BOOKS
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Recommended Reads DIVERSE CLASSICS In response to this week’s article, the Books team think back on the ‘classic’ texts they’ve read with more diverse themes and from more diverse authors. Some food for thought: what makes a classic anyway? The literary canon doesn’t have to be set in stone... Passing By Nella Larsen A classic of the Harlem Renaissance, Passing is also an iconic work of Black modernism. Recently adapted into a movie, Passing tells the story of the tension between two female friends in 1920s Harlem who choose to ‘pass’ as white- one occasionally, and one permanently. This rare glimpse into a common but often unspoken aspect of African American life in early twentieth century New York raises enduring questions of gender, race, friendship, community and identity. - Eliza Browning, Books Editor
Selling Manhattan By Carol Ann Duffy While Selling Manhattan itself isn’t a classic as such, there’s no denying Duffy’s body of work more broadly is a classic of contemporary poetry. Her poem ‘Valentine’ is studied by so many children at GCSE, and while teachers often steer away from or touch very lightly on Duffy’s lesbian identity, it remains there in her work, especially for those who seek out more of it. Selling Manhattan is my favourite of her collections, ranging in theme from first love to illness to nostalgia.
Rubbish representation in schools, syllabuses, and beyond Hope Philpott dives into the lack of representation for women and people of colour in school literature curriculums.
I
n A-level English Literature, we didn’t
school age children identified as Black, Asian than getting 15 year olds to read a somewhat study any texts by women. There were and minority ethnic, and around half of the UK problematic look at race in the segregated Deep South by a white woman, every older plenty of texts about women – from population identified as women. Thomas Hardy’s excruciating late VictoLiterature is a beautifully powerful combi- friend and sibling I know who studied the novel back before the new GCSEs noted rian fetishization of rural female poverty in nation of self-expression, identification, its profound effect on them, and Tess of the d’Urbervilles to Henrik Ibsen’s proband coming of age. Despite often lematic portrayal of middle-class women’s being badly taught, dismissed, it’s definitely worth reading and agency in A Doll’s House, by a self-proclaimed or, as this government is keen discussing, rather than axing. “Literature is non-feminist. But, of course, actually getting on, underfunded, the conseMore disturbingly, Govean a beautifully women’s own perspectives on womanhood, quence of English Literature reforms (which were even especially deep into *the past* (before the being taught to pretty much influenced by Dominic powerful 20th century), would be a step too far. Canonieveryone until the age of Cummings, for a time) combination of cal men have clearly said it better. It was the 16 is that we all spend a lot also removed all ‘seminal same depressing story with regards to race. of time with the writers on world literature’ from GCself-expression, We studied one novel by a writer of colour, the curriculum. Although SEs, just so Gove’s personal identification, and Khaled Hosseini’s brilliant and heartbreaking Shakespeare’s plays are vendetta against American The Kite Runner. Yet the text we studied which wonderful, teaching them as a writers wasn’t the only nacoming of age.” was lauded for its ‘breakthrough’ and ‘bold’ discussion of race is often a cop tional literature that students discussions of race was Shakespeare’s Othello. out to get teenagers thinking about were missing out on. Anyone who Shakespeare, who was not a person of colour. the incredibly important and personal has also studied History at school since Ibsen and Hardy, who were relatively issues of race and gender, when they are the Coalition can equally enjoy upped compulprivileged men. raised at all, through the stale works sory British History, an approach which will If this is the representation of the same white male southern set you up well for Oxford, which is swarming we’re getting at A-level, faces. Why should and why will with British History and not much else. I’ve among students who’ve “The texts we study students be enthused by Dickens heard some awful stories from my friends who chosen to keep studying and Byron, when their perspec- study English here about the scarcity of set at school and beyond tives are often so different and encouraged texts by women and people literature, what hope is there for the often even from their own? Must we list of colour, although experiences seem to differ should be chosen more constrained curricu‘greats’ from various genres from tutor to tutor. and shaped by the lum at GCSE? Not much, it - Renaissance, Romantic, But it’s not good enough to leave it to often turns out. A recent survey diverse populations Gothic, modern – that students privileged tutors, canon-compilers and Educacommissioned by Penguin simply must study before we tion Secretaries to dictate which texts we reading them. ” Books found that a shockeven begin to examine where study. Time and time again, they have failed to ing 0.7% of English Literature the exclusionary category of ‘great’ achieve even the remotest degree of represenGCSE students in England study a even came from? tation, a damning outcome in a subject which book by a writer of colour, and only 7% Among the many depressing tenets of is so linked to identity and the self. The texts study a book by a woman. In 2021, only 0.1% this tale is where it’s being dictated from. we study at school and beyond should be choof students answered a GCSE question on the Michael Gove, UK Education Secretary from sen and shaped by the diverse populations only novel by a woman of colour on the AQA 2010 to 2014, reportedly disliked American reading them. exam syllabus, Meera Syal’s Anita and Me. literature– so there went To Kill a Mockingbird This is despite the fact that in 2021, 34.4% of from the syllabus. Although we can do better
FACT CHECK
-Katie Kirkpatrick, Deputy Editor
The Portait of Dorian Gray By Oscar Wilde Oscar Wilde has long been a gay icon for his treatment of homosexual desire in his writing – as a result, The Picture of Doran Gray, Wilde’s only novel, was greeted with outrage by British reviewers on its publication, some of whom suggested that he should be prosecuted on moral grounds. Wilde’s novel which follows artist Basil Hallward as he endeavours to paint a portrait of Dorian Gray, explores themes including hedonism and sensuality, all the more striking in light of the 19th century context. The novel is enigmatic, layered and dramatic – a must-read. -Elena Buccisano, Books Editor
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Out of the 114 Nobel Prizes for Literature that have been awarded since 1901, only 14 of them went to women. (Source: Bustle)
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In 2017 only 4% of all the children’s books published in the UK featured a black, Asian or minority ethnic (BAME) character, according to figures from a study initiated by the Centre for Literacy in Primary Education (CLPE) into ethnic representation in children’s literature.
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The number of authors and illustrators of colour published in the UK in the last three years has grown to over 8%, an increase of 3%, rising from less than 6% in 2017.
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The most recent 2015 study by Lee & Low, the largest multicultural children’s book publisher in the US, determined that 79% of the overall publishing industry (including executives, sales, marketing and publicity, and reviewers) was white.
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The 2017 CCBC study of literature for children and teens, found that, out of 3700 books surveyed, just 3.68%, or 136 books, contained significant LGBTQ+ content. Of those, only 41% (56 books) were written by an author who identifies as LGBTQ+.
