books.

[@genevievelok9496]

@@coyoteartist Oh yeah? You don’t reckon you went through about 12 - 15 a year? That’s for sure what I recall!

[@coyoteartist]

@@genevievelok9496 Assigned books? No I don't remember it being a huge amount. Yeah it was 30 years ago that I was a Freshman, but we did maybe 4 books top a year and 1 of those was a play each time. That was at a Catholic school, my senior year I was at a public school and the only book we actual read was Frankenstein. So yeah, I read more books in a year myself than I read for a school assignment.

[@cakt1991]

The gist of the Sarah Dessen thing was actually that this student was part of a committee for a college book club, and she just didn’t think Dessen’s work was suitable for the environment, favoring works that tackled important topics like prison reform, critical race theory, etc. It just got misinterpreted as being a dunk on Dessen/YA.

[@LuxIsPeachy]

yeah, like the other book the student was wanting for the common reading was a memoir by a black lawyer during the civil rights movement

[@jodieadler2550]

Ok so i am coming at this as a non American and non native English speaker who grew up in a country not as young as the US. I am not familiar with the US school system and the books they consider to be classics, so I’m going to defend teaching classics fully aware that we are talking about different books here. Still, I think my point would remain the same even if applied to different titles. I don’t think the point of teaching classics is for people to feel represented, though I don’t think it’s impossible to feel represented by the classics. Some of the classics in my country date back to over 2000 years ago. The values these stories stem from, the way the characters live their lives, their priorities and genetic makeup, look nothing like ours. We don’t read them to reflect on our society today. The way teachers are supposed to teach these books is much closer to a history lesson. What does the book tell us about our country then? How did it go from here to where we are now? Do we still see these values in our culture? How? Are they universal values? Are they not? Are they something we as a society should move on from or do they still represent the core values of our culture? Or were they limited to that time in history? How did times of poverty affect the way people write? How did times of religious fundamentalist affect it? Yes I think more recent literature should be integrated, but not to the detriment of books that no longer represent the country today. The fact that in the US for a very long time the only people who could write books were not representative of the country as a whole SHOULD be a lens through which students should interpret the book. Again I am saying this as a non American.

[@cakt1991]

@@jodieadler2550 not sure how this is relevant to this particular book club? It was *meant* to be about discussing social issues today. And Dessen’s books aren’t “classics” in any sense, either…they’re run-of-the-mill YA. And I think not being from the US makes your perception flawed. Your *ideas* are great, but in practice? The 1619 Project, for example, has gotten backlash from racist white people who don’t want to confront their history. Books like Beloved by Toni Morrison are challenged for their “fitness” for school curricula for the explicitness with which they depict the realities of slavery. Many in our country aren’t ready to have those tough conversations. Many people don’t experience literature outside the white, often racist literary canon until college, and that is still highly dependent on the professors, as well as their geographic location and the ideals of their chosen institution. There’s a persistent question of why nonwhite people are expected to always digest white classics that make them feel alienated, but even the whiff of something that includes them is “making the white students uncomfortable,” and should thus not be taught at all. And that’s not even getting into the issue we’re having with book challenges and even bans in school and public libraries, and even a lawsuit with a bookstore chain, over books that have “objectionable” content.

[@SirEriol]

I think that she even suggested The Hate U Give as an alternative, although I am not certain.

[@cakt1991]

@@SirEriol It’s a yearly thing, and The Hate U Give had been a selection a previous year, I think? But the student wasn’t on the committee before, as she likely wasn’t a student at the time.

[@kimaya4503]

Some classics are good. Many are not. The idea that classic = good needs to be abolished. History is important, but no more important than the present moment. There should be more comparative studies of the classics vs contemporary fiction. Best of both worlds.

[@cheetahhdsb]

All of her comments on the classics are somewhat petty and dumb, but the one that really was funny and showed me how little she even knew of the classics was at 6:45 where she talks about Upton Sinclair and "The Jungle." The whole point of "the Jungle" wasn't to point out the bad and unhealthy products the meat packing industry was pushing out, but rather a commentary on the immigrant plight in the late 1800s/early 1900s and how workers in the factories had it really rough. Their safety was constantly on the line and many got severely injured or died, with companies having little care, especially those who were non-white/non-native. It also was meant to push a more socialist ideology compared to the terrible capitalist one they had then (and can be argued we still have today). The Food and Drug Act that came out of it was just what people happened to focus on, throwing away most of the rest of the story. And, while yes, I don't think he was on the side of the meat packers, I don't think that was quite the point of the story. Thank you for listening to my stupid little rant, also it has been a while since I have read the book so some things might be off. As a Lithuanian I felt I had a need to correct the view on one of the only books in which we are mentioned lol.

[@Eloraurora]

You're right! I forget the exact phrasing, but Sinclair is supposed to have said, "I aimed for America's heart, but hit it in the stomach instead."

[@TheLadyEri]

I think classics are super important to understanding modern day cultural context, as well as developing reading skills and vocabulary. I do think classics are taught badly in school, and are not selected appropriately to introduce kids to complex prose. I disagree with getting rid of them, as the more complicated process of reading them improves attention span and the ability to engage with unfamiliar and complicated material in other subjects. I think that while many current books for YA would be perfectly fine in classrooms, the more simplistic writing styles, while accessable, don't encourage the kind of concentration necessary for reading books from other time periods. We should encourage students to read a wide variety, but dismissing the classics because OLD = BAD is not conducive to good education.

[@ReadswithRachel]

Thats fair! I do think that there are some classics I am glad to have read now as an adult, frankenstein comes to mind, but I'm not sure what I would have gotten out of it as a teen. I suppose it depends entirely on the teacher. It's possible an approach where a two book compare and contrast system would help students engage with older material and learn about complex prose, while using a more current book to help contrast the way themes are put forward.

