How to Approach Literature in the 21st Century
The 21st century presents many challenges in the instruction of classic literature. With instantly gratifying forms of media constantly emerging and many forms of entertainment competing for the attention of budding young minds, it becomes important that you make classic pieces of literature easily identifiable for your high school students. Finding ways to engage your students is important to approaching literature in the 21st century.
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Instructions
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Discuss words that may not be familiar to your students. Many pieces of literature from the 17th and 18th century and even those from the 19th and early parts of the 20th centuries will contain language that is not commonly used in the 21st century. Discuss semantics and how certain words' connotations have evolved over time, and how these connotations can affect the way we understand the literature. Illustrate by using examples of the terms in everyday speech.
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Relate the issues and themes in these texts to current events or issues they may be dealing with as high school students. This will make your students view the works as relevant. You can use these perennial issues to accentuate the curriculum your students cover in social studies or history classes.
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Engage your students by illustrating the relevance of the texts by explaining the definition of the literary canon. The pieces considered to be canon-worthy are those that have enduring themes. Give specific examples issues and how they relate to current struggles.
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Illustrate enduring issues of the classics by discussing modern films that use the plots and themes of classic literature for screenplays. Discuss examples, such as the film "O," and how it relates to "Othello." Bring themes full circle by showing the enduring qualities of the classics, while noting how societal change has shifted certain aspects.
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