Poetryetc,
I have to agree with Mairead's comments below. I have never taught poetry,
but I'm certain of how I would react if a poetry teacher saw fit to direct
my well-being by categorigally removing certain poets from course materials.
The majority of English students, at least in Melbourne, are women. What are
the implications of removing a major woman poet from the syllabus?
It's one thing to challenge a member of the canon, and that's valid if it's
done in a valid way. But in that case, why aren't we having a go at Eliot,
for instance?
I'm rethinking my views on Plath as we speak and am in that hazy place where
I don't know what to think, which I personally think is often a precursor to
fresh insight.
Best,
Cassie
On Thu, 6 Jul 2000 19:23:15 -0400 (EDT), [log in to unmask] wrote:
> David Lloyd has a thought-provoking essay, "Kant's Examples" (in
> Alexander Gelley's Unruly Examples: On the Rhetoric of Exemplarity) in
> which he talk about the "unexpungeable melancholy of the pedagogical
scene,"
> based as it is on the exemplarity of the teacher and the necessity to
> progress past him/her. How do you, Mark, decide what would be bad, or
> good, for your students? Are your students a homogeneous group, a clump?
> How do you know what would be bad for them? In what sense bad? As I
> would be in no way capable of deciding what poetry would be good, or bad,
> for the students in my classes, I teach what I enjoy.
>
> In many of the courses I teach, it seems appropriate to read Plath.
> Historically, she is an important figure in the tradition of American
> poetry. She is a key figure in the construction of "the woman poet."
> She is a highly skilled craftsperson. She was also an innovator, who
> introduced many experiences particular to women into poetry. I hope
> students will share my enjoyment. Like all students, I learn as I teach.
> That's how I hope to minimize the unexpungeable melancholy.
>
> It is impossible for me to comprehend the contempt which you express for
Plath.
>
> Mairead
>
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