[@mamimelusine]

@@ReadswithRachel Reading in conversation with contemporary texts is a great way to do classics, especially as writers of color frequently do responses, retellings, or entirely different stories about the same themes from a different perspective. I teach college, not high school but you can have great conversations about the continuity of the kinds of stories we tell as well as the differences of historical context and perspective. I liked reading classics on my own growing up but hated them in school. I don’t remember having the historical context conversations that I think classics require or even the racism and imperialism in those books being questioned at all. There are also plenty of Black classics that directly respond to those canonical texts in real time but I don’t hear demands for those to be taught.

[@Tjnovakart]

My school did a pretty good job of incorporating old and new media. A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini and A Long Way Gone by Ishmael Beah (both released in 2007) were some of the most impactful books I’ve read period, and they were from my 12th and 10th grade curriculum respectively. We also watched The Matrix and The 6th Sense in my 11th grade English class. I think there’s this stereotype that YA literature is a bunch of tropey fantasy nonsense, which is true for a lot of the genre. However, there’s a lot of extremely poignant literature that’s still being written to this day while keeping a younger audience in mind.

[@operation_turtle]

i think the issue with classics is that a lot of them are overlooked completely due to who they are written by and the age demographic they are targeting. there are many books that were revolutionary for their time like the scarlet letter, to kill a mockingbird, anything by steinbeck, but are not included in the curriculum and fit the age demographic more. annie on my mind was written in the early 80s about two girls discovering they are lesbians and one attempting to reconnect as adults with brief discussions on disenfranchised kids in the city, private schools and scholarships. this is considered an lgbt classic and was one of the most challenged books of its time. you can make a strong argument that hunger games (book one) should be taught in schools to the same level the giver (again book one) is taught. despite the movie's casting, katniess is heavily implied to be poc in text and directly shows the rich exploiting the poor in a reality show for their entertainment, which has a lot to do with the original inspiration: reality television. there is a reason to teach speak, especially in the generation of#metoo and even more so for boys to read these stories. the amount of boys that do not reason they have been sa'd is insane. and having a story about survival of such an act can have them realize and come to terms with what happened. a more recent example is the hate you give, which is being taught, but not nearly as recognized as the groundbreaking cultural earthquake it was and still is. another recent example being melissa (formerly titled george) which is a beautiful novel that most kids should read. recently, you have my heart is a chainsaw which is done my an indigenous author which uses cultural fears that native americans face as puts them into a horror context all while having an indigenous teenage girl super fan of horror films as its lead. if you want historical snap shots, you have annie on my mind. you have raisin in the sun which is still relevant today as people are being priced out of apartments and housing, which is both a classist issue as well as racial. you have the absolutely true diary of a part time indian. if you want something with a movie you can show, fried green tomatoes exists. its a lesbian book. movie got nominated for oscars in the 90's (one of which was the lesbian author who was nominated for best screenplay). double wammie with cultural significance. written by a famous lesbian who has been open about her relationships and is also extremely dyslexic and talks about that frequently too. there is absolutely not reason to get on your high horse and act like what ms. german was doing was erasing white voices. a number of authors i mentioned are white. a number of authors i mentioned are men. a number of authors i mentioned do not fit into either category. you can teach cultural significance from different perspectives in a historical and contemporary sense without excluding minority voices. it is very important for kids to learn the faults of the old times, while opening their minds to modern and contemporary literature that shines light and sympathy on topics kids need to learn about. every single novel ive mentioned i can see a teen enjoying or at least appreciating while also having cultural significance both for their time period and/or for the current age. to act like their wasnt significant books and literature written then and still being written now by minorities is ridiculous and means you didnt look hard enough or youre not as well read as you think you are.

[@HattiesaurusRex]

Just found your channel, and I'm really enjoying it! My take on classics in curriculum is a bit... all over the place? I firmly believe most classes prior to college/uni should incorporate more modern texts. A great many young readers aren't interested in the classics, which often means that they don't engage with the text in a way to learn the skills literature classes are trying to teach. That said, however, one of the reasons classics are so often taught is bc there is so MUCH analysis already done on them. Teachers (in America) don't necessarily have the time to develop literary analysis/critique of something newer. So for me, the classics debate is more of an issue with the school system as a whole (wherein teachers don't have leeway to teach students in a way that will encourage learning/appreciation for a subject), as teachers are forced to teach to tests they aren't in control of developing.

[@ReadswithRachel]

This is such a great point and I fully agree

[@jamesmooney3472]

Also like, does she think that Upton Sinclair and Zora Neal Hurston are representative of the majority of works that are taught to children in American public schools?

[@angelicastarlington748]

for real, we never read either of thos authors in class

[@brumella]

I'm graduated in Spanish Literature and Linguistics and I teach Spanish Language and Literature in Spain. Classics are important and one can't teach Literature ignoring their existence. If the subject were called "Reading Skills" then you could use any text but it's not the case. I don't know how your school system work in your countries. But in Spain, kids are supposed to develop their reading and comprehension skills in primary school (ages 6 to 11). Then the first two years of mandatory high school (ages 12 to 13) we teach them Literature from a thematic point of view (ie. How "love" was reflected in Literature through times) and we introduce the literary artifacts (metaphor, oxymoron, anaphora...). During these two years, they read contemporary literature for teens. The last two years of mandatory high school (ages 14 to 15) they study Literature from a historical point of view, from the Medieval times (when Spanish language was created) to nowadays. And during the two years of non-mandatory high school (bachillerato) they continue delving into it. I agree that a 15 years old student do not need to read the entire "Don Quijote", for example. But they do need to know its existence, its context, and why it's important. So we read at least a passage at school and relate it to modern media as a base for our projects. But that's my personal teaching methodology, since I like to employ collaborative projects and more engaging methodologies instead of traditional teaching methodologies. I know colleagues that ask their 15 years old to read the entire thing and they of course do not understand anything because it's in medieval Spanish.

