LITERATURE EXPLAINS THE WORLD

By Jan Abernathy CHIEF COMMUNICATIONS OFFICER

When reminiscing about their education, adults often mention a favorite book because reading is a transformative and transporting experience.

Jan Abernathy sat down with Lydon Vonnegut, chair of Browning’s English Department, to discuss literature in Middle and Upper School, what students learn from it, and how gratifying it is to teach it to boys.

JAN: How do we choose the books we teach for each grade?

LYDON: We design a course before we pick the texts, which we select to support the themes and teach the skills. Themes develop over time, mainly through the work of teachers at a given grade level thinking through what is developmentally appropriate. While the theme at grade level may remain consistent from year to year, there’s flexibility as new books and assignments can be introduced.

As an example, in Grade 7, the theme is public and private identity. We start with a portraits unit where we look at how people choose to have themselves portrayed, or how artists choose to portray their subjects to get the boys into the observations that lead to inferences, which in turn lead to analysis, and a close reading framework. Then we move into The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian—the most private first-person narrative—and then from there we move through texts that deal with increasingly public concepts of both individual and group identity. We go from Twelve Angry Men to Animal Farm, and finally to Julius Caesar. We want each course to both flow logically and expose boys to reading poetry, prose, plays—a variety of genres—as they build their toolbox as English students.

JAN: Sticking with that grade for a moment, how did you choose the theme?

LYDON: There’s a really big cognitive flip for most boys between Grades 6 and 7 whereby they shift from being concrete thinkers into being capable of far more abstract thoughts. They are poised to consider their own identity and have strong opinions about who they are, as well as who they want to be and why.

JAN: What’s the mix between newer books and what adults might consider the “canon” or “classics”?

LYDON: Beyond the fact that the traditional canon is full of beautiful, rich texts, understanding the literary traditions that undergird Western literature is an important part of their English education, and so we have to expose them to literary history. Having said that, there’s great new work being published constantly, so it’s also our responsibility to expand the canon with contemporary work. The goal is for every boy to have windows into others’ experiences, and mirrors that reflect elements of his life back at him.

JAN: How does studying literature enrich boys’ lives?

LYDON: It is the study of the human condition on every level. Beyond academic skills, it’s also how you develop empathy. We as humans need narrative to make sense of the world, and we also need each other’s stories to feel connection. Adolescents often feel isolated because they think they are experiencing things no one else has. Literature teaches them that’s not true—they are never alone.

JAN: What are your favorite works to teach?

LYDON: I love teaching Hamlet. I love teaching Shakespeare in general. It’s the gift that keeps on giving.