There's no shortage of major woman poets to teach. What are the
implications of my teaching a woman poet they may never have heard of?
There are also lots of other poets I don't teach unless forced to, but
Plath was the subject at hand.
If I were to teach a poet whose work I really don't like I doubt that I'd
be doing the poet a favor, and my attitude, even if it only came across
subliminally, might make it harder for my students to read that poet on
their own or in later classes.
Everyone hopefully has many teachers. Every teacher is hopefully valuable
for different reasons.
At 05:20 PM 7/6/2000 -0700, you wrote:
>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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