[@piscesonpluto]

I understand that what are traditionally considered classics is important when studying literature - but i think it should only be required reading in post secondary studies. teenagers are mostly reading novels in english class to develop reading comprehension, to learn how to critically read, and recognize literary elements. none of those skills require reading books that are at best difficult to understand and harmful for many young readers at worst. School curriculums need to stay up to date on what is relevant literature if they want children to actually engage with it and develop a love of reading which i think is much more valuable than the course itself

[@brooke5258]

Completely agree.

[@ReadswithRachel]

I fully agree

[@melodye14]

I think classics are valuable in school before college, but I also agree it'd be valuable and interesting for contemporary texts to be worked in to Literature courses, even if only in AP.

[@Nebulousart]

this is such a late rely but i do agree. i hated reading the classics in high school but now if i’m assigned to do them in uni, i love them, and even seek them out myself. also, studying classics in HS lends to exposing teens to racists books in the presence of racist teachers who tend to show their ass (aka my english teacher pulling out a hard r for to kill a mockingbird)

[@sidoozeley-ig4si]

i suppose, but the YA authors saying "schools should read me instead" are trying to do a harry potter grift instead of offering a suggestion with any pedagogic value. a lot of the push of this from YA authors is a marketing scheme a more sincere version of the argument would be "we need more relevant 20th century lit instead of a bunch of Jack London and other 'some farm-boy and/or a dog' type books" you could without much effort put together a setlist of classroom-ready classics with zero straight white guy writers the use of older books isn't to exalt problematic stuff, it's that they're a lot less expensive and the lesson plans are a lot more accessible, ignoring stuff like this to push the latest Love Triangle 5: A Courtship of Ham and Cheeses into classrooms is underhanded

[@susannahlewis8464]

I seriously don't understand why these authors feel the need to go off on people online. Like, yeah I have a lot of opinions, but I absolutely do not want to be sharing them on a garbage site like Twitter.

[@TheRonnieaj]

All I remember is being like, ooh, Brooks can’t keep representing her and Angie Thomas at the same time. That’s not gone work. That whole situation was an unnecessary mess.

[@smillajaque1144]

Hi, I am 16. I can confirm. We do in fact use goodreads. Obviously XD love your videoes :)

[@ReadswithRachel]

Thanks for watching!

[@karoliinalehtinen6701]

Personally I think reading some classics/older literature in general and engangeing with it critically in a school setting is really important. I have no opinions in the English language classics as a whole, since I'm not from an English speaking country and we have our own literary canon we learned at school. My point is I don't think everyone should read specific books considered canon of some language, rather I think it's important to engage with historical literature, firts to learn about the history of literature and secondly to learn to read critically. Understanding why some writing was important in the devolpment of literature, but at the same time learning to critique it and find flaws in it is really important for devoloping critical reading skills. Understanding more about historical literature also gives more tools to engage with contemporary literature. But I don't think schools should only teach specific classics and what is included in school curriculum should keep up with times. Reading classics of other cultures could also be really good for learning new perspectives and broadening the understanding of literature.

[@Polygonyall]

"sit and spin on a tack" bro what???

[@Polygonyall]

she's acting like this woman set an orphanage on fire and for no reason

[@BrianaAyala25]

As a visual reader “sit and spin on a tack” made me feel physically ill 😂

[@mplbooks]

Ugh. I've never heard of this author, but now I will never read anything she writes. As someone who used to work in publishing (and I now publish my own work), I'm sick of how these kinds of people get agents and book deals--and only apologize when their agent and publisher tell them they must--while more deserving authors and narratives continue to be left in the cold.

[@avencree]

What I find so hypocritical of Cluess’s original tweets was that she was angry at German for saying we need more diversity in the literature taught in school, had no problem giving multiple examples of “classics” that featured mainly white male protagonists, but could only mention ONE that had black main characters and lumped rest as “and others”. 😐

[@msthornback7935]

I think a balance can be met between teaching books that are considered classics and contemporary works. I don't think representation is helped if this becomes an either/or dialogue because that ignores the classics that were written by the authors of that representation. I don't think there should be a canon of books that are taught in American schools I think resources should be developed so that more books can be taught in the classroom. I want there to be options for educators that they think will fit their particular context of students.

[@flippanties]

I do also think the idea of not teaching kids classics due to the world view at the time is a bad path to tread. Absolutely teens should be reading and analysing classic lit that has content we would now consider morally wrong, but it should be brought and up and discussed in the classroom. Discuss the sexism and racism in Of Mice and Men, in Wuthering Heights, in Dracula. Discuss how times have changed and how the author's world view affected their writing, don't just write it off and never teach the classics because they're "problematic".

[@msthornback7935]

@@flippanties Agreed, classics can be good teaching devices to delve into the historical contexts of which the author is writing. Both how the authors are of their time and how they are criticizing their time period. But, I don't think all those classics have to be classics done by one demographic of people. That also curtails understanding historical context.

[@flippanties]

@@msthornback7935 Oh absolutely; I think I just come at this from a different angle because when I was in sixth form our wider reading list DID include classics from a wide variety of people and cultures. I do wish they were actively taught in class rather than having been the optional wider reading, however, so even there, there is still a problem.

[@msthornback7935]

@@flippanties I had a similar experience as well. The reading list for book review/analysis projects would be wide but not that actual content taught by the teacher. And that is a problem.

