In reading and writing classes, we normally read a novel as well as the readings in Quest and other, more strictly academic texts.
Do you think that this is a good idea? What are the advantages and disadvantages of spending time working our way through an English novel?
What sort of novel should we read: a recognised classic of English literature like Of Mice and Men, Lord of the Flies, Pride and Prejudice, and so on, or something else? What are the important criteria for choosing a class novel? Is there any novel that you would like us to read this term? Why?
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Monday, 8 November 2010
31 comments:
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The votes so far are very encouraging - 100% in favour of reading a novel. So, why should we do that, and how should we choose a novel?
ReplyDeletePersonally, I've found that reading novels help me a lot in term of developing my reading and writing skill. In some criterias, they help even better than said "more strictly academic texts", especially when it comes to fluency.
ReplyDeleteGenerally, novels are more enjoyable, more entertaining, and more likely to draw undevided attention from readers than nonfictions. This, to me, is like response writing, we can do it a lot more than doing a stricted academical writing.
I'm not done with this but I gotta run ... I hope my comment helps.
I totally agree with Roong that reading novel can develop my English Skills.
ReplyDeleteIn my opinion, good novel should give me at least one aspect which I can adapt in order to improve myself or make my vision wider somehow, so I prefer to read that kind of book but it must be enjoyable.
From the last term in AEP level4, I read Of Mice and Men, which educates me for American history. Few expect that I gave on the first time do much more knowledge when I finished. A more scenario is that you use a novel as a mechanic for teaching base to seek student’s weakness. It’s really good.
ReplyDeleteFor The important criteria, I don’t know much and how to evaluate value of literature but I will suggest Kite Runner. Because the movie’s impressive:D
For me, reading is one of the good ways to improve vocabulary, grammar and the way to express our ideas in writting. There are many sources which we can read on such as a novel or an article on internet or newspaper. To write an essay, I prefer to read novel than article because the novel gives the reader more informations in detail and the connection in it.
ReplyDeleteI would like to read a novel which I can learn from it about cultural, relationship in practice.
There are a couple of novels I have in mind.
ReplyDeleteFor level 5, I think Lord of the Flies is a good choice: William Golding, the Nobel Prize winning author, writes very strong English that is literary but not too difficult; the story is dramatic, thought provoking, and relates extremely well with the topics we will be covering as we read about anthropology in Quest; and it's a classic with which most English readers are familiar, so much so that there are frequent references to it in popular anglophone culture, to which it also makes numerous allusions. And although there are exceptions since since some teachers do not like it (ask Savitri for her opinion of it), it's the novel most often read in level 5.
For level 6, I haven't decided yet, which is one reason for both posting this topic to see what you think, and also for the first level 6 academic writing assignment, now due tomorrow evening. We could also read Lord of the Flies, which I don't think most of you have previously read. For level 6, I have sometimes used Jane Austen's excellent Pride and Prejudice, which is arguably the best novel ever written in English: the language is brilliant, perfectly conveying the different moods that Austen wants her readers to feel at different points in the story, but unfortunately, the fact that the novel was written 200 years ago is reflected in the language, which is not quite today's English; although the characters and story might sound boring, Austen's skilled plotting and narration keep the readers interest in both the varied characters and their adventures in houses and gardens of the peaceful English countryside that is her scene; and every element of the novel connects with and develops several elements in the most natural way. Nick Hornby might think that Of Mice and Men is "a perfect novel", but Pride and Prejudice is the perfect novel. Other novels I'm considering for level 6 are George Orwell's 1984, which is probably even more famous and well-known than Lord of the Flies, and the more recent Fight Club, which you might be familiar with from the film adaptation starring Brad Pitt.
We don't have to decide today. Tomorrow or Wednesday will be soon enough.
"For level 5, I think Lord of the Flies is a good choice: William Golding, the Nobel Prize winning author, writes very strong English that is literary but not too difficult"
ReplyDeletePeter, it's not too difficult because you are a reader. T_T
I prefer Eat Pray Love which I'm reading everyday to kill the time when I'm on the way to AUA.
Fight Club is interesting to me.
ReplyDeleteI vote Fight Club :D
ReplyDeleteAkira,
ReplyDeleteI think that Fight Club is lively and fun, much like the well done film version, but I also have one reservation about the language and content, which are also major advantages to choosing this as a class novel. I think I'll choose it as my topic for tomorrow's essay, and then you and your classmates will be forewarned and can decide if the possible disadvantage is real or not, and how serious it might be.
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ReplyDeleteWe can do Jane Austen's! I loved doing Pride and Prejudice in class and actually don't mind to do it again if everyone'd like to. But what about her other stories like Sense and sensibility, Mansfield Park, or Emma? Maybe novels from other authors i.e. Jane Eyre or Wuthering Heights? I'm not sure whether these novels are as good but have heard these names a lot.
ReplyDeleteI had a look at 1984 and found that the language is much, muchhhhhh easier, comparing to Pride and Prejudice (ofcourse!). If we'll do Orwell, I would prefer Animal Farm, it seems more interesting and fun to me.
Whatever we do, I expect it to be not only worth reading in class but also fun to read.
Difficult to put down is a plus :)
Net,
ReplyDeleteLord of the Flies a little more challenging than Of Mice and Men, which is another advantage. You would not, after all, want to read something that was not more challenging than last term. Would you?
How do you come to AUA? I'm glad you're spending the time reading, but I hope you're not driving at the same time.
Roong,
ReplyDeleteI thought of Animal Farm, too. It might be more "fun" to read, but it's definitely not a fun story.
