Presentation of Research Event at the English and Media Centre. Thursday 11th October

Introduction to the Manifesto

MANIFESTO FOR THE DEMOCRATISATION OF LITERATURE on Prezi

1. Exam boards for English Literature should reduce the level of prescription in their specifications.

1. Exam boards for English Literatureshould reduce the level of prescription in their specifications. Research shows* that there is anin built distrust of the process of canonisation manifested in interviews withsubject leaders. Examiners feel that teachers should be able to have morefreedom to choose what they teach – as long as there is a variety of text typesand forms – and that English Literature GCSE and A Level should be developingskills of analysis and critical enquiry rather than learning about literaryheritage texts.

Subjectleaders of English feel restricted by the politics surrounding the teaching ofEnglish (see item #3) and when selecting texts for their prescribed lists, theyworry about being criticized for making inappropriate choices (that are not difficultenough or potentially offensive). What they think students will engage with isnot their primary concern.

Similarlyin schools, many teachers, when choosing what to teach their GCSE students –think more about time constraints and ease of teaching than selecting a textthat they feel their students will identify with. More than 90% of students inthis country do Steinbeck’s Of Mice andMen at GCSE. While I agree that this book is engaging and carries important themes and messages thatstudents connect with, the main reason it has achieved primacy is because it iseasy to teach, there are plenty of resources available in schools to teach itand it is the shortest book on a list of just four books. (Of Mice and Men comes in at 128 pages compared to 336, 320 and 240pages in the other books). The format of assessment is open book examinationwhere students are expected to select quotes in response to a question which befocused on character or theme. Of Miceand Men has six clearly defined chapters some of which focus on a specificcharacter or issue and a cyclical narrative with clear links between the openingscene and final scene, making it easy for students to find relevant quotationfor their responses. When preparing 15 and 16 year olds for a timed conditionsterminal examination, teachers are afraid to take risks. Exam results havebecome the primary focus for English departments and teachers no longer feelable to experiment with teaching new texts. The irony is, however, that as aresult we have inadvertently made Of Miceand Men a disproportionately dominant text.

We’vebeen using the mantra “no need to reinvent the wheel” for too long. It is timefor English teachers to get inventive, to start seeking out alternative booksto Of Mice and Men for our studentsto study. I acknowledge these practical considerations and if a short book isessential for your students, find another book under 100 pages. There areplenty out there.

EnglishLiterature would do well to look Media and Film Studies as a template of how toassess students without having to prescribe texts. WJEC and OCR, the two mostpopular boards for Film and Media Studies do not have prescriptive lists andthey still manage to assess students through terminal examination. Studentsshould be being assessed on skills and not knowledge of specific objects ofstudy.


* Click here to read the full research document

2. There is no inherent value in insisting students consume, understand and enjoy literary heritage texts.

2. There is no inherent value in insisting students consume, understand and enjoy literary heritage texts. The study of established canonical writers perpetuates the notion that English Literature is an elitist pursuit. Students across the UK are from different class and ethnic backgrounds and the insistence of academics, exam boards and teachers that old white guys are the best writers is potentially damaging.

We are not teaching literature to perpetuate the bourgeois hegemony, we are teaching young people to develop a love of reading and skills of understanding, comparison, analysis and critical reflection. These skills would be better developed in the study of familiar and unintimidating texts. Even F.R. Leavis promoted the use of films and advertisements as tools for developing critical awareness in school children (Culture and Environment, Leavis and Thompson, 1942).

Students should be exposed to a range of forms: popular fiction, moving image texts, genre fiction, fan fiction (a fast growing and potentially influential form) as well as the more traditional forms: drama, poetry, realist fiction, literary non-fiction.

3. Who cares what people say?

3. Who cares what people say? A huge factor driving the shaping of the English curriculum is the image or perception of the subject and its status.

Examiners feel pressured to maintain this status. They are under constant threat of criticism from the press who are quick to declare that standards are slipping. Nobody knows better than teachers and ex-teachers how to maintain high standards –having high expectations, setting challenging tasks and questions, introducing students to new texts. How this is perceived by external critics should not affect our decisions.

As teachers, we are sometimes guilty of perpetuating the idea that certain types of literature are more worthy or credible. It is understandable that teachers want to share their love of texts they were taught at school and at University and I am not suggesting that this love of literature should not be communicated but teachers need to ensure that their tastes and biases are not dominating the classroom. We must resist the urge to let our own prejudices and snobbery affect what happens in our classrooms. In a time when the education system is experiencing more regulation and control than ever it is the classroom teacher’s job to fight for a more pluralistic and democratic approach to reading in secondary schools. Take a risk this year, teach something that would have The Daily Mail readers choking on their cornflakes. Teach it well, make it challenging and ensure outstanding results.

4. Creative writing should be a core part of the literature curriculum at GCSE and A level.

4. Creative writing should be a core part of the literature curriculum at GCSE and A level. As soon as students reach year 10, they embark on a programme of study that does not require or expect them to be able to write creatively and expressively. As soon as the formal study of Literature begins, the teaching of the production of literary texts practically ceases. It’s as though we don’t expect that 15-19 year olds could create something that could be classed as the wondrous and mystical thing that is literature. This sends out the message that only an intellectual elite can create literature worthy of study.

The marking of creative work is problematic, but it is possible. A senior examiner for AQA admits that “Creative writing by definition needs a huge amount of coursework and the reduction of coursework and the ever-increasing requirements of reading squeeze it out. It used to be there once but the system doesn’t allow it.” We need to call for a change in the system to allow students the opportunity to engage in the production of literary texts; students are not given equal access to the means of production and consumption of literacy in schools (Cultural Capital: Problem of Literary Canon Formation, Guillory, J. 1994). Even if the “system” doesn’t allow it, teachers are responsible for what happens in their classrooms and there is no reason why this can’t be taught in addition to the requirements of the curriculum.

Many teachers avoid the teaching of creative writing because they don’t feel qualified to teach it, which only reinforces its status as an intimidating, unapproachable pursuit. We need to overcome this fear and show students that anyone can write a poem, anyone can write a story just as in Media Studies we promote the idea that anyone can make a film, anyone can communicate a message using digital tools.