[@scoutz0rs]

I will never get over how angry she got so quickly and so publicly lol just TEMPER TEMPER GIRL

[@forgetaboutme5414]

I got really lucky and my ap lit teacher has us reading oscar wilde and invisible man. She made sure we had those uncomfortable conversations and was very firm on the fact that Dorian Gray is bisexual and Oscar Wilde was gay. She made sure to have the conversations about racism and how it still affects black men the way it does in the book. She one day told us we didn’t have to stand for the pledge of allegiance and never stood for it again(she was our first class of the day). It always makes me wonder what had happened to make her do so. It was foreign to me but I hated standing and how the entire class sounded like a robot so I didnt do it. I hope shes doing ok. She deserves a better life that what that terrible school gave her.

[@danielbroome5690]

Maybe this is just better in Canada, but while we do read some classics (less than the USA but we hit things like Shakespeare, grapes of wrath, to kill a mockingbird etc,) but I distinctly remember integrating in other books too such as a book set in Afghanistan about a young girl and her father under the Taliban and that was back in like 2001 right after the war started (book was written prior to the war by an Afghan dissident writer, it wasn't like some propaganda thing). It's also probably because i'm on the west coast but we got a TREMENDOUS amount of Coast Salish Native-written stories over the years too that we read through. I'm sure it's gotten even better since then but at least here it's been getting better for a long time.

[@divitiae]

The Breadwinner? I am also in western Canada and we read it in elementary. We also read In the Heat of the Night and the Little Prince in high school so there definitely was more variety than what most people talk about in the US. Ironically, the classics were always very well liked, even the kids who normally joked around in class had good comments on them

[@nico5486]

In Norwegian lit (the ib course, not representative of the Norwegian system at large) we read everything from ancient works (Oedipus Rex) to translated english classics to Norwegian classics to modern day works of all kinds, including poetry. Fiction and nonfiction. We were always encouraged to create ties in terms of theme and meaning between especially classics/modern and usually watched the movies to see the effect of adaptation. I think that's how the literature classes should be formed in high school. Enough variety to be interesting, but enough of the classics to see how deep and layered literature that's been analysed to be pieces can be (when you can see all layers of meaning easily)

[@queerlibtardhippie9357]

She's so crazy. God bless.

[@ellys106]

Jess Cluess...more like Jess Clueless (I'll show myself out after stealing that low-hanging fruit lol). This does seem to have deservedly cost her the sequel to House of Dragons being published. The sequel had a cover and preorders and everything but then disappeared off retail sites.

[@ReadswithRachel]

NOT THE CLUELESS JOKE LMAOOOOOO

[@angelaholmes8888]

Good

[@Crowley.G.C]

The moment I saw her name I was about to make that joke lmao

[@unumatochild]

I think it's important to read both modern and historical classics for the sake of understanding the political and social struggles of people in the past. Reading "I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings" or "To Kill a Mockingbird" can tell you so, so much about the feelings of people alive at the time and give us vital context we wouldn't have otherwise just from reading accounts of things on paper. But for that same reason, we should not neglect the voices represented in modern literature, and should open up our definition of classics to include modern pieces that are socially relevant to issues faced by people in the here and now. Reading teaches critical thinking. That's why analyzing pieces of writing from all times and places can help students learn how to think about the world around them and instill them with empathy for groups they may not have the chance to interact with, otherwise.

[@kylawapshott460]

I read classics for pleasure, specifically British classics rather than American but when it comes to education and reading analytically, they should definitely switch it up and explore lesser known and more modern titles. There must be so many great books out there that could open up really great and relevant discussions for teens.

[@leannegallacher8434]

I enjoy classics personally but think that there’s a lot of emphasis out on their importance in schooling without real reflection. They are good places to go for historical context in a more accessible form or to look into how language and plots have developed over the years. But you absolutely need to diversify and add more than just the classics to the curriculum. Kids need to have books that they can relate to and see themselves and the current world in. To find books that draw them in and spark their imaginations. Basically you need a best of both worlds, however I do acknowledge a lot of the reasons for this is budgets. Public domain books are easier to access and tend to be cheaper. They also tend to have adaptations which can help some students digest the material better

[@shannonquinn]

I think some of the old classics are good for starting conversations about what was considered acceptable back then (and should never have been), how the world has changed, and what we should look for going forward. Basically, to show the issues with them and/or which ones were ahead of their time. I do not think for a second that these should be ALL that's in the curriculum. We desperately need to diversify the reading lists, and yes, all the better if it makes certain people uncomfortable. If reading a book with a trans character makes someone uncomfortable, they should be asked to sit with that and reflect on WHY it does. Kids NEED to see themselves in books, movies, and TV. It's so incredibly important. Also, many kids need just as much to see that not everyone in books looks like them (let's just say it, white, straight, able-bodied, neurotypical kids who identify with their sex assigned at birth). There are so many newer books that could be considered classics in 20 years if we just got schools to include them. Loved the video!!!

[@taylorgayhart9497]

My grandfather collected classic Lit, so between him and school (BA in English Literature) I’ve read quite a bit of classic lit, and I believe in their merit, but also believe in sampling literature from everywhere and every time, including now. I don’t understand the threat people feel from changes like updating book lists to reflect a modern world.

[@juliamassaroni928]

i like classic, i think they're classics for a reason, you can always get something from them. i grew up reading nothing but garbage like harry potter and i only started truly enjoying reading when i started reading classic in middle school. of course, i was in the minority, most kids hated them, and i think that's because of the methodical by-the-books way they're taught. i think there should be room for both classics and modern lit in school and college, that's how it was like for me and i really enjoyed it

[@cjonesjr]

Reading classics can also skew a young student's thoughts on it too as per the curriculum and what teachers/the boards believe about the books. The only classic I actually liked that I read in school was To Kill a Mockingbird but all the others I've grown distate for and have no intention of reading them ever again, at least as of now. Classics should be enjoyed (even if they were a product of the time) at someone's own pace and analyzed/taken apart by the person if they wish. It is also their choice is they like the book and what they take away from it, not a school board. We do need some newer texts in classrooms though as we need to reflect on the more modern issues and to relate more to the current generation

[@ReadswithRachel]

great points. I wonder if a curriculum could be made that takes a "classic" and pairs it with a more modern text so that students can compare and contrast.

