Curating classics? The art of compiling literature reading lists

From weekend classes through Festival of Learning and short courses to undergraduate qualifications, there’s an array of English Literature study options at ICE. But with so many books to choose from, have you ever considered how tutors curate their reading lists? Academic Director of English Literature, Dr Jenny Bavidge, lifts the lid. 

We review texts every year. Sometimes we make changes for practical reasons – picking novels to illustrate a particular concept within a new course component, for example. Other times, we may be tackling new ideas that enter the field, or we might just read a book we love so much that we want to discuss it with everyone. Teaching English literature can be a selfish pleasure, and tutors get a lot of autonomy to use their own judgements about what will engage students.

The upcoming Undergraduate Certificate course, for instance, includes a unit on American literature. Of course, we can’t cover 250 years of published works, so we’re taking a snapshot, looking at specific movements and motifs from the perspectives of writers like Emily Dickinson, Jack Kerouac and Toni Morrison.

An ever-changing landscape of literature

There used to be an idea that studying English literature meant ploughing through a fixed canon. But literature traditions live and breathe – roots lead to branches continually growing new leaves – and we want students to explore the whole structure.

That’s something we’ll be doing at this summer’s Virtual Festival of Learning, where I’ll be teaching a course on Literature and Nature. We begin by looking at Wordsworth, but I’ve been learning more about First Nation poets whose work offers richly alternative perspectives on our relationship with nature. So, by way of comparison, we also study Nature Poem by Tommy Pico, which is a long way from the romantic, Wordsworthian view of the great outdoors.

I love pairing texts from different periods that make connections too – for example, placing Great Expectations alongside Peter Carey’s Jack Maggs. The latter views Dickens’ original world from the perspective of Magwitch. It’s a great lens for highlighting the development of the novel over time.

Occasionally, updating reading lists attracts criticism for politicising study. But it’s a mistake to think historical works can only be critiqued one way. Romantic poets we revere now, such as Shelley, were revolutionary in the 1800s. Today, we’re conscious of making sure our lists reflect diverse and emerging authorial voices. Student recommendations are often an important part of that expansion. There’s no single ‘right’ curriculum – the study of literature is constantly evolving, and that’s a selfish pleasure for us all.

Student picks:

We asked students to share some of their favourite reading discoveries from ICE English Literature courses:

Mrs Dalloway, Virginia Woolf “Woolf has a fantastic way of lulling the reader into a pseudo-dream state in which they’re privy to the private thoughts and feelings of her characters. Yet she places them solidly within timeless, real-life contexts.” Andrea Pickering, Clinical Psychologist

In Praise of Limestone, W.H. Auden “This poem wormed its way into my mind with its evocation of both timelessness and transience.” Sarah Westvik, Student and Intern

The Lonely Londoners, Samuel Selvon “This book has widened my knowledge of how the Windrush generation was treated on arrival to 1950s London. The way Selvon creolised the voices really helped me see the characters from a perspective within their community. Loved it!” Gail Willington, Retired Funeral Director

The Aspern Papers, Henry James “I’d never read any Henry James before, but I enjoyed this so much I ended up writing my first essay on it and plan to seek out more of his novels.” Anna Gouviea, Local Government Officer

Moby Dick, Herman Melville “Wild and unpredictable as the oceans it explores, feeling compelled to read Melville’s 600-page sprawl infuriated me. Grudgingly, fury became infatuation as I chased down the white whale. Like Jonah, it swallowed me whole.” David Prosser, Patient Trustee

In the Ditch, Buchi Emecheta “I chose this book as it deals with real experiences of people moving to London. I also like to look at it from a woman’s point of view, as I think a mother's life is not just for herself, it’s for her children too.” Razieh Harding, Bookkeeper

Learn more

Find out more about English Literature courses at ICE.

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This article was originally published in our Long-Vacation - Michaelmas 2021 issue of Inside ICE.