“You can never ever EVER separate history from literature!” This was a statement I heard from my high school AP Lit teacher at least once a class period. It would always make me smile because she said it every time with the same assertiveness and excitement. She NEVER got sick of burning that into our brains. One of the things we have discussed in class this semester is the way primary school students are instructed to view and analyze pieces of literature using the guidelines of new criticism. Their lessons are exam based, and they are graded on their ability to study a single piece of literature as its own separate entity. During this discussion in class, I thought about how my high school English teacher, Ms. Fox, planted a small seed in our brains to encourage a more broadened perspective. Continue reading “History and Literature”
English Majors Practising Criticism