[@megspydervenom9928]

@@ReadswithRachel I honestly think that’s a great idea. I wanted to be an English teacher growing up and do exactly that. Give the students a classic, then pair it with a more modern stand point. Then let them see the difference and give their opinions. I’d much rather engage students with discussion and dialogue than say, “Here read Romeo and Juliet and figure out what it all means.”

[@amylemcoauthor]

I can see keeping a few classics (or excerpts) both for breadth and reading for intertextual influence. I love to see a thought or feeling I have now articulated hundreds to thousands of years ago, even better if in a different culture than mine. And then, there is the way things like Bible/origin mythology, Shakespeare, Cinderella and other folktales influence modern lit. Classics are prob best read in conjunction with history classes, as well. I would also love if a classic was always paired with a modern story that either parallels problems and/or refutes ideology in the classic.

[@Marie45610]

I have a saying, I don't think I'm the first to say this at all, but it has ruffled a lot of feathers from time to time, "Just because it's a classic doesn't mean that it's good." People get very defensive over "The Classics".

[@claiternaiter446]

The fact that she brought up Waldon as one of her examples made me role my eyes. We started to read it for a high school English class, but after the first chapter or so, everyone hated it so much that our teacher agreed to move on to a different book. Years later, I saw it on the bookshelf of my sister’s boyfriend at the time. I was making fun of it to her later because I couldn’t believe someone could like it enough to actually own it. They ended up breaking up later because the bf was similar to how I imagine the author of Waldon…very self-absorbed about being anti-societal.

[@Eloraurora]

@@claiternaiter446 I just love the fact that, while he was singing the praises of being alone in nature, his mom was still doing his laundry.

[@kitty-vicious]

I think reading classics has value if your aim is to learn about history. History and social studies classes should offer extra credit for learning and writing analyses of classics. I think English/Lit classes should focus on current, relevant books, but use classics for social commentary comparison and to study devices like tropes and archetypes. I feel like if many of my peers had gotten incentive to read current books in which they could see themselves, we would have a lot more millennials and zoomers who would be passionate about reading. ...That would require the US education system not to be in shambles, though, so. Pipe dream.

[@emmanarotzky6565]

To me, English class was all about learning history. That’s why I liked it. And I always learned way more history and why it mattered in English classes than I did in most of the history classes I took. I think books that are easy to understand on your own should just be read on your own. Books where a teenager will need the context explained to them should be read in class, where the teacher can just explain the older language conventions, old meme references, historical context, etc. Any book written in a contemporary context can already be understood by the average teenager without help, so those books don’t NEED to be read in class. They can be read FOR class as more of an independent thing, like where everyone in class writes an essay or does a talk on a different book. But as far as books that the whole class reads together and the teacher explains things? Use older books that allow the kids to learn history through the story. It’s so much more fun and the facts are more memorable when you learn history and English that way.

[@BooksWithBonnie]

I literally have had her books on my shelves. I wondered why I never picked them up. Now I will be unhauling them.

[@cecilbenderman6240]

i think classics and modern books are equally important, in a way. i havent read Clap When You Land but from what i know, it's a very interesting (and emotionally devestating) look at multiple issues in the modern day, and it's important for people of every gender and race to read. the crucible i think is important because it talks about not just the ideas from the time it was based, but it inadvertently shows the ideas from the time it was written, making it an important way to look back at the past. theyre all equally important and can be equally good tools for education, it just depends on what, exactly, is being educated on

[@thedarkcat7484]

I think there are some classics that are important to read, like To Kill A Mockingbird absolutely changed my DNA and rewired my brain, but others I felt were so out of tune with modern society that I wasn't actually learning much. And... they're really boring, a lot of the time, sorry to say it but they don't really hold a teenager in a chokehold if they're not deep enough or if they're too deep. Love the idea of shaking things up a bit! I do not understand her anger at all. I have no clue how that escalated. People, even those who are nice in real life, when online, can be very cruel with no warning. :/

[@julieblair7472]

The classics are another tool to contextualize social issues as something from the past that has been solved. more sensitive readers will notice what hasn't changed, and this can be brought out by a good teacher... but i agree with you. books about life today are very valuable. you don't need to evangelize about the classics, we've all heard of the scarlet letter.

[@MortMe0430]

It was part of a conversation about something quite different, but I think it fits here: paraphrasing, but basically some people get a sort of high from starting (or exacerbating) sh*t, and might not even realize it. Combine that with the kind of mindset of "other people getting representation in media means that I / my demographic is being targeted or attacked". That was the vibe I got from seeing those tweets. As to classics in the curriculum... eh. They did not match well with my attention span in school, so all most of them did was make me a decent bullsh*tter in analysis papers. American life and society within the world has changed so much just in the last 50 years as to make works from the 1800s practically alien to a middle schooler today. There's literature for history purposes, and literature for reading comp purposes. They both have their place.

[@rubedosaga]

“sit and spin on a tack” is a new one for me 😮

[@mel4957]

I just got to the part where she tweeted about Upton Sinclair and the funniest part is that there is a famous quote by Sinclair in regards to his book, The Jungle, where he basically says "I aimed to hit the public's heart, and by accident, hit them in the stomach." The Jungle was not really intended to be about the unsanitary conditions of meatpacking, it was about wage slavery, particularly against immigrants (the book's main characters are immigrants). I learned that fact in 8th grade. Edit: So maybe Jess should read up a bit more before attacking educators, especially those who are doing their best with a shitty system. Also related to the book's purpose, Sinclair was, in fact, socialist, and wanted to promote that with this book (and was actually disappointed that the only societal impact of his book was food safety regulations).

