ENGLISH

CLASSICAL LITERATURE

Stop what you're doing for a minute! Close your eyes and think of a classic piece of literature that has stayed with you from childhood.

Got it?

Ok, now ask yourself why that particular text had such a profound impact on you, that it still holds a place in your heart today?

As a child, I was a sucker for the old stuff! I particularly enjoyed listening to my parents or my grandparents read these stories out loud to me. There was something about the language that transported me to a time quite unlike the world I lived in. Whether it be the pirates and lost boys of 'Peter Pan', or the unhinged adventures of Toad from 'Wind in the Willows', I couldn't get enough of these timeless adventures. 

It's imperative that today's generation of students are exposed to classic literature. It's an opportunity to hear vocabulary from  another era, or compare how stories are different to modern texts. The students will have opportunities to explore classical literature in class this term. You may hear your child talk about Snugglepot and Cuddlepie, or the dangers that face Mowgli from The Jungle Book!

This may also be an idea time to dust off that classic old book from childhood that you hold so dear and read it to your child/children. Who knows, it may just end up being as special to them as it is to you....