You're right about Orwell's language; he worked hard to achieve that surface ease for his readers, but underneath 1984 might not be quite so simple. It is a gripping, "difficult to put down" book, but probably even more unrelentingly depressing than Animal Farm.
Thanks for the vote for Pride and Prejudice. You've probably already inferred that I love it, and would be perfectly happy to read it again. Although not modern English, it's close enough, and most of the differences serve to make it closer to modern academic or formal written English, which is not a big problem for an academic English class - and that extra challenge isn't a bad thing, either.
Peter,
ReplyDeleteDon't worry about that. I'm not multifunctional man and I always have a chauffeur.
...
..
I usually catch BTS or bus.
Anyway, after I read your comment, I got goosebumps because you assured me that it is a good book. Isn't it?
Roong,
I have read Sense and sensibility once, just a page then I kept it deeply in my shelf book. T_T
I flipped through channels and saw some brief scenes of the old 1984 movie on MGM or some channels. It did look very depressing, that's why I returned my lended copy of 1984 to the library, untouched.
ReplyDeleteI listened to a podcast reviewing Animal Farm, it sure does sound like political story or so, but it seems to be fun, I wish?
My vote goes for Pride and Prejudice, then.
Net, I'm better than you then. Coz I read a chapter of Sense and sensibility and put it back on the shelf, too.
ReplyDeleteI agree with everyone that reading novels can improve my reading skill.
ReplyDeleteI don't know many English novels, just read a little bit some.
I vote for Pride and Prejudice but I'm not sure which version that Peter want us to read because I read a short version retold by Margaret Tarner before when I was in high school.
I just want to read it again because when I was young, my English skill was worse than now. Maybe I can understand the story better. And I think if we read something in different ages, we'll find that we have a new vision about that thing.
From NK's opinion about Of Mice and Men, in the same way, Pride and Prejudice can tell us about English culture in that time, so, it relates to 1st Unit in Quest 3 for RW5, too. ^^
ReplyDeleteOrn,
ReplyDeleteI mean Jane Austen's version as first published in 1813.
I think that readers which retell great stories in language adapted for learners are very useful, but I'm not so keen on studying them when the originals are so very much better.
Morning, everbody, I certainly agree that reading novel make me improve reading skill, including critical thinking, but I don't like a lot of slang words in the novel. They always make me stop to read then think what they mean.
ReplyDeleteBy the way, as Peter said "Lord of the Flies" is probably the novel for RW5. I'm not sure it was produced to be a film whether or it was not. If the answer is yes, I personally think it may be quite difficult because main purpose of this novel is about politic and instinct of each human. However, I believe we can create interesting discussion about it much, espectially critical thinking in our class.
Anyway, I watched that film 4 years ago. It's very funny and give me a various thought and viewpoint of each character's acts while I was watching it. In brief, I completely agree that we will read "Lord of the Flies" as a novel for RW5.
Actually, I'm not a reader even Thai book, so I don't know much about book and I'm not so sure what kind of book should we read. Anyway, recently, I read some books after I joined AUA and then i found it's interesting and can improve my reading skill ( but I'm not sure for my speaking and writing skill).
ReplyDeleteI almost recommend Eat Pray Love which my friend had recommended me. So sad that Net is now reading it. However, I prefer any sort of book which is good one, fiction or nonfiction I don't mind reading it. I disagree if we read an old-version English book. I can't stand to finish it.
At last, I believe that Peter will choose a good one for us because all books chosen by him in my previous class are all interesting even some of them a bit too difficult to understand.
I can not say much about the books which Peter proposes. I watched the film "Lord of the Flies" when I was I child and I don't remember anything. Anyway it sounds interesting to me, and "Fight Club" too; in the movie with Brad Pitt, Edward Norton and Helena Bonham Carter some particularly social question are constantly expressed. I remember it like a very powerful movie with a great visual photography.
ReplyDeleteIn my experience, read is a perfect exercise for academic reading and writing, and even more, for the life. Books help us to enjoy the time, give us many kinds of emotions and teach us important points about society, relationship, history, love...
I recommend writers as Aruki Murakami, Michel Houellebecq, Gabriel GarcÃa Márquez or Milan Kundera, but just to enjoy your selfs because any of them write in english, so maybe they are not a good exercise for academic reading and writing.
Is this discussion died yet?
ReplyDeleteI'm just wondering, exactly what are the disadvantages of reading novels? Are there any downside of it? I could not think of one.
Anyone?
I wondering the same as Roong.
ReplyDeleteAccording to the poll, two people have voted against reading a novel. So, what are the disadvantages to novels that might support that vote?
I have the same idea that reading novel is a good way to improve our reading skill. Personally, I have no idea about English novels because normally, I read Thai novels in my spare time. In this case, I do not know about the novel and the author, so I do not know which book is interesting. However, it is exciting that I am going to meet a new novel.
ReplyDeleteI know that the reading novel will help me to improve my reading skill, but if it is hard to read, higher than my level and has many pages, it will make me be sick off reading although some people think it will challenge their skill.
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ReplyDeleteSurely, reading a good book is a good way to improve my English but I also want more than that. I want to develop my thinking skill, get a new idea, or increase my knowledge at the same time. Even if I have no idea about these books, I guess "Fight Club" probably fit with my style.
ReplyDeleteThe disadvantage of reading novel(in class) is it's waste my time to reading another novel which I like more. ^_^
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeletePersonally, there are a lot of disadvantages of reading novel. For example, the reader was a child, and read the murderous novel then think that murder in the novel is cool. He or she might be obsessed by murderous act, then he or she try to copy it probably. As you know, there were often murders which were copied from game, novel or plays. I don't mean it will take place in our class after reading finished. :P
ReplyDelete