[@bunniesisland]

I know this video is a year old but... I am screaming at this unhinged twitter rant. I love "The Scarlet Letter", for example, and have no issue calmly offering my personal defence for particular classes using the book. But coming in hot yelling about Hawthorne not being a Puritan apologist? Ma'am. (I know he was apparently horrified by his Puritan family ancestors but he was ALSO a hateful m*sogynist among other things 🙃 )

[@howdyitsren]

I come from the music side of things, and I’m big on the side of disrupting canon. There will always be white folks who complain that it’s not just their favourite old dead white guys being revered. Arguments around canon always go back to centring whiteness and upholding white authorship as worthy of artistic pursuit. It is so important to be represented in the material you work with and lends to a more diverse workforce where more backgrounds and outlooks are valued.

[@focornali4349]

Just thought I'd toss my own two cents in: I went to an IB high school, which by nature is international-oriented, so I didn't get the typical full American canon. At the time, I felt I had missed out on a lot of western lit classics, but now I appreciate the international/diverse selection of authors (how translations impact a text, or how this is meaningful within the author's cultural experience, or how historical context presents within the prose, etc). I think there can be a happy medium between the two philosophies. EX of the authors I studied in school: Toni Morrison Jamaica Kincaid Pablo Neruda Wisława Szymborska Gabriel García Márquez Dai Sijie Ernesto Che Guevara (along with more classic high school selections) F. Scott Fitzgerald Homer Shakespeare Salinger Kafka Tennessee Williams Harper Lee

[@nimuehawk]

I am well out of touch with what is being used in schools in USA with respect to literature even though educated there. I know many people report of having been turned off by the syllabus in U.K. and only discovered classics and more challenging literature when older. I do feel that reading classic literature can provide insights into the society of the time it was written. Recently read ‘Moll Flanders’ and was surprised how accessible it was given it was published in 1722.

[@mmarrrow]

Speaking as someone who DOES see value in "classic" texts (largely as a companion to history courses), and as someone who genuinely LIKES a lot of classics (even in HS) and sometimes experiences weird hostility from people when I say so--I can see where she's coming from wrt feeling defensive about classic lit; I do think there is a current of anti-intellectualism in our culture wrt to "inaccessible" art. But it's also objectively true that the traditional pool of (classic) assigned reading is not very diverse, and anecdotally, I have a friend who points to his stuffy assigned reading in HS as the reason he doesn't do books at all as an adult. If she thinks that the classics are worth including in school, then there is a reasonable and respectful way to argue that position--but flying off the handle and shouting down anyone who says otherwise is not it Jessica, Christ alive

[@animelovergirl8461]

It would’ve been fair if schools teach both classics and modern literature to compare, contrast and analyze how literature has changed overtime. Like others have commented, the history during those times, ideologies, social problems and etcetera and compare that to the current time's side of those.

[@richardpreston7333]

Maybe it's because I just finished reading the original Classics Illustrated comics, but I do think classics have a place in modern education. Such books can be used to highlight social injustices (Les Miserables, The Octopus, Pudd'nhead Wilson) and/or the horrors of war (The Red Badge of Courage, All Quiet on The Western Front, even War of The Worlds) and open conversations on how that affects modern society. Then again, I'm the kind of guy who read Robert Louis Stevenson's The Black Arrow for fun when I was 20, and thinks Agatha Christie should be put on the curriculum for secondary education English classes, so I probably shouldn't be the foremost voice on the matter.

[@laurissafrancis3219]

I don’t think there is any issue with reading “the classics” in school as long as you have a good teacher who explains the underlying themes and why the author wrote what they did. I took ap English so I read a lot of classics and I think a lot can be pulled from “old” literature if you read it critically and understand what the author was trying to say to the world when they were written. I do think it’s also important to read newer books because it is important to understand how the world has changed and what authors now are trying to say to the world through their books

[@tynavarro9433]

I don’t know anything about this drama and I only googled because I was confused about the house of dragons sequel status, but this is very interesting. My high school had us read things like Maus and Beloved as classics, and getting away from exclusively white people classics was super educational

[@clarkem.5269]

twitter can bring out the worst in people but my god this is the behavior i expect from mentally unwell 12 year olds, just 0 to 100 in no time. why do adults think it’s acceptable to use abusive language instead of even attempting normal disagreement.

[@everylaurenislemons]

I think classics can be good for interdisciplinary lessons but if you want to get kids interested in reading, let them read books that interest them 💁‍♀️

[@generous1star943]

Sometimes I try to read A Classic and then I see the super casual racism/sexism/homophobia and I'm like.... ok.............. I understand something might be "pivotal to the genre" but tbh newer books build on the classics in a more interesting/relevant way so I'd prefer to read that. Like people say Red Rising is basically Dune, for example - and yeah, it probably is, but at least Red Rising isn't super fucking boring to me lmfao you'll catch me reading Dune when I'm dead

[@danielbroome5690]

Dune is NOT something that should be read in middle or high school lol, the ideas contained in it are university level and it's unapologetically classic sci fi lol. As to the first point though, yeahhh, but they do serve a function of being able to lead into topics to discuss in class about why those things were wrong then as they are now and can create good discussions. The issue is when that DOESN'T happen and they're read as-is. The entire point of reading something like To Kill A Mockingbird, even 20 years ago was to discuss how fucked up racism was and lead into a discussion of how it's still here and how to address it.

[@Phill4957]

I think classics can be important to understand why a culture is how it is, in the current time. However, thats usually (as i understand things) not how they are taught, which defeats the purpose that i see them as having.

[@The_Leftysaurus]

I swear I heard Tequila Mockingbird and I was like huh What? XD Anyway, I think classics will always have a place that's important and shouldn't be forgotten, however that doesn't mean all books beyond a certain age should be regarded as classics, that we can never add, or subtract, to what is a classic, nor that those are the only books people (especially kids) should read. As society changes and grows, education changes and grows, what kind of stories we present for education, shouldn't be and a standstill either.

