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Originally Posted by Simon M
I have to ask ... but why is shakespeare the yardstick by which everything else is judged.
Children and Adults need to have a broad reading base, and I'm sorry but shakespeare should be dropped in favour of more modern authors.
Shakespeare has it's place for those studying English lit, but mainstream should offer a much wider choice.
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the trouble is that the curriculum can never include all literature, so by looking at certain 'milestones', including Shakespeare & Dickens, it is hoped that the student will be inspired to fill in the gaps.
I was an avid reader, myself - all 'traditional' childrens stuff, like Enid Blyton, Swallows & Amazons, The 'Lone Pine' series - Shakespeare added a more 'adult' dimension, while retaining the fundemental of a good story.
I can see how contemporary kids may struggle to comprehend such stuff - but I also think that is a symptom of today, in that they only want to 'graze' on easily accessible media - having to think about something, in order to understand it, doesn't really happen, any more. (I was amazed that my son won't contemplate watching any tv program that is in monochrome - he automatically classified it as 'boring')