Let’s face it. Kids don’t like to read. The few who do are divided even further between those who read best sellers and those who will tackle a literary work. The kids know it’s coming, and you know it’s going to be a struggle, so introduce students to literature through the short story. Although the elements of composition are different, there are commonalities that you can draw upon to help the students understand the difference between literature and the latest New York Times best seller.
Literature does not fall into a formula the way many suspense, crime or love novels will. Although there are usually a bevvy of copycats after one great work is written, it only takes a reading comparison to identify the really great writing. Short stories work in the same way. Introduce the difference between literature and formula writing with a couple of short story collections. A collection of great detective stories will not be the same as a collection of literary shorts from great Southern writers. The discussion that follows the reading of examples from both will help you set your students up to successfully read a novel that is considered literature.
For some reason, literature has become an esoteric part of the education canon, so baby steps may be needed to help students feel like it is accessible to them. Often times, it’s simply the more complex writing style that discourages kids, so reading the elevated use of languages in small doses helps them become accustomed to reading and understanding literature. Make sure to mix in some contemporary literature so that the class doesn’t get the idea that all literary works are stilted and difficult to read. Throw in something cool and respected like, “The Brief and Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao.” Suddenly, literature will be very cool, very contemporary, and very appreciated by even the most resistant readers.