[@meimei51793]

Curious when the disrupt text started bc my high school english teacher was very clearly focused on including women and poc authors this was 2011-14

[@ReadswithRachel]

Good question! I’m not sure but either way I’m super appreciative of your teacher

[@KestrelDC]

Bruh… she missed the point of the intersectional books thing soooo hard. Like it would be one thing to just present some options for literature that has good values that hold up and are more progressive and inclusive that could be used in schools and classes, would even be great and helpful and start a good conversation, but that rant was…. UNHINGED! WTF?! The original tweet didn’t even name any specific books as bad but she acts like all those specific books she named were directly attacked when they weren’t! She just assumed they were what was meant!

[@crayoniecran]

its such a small point but literally the “teens not on goodreads” thing is such bullshit like….. goodreads and wattpad were my social media as a 13 to ~15 year old? my parents were really keen on social media so like many other teens of stricter parents i used what i could get. also most teens will find a way to get on any website, even the ones they legally probably shouldn’t so…. goodreads is easy

[@MrRorosuri]

I have her debut but never read seeing the tirade first hand 😆

[@Coyoteari]

Oh that “apology” was 1000% not written by her

[@Crowley.G.C]

When I was a freshman in high school, in one of my English classes everyone was actually required to make a goodreads account, so yes i can confirm teenagers use goodreads lolol

[@Tree-House69]

When I was a teen, I was on goodreads along with a chunk of my friends, I guess I need to poof out of existance because clearly I didn't really exist /j

[@Clovermine]

I feel like, if in middle school/High school the school system allowed newer books, more inclusive books into the curriculum, reading wouldn't be such a chore. I like classic literature but that style of writing isn't going to speak to everyone. Studying literature in school isn't necessarily about the text itself. Its about things like reading comprehension and critical thinking, there is no reason anyone should have to slog through the Glass Menagerie (Which is a play but I still had to read it.) So I don't really understand the points Jess and people who agree with her position are trying to make. For me its not about forgetting those classic novels exist or even not studying them anymore. They are still worthy of analyzing and discussion. But I also think its important to remember who was allowed to publish back then and who those books were written for.

[@ReadswithRachel]

I saw the play the Glass Menagerie!

[@heabooktubes]

Give me the drama!!

[@LadyKittybug]

I was home bound from high school because of my health and my wonderful English teacher had me reading different books from the “classic” curriculum and I appreciated it so much. When I was in honors English my freshman year, in school, I didn’t read any of the assigned books, because I found them either hard to get thru or topics I had no interest in, that god for cliff notes. Some of the books I remember reading: Cruddy Stargirl Perks of being a wallflower A book by Junot Diaz

[@Crowley.G.C]

Also, yes, teens use Twitter. I'm 18 now and I still have never touched it, but when i was younger, all of my online friends had Twitter and they were all teens

[@minttea4035]

I think it's really great kids are getting a wide range of lit to look at. I loved reading Jesymn Ward and Jhumpa Lahiri in high school, so I definitely support kids reading what is actually exciting and relevant to them. That being said, as a history major I see a lot of people think studying the past and its context is pointless which is...disheartening. I don't think kids should have a limited pool of classics to read, but I do think there is merit there. Reading or watching Shakespeare is valuable because it is a masterpiece and introduced so much to the literary tradition that people may better understand cultural contexts if taught correctly. English class shouldn't have a time period unless it's a more advanced course though. It should have a theme or something it wants to examine in particular and not discriminate by age. Jhumpa Lahiri is great for teaching metaphors through the mundane. Shakespeare is great for teaching meter and making people examine the phrases we still use today. Both new and old books hold tremendous value and it's a poor English class is it skews either way

[@TheresesNook]

I think classics are a good starting point in terms of learning what was popular at the time, why it was popular/why it wasn’t and just learning historical context and maybe learning a thing or two about how writing has evolved over the years and the very different writing styles. BUT i know so many people (myself included) who find classics not only daunting but so hard to engage with and understand and I’ve watched people get discouraged from reading from the ones we did in my classes - i don’t think it’s needed and it’s time to turn them into supplementary reads or even shift away into more modern texts that’s more accessible

[@StarshineReads]

I can’t believe she really thought teens aren’t on Goodreads. I joined Goodreads when I was 17. And while my sister who is a teenager isn’t on Goodreads, she uses another book app.

[@lake8407]

I feel as though classics only truly become important at a collegiate level when students decide to engage with a lit and/or writing degree. I'd argue that the work of assigned reading in younger grades should primarily be about getting those kids interested in reading. That is why relatable work (ie. diversity) is so important. If books are only assigned to kids that cis white boys relate to, that will only further the cycle of those who go on to study literature or be interested in writing themselves being those cis white boys. It's a certainly a level of gatekeeping as I fully believe reading is for everyone as long as they are presented with books they enjoy. Especially when children are younger, books should not be a slog for them to get through as that only encourages the gatekeeping within literature.

[@theresisty7122]

Middle school English teacher here. Lol, because this is hilarious. Exactly NO books or actual literature is in the curriculum anymore. It's all Pearson test passages.

[@pumpkinschannel777]

I think there are definitely classics that are worth reading, especially ones that impacted entire genres or that told an important story for the time they were written in. But I don't think K-12 students should be required to study them. Classics are often too dense or obtuse to be enjoyable, and in my experience reading classics in high school is what completely turned a lot of my friends off from reading for fun. There are lessons we can learn from classics, but I feel like it is overall more important and helpful to read current works! There's just as many things you can learn and analyze in new books, and it feels like a shame to continuously analyze and discuss books from 100 years ago when there is such a wide variety of work available to us now!

[@treasuryoftomes]

I love watching these and being able to possibly remove some books from my TBR because I don’t use Twitter regularly so don’t know the drama and don’t want to support shitty people/authors. xD

[@phoebejohnson1925]

Teens are on Goodreads. My 14 yearold niece is.

[@rhysallison8660]

I read her books and liked them when I read them before I knew any of this. The Kingdom on Fire trilogy. It was basically a Grisha fanfic in England, and I liked it for the vibes. But yikes.

[@angelicastarlington748]

@6:45 maybe miss clueless should read and understand the books she talks abt before she permotes them. Ive read Sinclairs the jungle (highly recomend btw) and i can tell u that his opinions on the meat packing industry are almost ENTIRELY irrelavent in the book. the book was about how immigrant workers were treated and the horrors of capitalism and its affects on workers (especially immigrant workers). the book literally ends with Jurgis ( the mc) going to a fucking communist rally. the fact that she believes the jungle is abt the "horrors of the meatpacking industry" show she hasnt read it.

[@TheAbigailDee]

Girl wasn't even @'ed like why did you run in there with your full chest and just be RACIST like????

[@mcjordie]

Ohh this is all coming back to me now. What a shitshow that all was. I had someone forgotten all this, even tho I recognized her name as a shitty person on Twitter lol

[@AD-cy4vj]

Hearing Sarah Dessen unlocked some memories

[@DawnOfDragonz]

While I do see the point of more inclusive literature in classrooms, i think uh you dismissing the Crucible was a bit of a yikes move, as I can think of fewer classics that would be DIRECTLY Relevant to teens with some good teaching. A story about how witch hunts are formed for selfish reasons and cause unneeded destruction to innocent people? In an era of rising anti queer and anti trans rhetoric, in an era where unhinged conservatives are trying to scapegoat who ever they can?

[@coyoteartist]

This may be a tricky take because books are subjective, I don't think this Cluess lady was wrong in defending the books she mentioned. At least it seemed like she was defending them. The name calling was pretty dang buggered though. I know it's Twitter, but there's a lot of folk on there who don't get a case of the dumb just because they sign in.

[@NazoPureChaos]

Over a year-long missed opportunity to call her "Jess Clue-less"

[@TuberoseKisser]

Her tweets go into a rabbit hole of background noise, like she was all over the place

[@KathyTrithardt]

I'm not really a classics reader, and that's fine. If you are looking for more authors behaving badly, I recently learned that Stephen Fry fully supports JKR and has some trash takes regarding a charity in the UK for abuse survivors.

[@nimuehawk]

Is this recent? I know that he received criticism for his remarks back in 2016 that had MIND the U.K. mental health charity concerned as he was their President. It was about people needing trigger warnings on everything. He left Twitter for a while for his own mental health.

[@KathyTrithardt]

@@nimuehawk I don't know the details completely, but in regards to whichever abuse charity it was, he figured people should just suck it up and stop caring about what happened in the past, which is not a good look at all.

[@nimuehawk]

@@KathyTrithardt yes, it was during an interview on USA tv but it was a general statement about trigger warnings. he told them to grow up and stop feeling sorry for themselves and he was widely called out for it as being extremely insensitive. I don’t think it was directed at a charity that I can see . MIND is a mental health charity. If he had done anything recently it would be reported. I have found that interview from 2016 and his remarks in context kzbin.info/www/bejne/m3u0eZShoLuchtE

[@nimuehawk]

He must have sorted things out with MIND as he’s still President. Oh if you don’t want to listen to whole interview he talks about trigger warnings at 10:00 so just final part of interview

[@readwithrhys]

hmm her books on my shelf are looking like very good fire kindling, or to make into a bookstagram backdrop 🥰

[@randiroyer9893]

I have only found classics to be a true purposeful read in a specific setting--reading 1850s classic Russian literature for my Russian degree was super useful and informational and I loved it. Teenagers don't need to read stuffy books by white men. I'm with ya.

[@queendsheena1]

I love the classics, and it annoys me that people use them to be ass-hats. Let books be books. I'm a huge YA reader now in my big 30's age, and I agree that students should read books best suited for them. The old classics won't disappear because contemporary books enter the education system. Jess is a racist dingbat, I was there for the Twitter drama, and that's all I'll say.

[@Heothbremel]

♥️❤♥️❤♥️❤♥️❤♥️❤♥️❤♥️❤♥️♥️

[@AdventuRyn_]

Ordinarily I'd feel bad for misreading someone's name but in this instance it kinda fits. It took a few times of hearing it to realise it wasn't Jess Clueless. Lol Also on the topic of "classics" I can see why certain works are promoted but also it seems like it would be loads more beneficial to have the mandated texts kids/young people read in class be both engaging and representative of today's students. If you also want to read the classics, that's great, but to have those integrated into a wider curriculum instead of being the universal standard.

[@thequeenofbooks24]

You should do an Emily Duncan episode at some point!

[@ReadswithRachel]

I did! It’s on my channel 💜😃

[@thequeenofbooks24]

@@ReadswithRachel oooh! My bad haha 😂

[@mattywren]

Classics can be an important way to understand the way our world used to work and how it may have come about now (don’t get me wrong I find most classics completely and utterly boring, but as an English lit major I can see their merit) but the study of classics is really useless in high school. High school and every other school system before that is about learning who you are and how to operate in our society. No high school student ever remembers or even understands most classics because they’re not applicable. Books taught in school (unless college/uni) should focus on modern contexts and modern issues, such as racism, homophobia, transphobia, misogyny, etc. That’s the key to creating more aware and kind people. Nobody’s saying classics should be banned which is what all these white defenders of classics think is happening. It’s just a shift of what is focused on in schooling

[@Financiallyfreeauthor]

Even as a young person getting a degree in English literature there are some “classics” that I don’t understand why they are lauded