Just a heads up: I love a good (respectable) debate, and I have a bit of a controversial opinion in this video, which I elaborate on later on in the video. So, please watch the WHOLE video before you join in the conversation and share your thoughts. If you want a whole video on the discussion of banning books from institutions, let me know!
I totally agree with what you said. I have a section in my Extended Adolescence video on my channel dedicated to University politics and this drive to ban books, and my opinions on "trigger warnings" and the effect all of this has had on my own experience of college (I majored in Literature as well). I definitely think platforms like twitter have killed a lot of people's drive to find nuance in conversations, and to read nefarious intent into everything that exists. Unfortunately, elements of that have spilled over into the real world as well. I enjoyed your video!
I think it’s interesting how a lot of pop culture “makes fun” of studying literature (and other humanities subjects). There are lots of jokes out there about getting degrees in English and then not knowing what to do after graduation (“what do you do with a BA in English?” From Avenue Q comes to mind). STEM fields are important but the favoritism towards them because there are more job prospects compared to humanities fields lack is troubling. I personally struggled with this, I majored in English but what kind of job do you get with a living wage that matches your area of study? My college basically said, “you can do anything!” Which is great but it’s truly hard to find a job that doesn’t require some other education in a different field to support it. (It was recommended that English literature is a great foundation to become a lawyer…if I wanted to be a lawyer I would’ve studied law). I really enjoyed this video! We need people who study and engage with art to understand the nuances of life to improve society.
I come from extreme educational privilege in that my father was a professor who taught me to love learning from before I can remember. And I was also able to attend college effectively on scholarship just for being his kid. So I studied what I wanted to study regardless of job prospects because I could. I know this isn’t a possibility for so many people, and that many people have to maximize their potential for income with a marketable degree. But the heavy reliance on STEM subjects is really risking the whole institution of higher education in my opinion. Most STEM subjects are not based on discussion and nuanced interpretations, and can ultimately be learned without the ambiance of classrooms and seminars. But literature and history and philosophy need that classroom environment of differing opinions and historical and biographical context to fully comprehend a text. I get daily reminders that most people don’t learn for knowledge’s sake and it is really tragic that capitalism has skewed the perception of the purpose of education.
If going by how people speak about their thoughts and opinions online then it's alarmingly apparent that too many people could use a few proper humanities classes. Not an entire degree's worth of study, but a few classes for sure.
@@illex759 then what's the problem? Learning things not to just increase your own knowledge, and the knowledge of your field, but rather to solely make the most money seems to be a pretty big capitalist system from where I'm standing. Being able to study language because you WANT to as opposed to math because you HAVE to doesn't really seem like the point of education in the grand scheme.
@@ChristopherSadlowski I appreciate the defense because I just had to leave that one alone. Totally agree with your other comment as well, I’ve know many very intelligent STEM majors who couldn’t tell me what *century* WWII happened in. Not shaming anyone for what they don’t know, I just think it’s a failure of the American education system (and perhaps other counties, I just don’t know any details). Thank you!!!
I studied literature at university and became a teacher. I do not teach in a classroom moving to a different career in the system but love of reading is a constant and when I don’t read as much as I would like, life feels off.
Wow! I know this was about literature but I am changing my career and studying horticulture and your video just spoke to me on so many levels. I keep doubting that I'm making the right decision. Like I said, I know this is about literature but a lot of what you said very much translates to my situation.
Thank you, literature is super cool! I'm not an academic, but I do have a bachelor's degree in English and I can't imagine having gotten it in anything else 🙃
Yes. Many great points! I studied English literature [not in England] and work in film and visual effects creating cg characters. Seemingly unrelated, however, I studied a lot of history, I read a lot of books and visited libraries. All this thought me how to do research which my job calls for a lot [researching costumes, cultures etc]. I find many of my colleagues have little to no experience on how to search for information efficiently and how to actually word their queries. Having to find one book in a giant library without a digital catalog makes you quite good at it :D The cultural point is also relevant here too.
Literature informs the whole entertainment industry, anything that involves story telling & yes films can be really informed by an appreciation of history and the cultural insight provided by arts and literature.
We live in a society and therefor it is important to understand how it works, understand other people and perspectives. Humanities and arts will always be important for me for that reason. It helps us see the parts of the worlds we otherwise wouldn't see and understand things we otherwise wouldn't understand.
Yes. And it all should be taught during k-12. Look at art class: they let kids express their feelings instead of studying the greats. People know nothing of history either. Probably how we got so many ludite, larping communists.
I'm so thankful to you for giving me the vocabulary to talk about afantasia. I do not have it but my husband, who is also a voracious reader, especially - funnily enough - of fantasy and sci-fi, does. We tall about what we are reading with one another constantly and pick up on such different aspects, it can be like we've read two different books. I used to tease him that he likes writing that is too straightforward and "boring", but now understand for him he does not require long descriptive prose fleshing out a setting or environment because it literally does nothing for him, he doesn't imagine it. But then he picks up on other richnesses of a text I don't at times because I'm too immersed in the imagination element, so it's fun to learn from each other's reading experience!
Hi! Just wanted to write in to say thank you so much for this video! I'm doing an honours in English Literature next year and I'm feeling a bit nervous about it. Thanks for the reminder that the study of literature is a passion. 100% agree! You are amazing. Love your passion and love for literature! P.S. Best of luck with your PhD!!! :)
Would you have any recommendations for someone who would want to "study" literature not as a formal course for education but as a hobby/in their free time e.g. where to start, what books to start with etc?
As a child I always had a thirst for knowledge and would always go to library to find out information. I did not have a happy childhood and books were my escape. I can not understand how people can have opinions about a subject without finding out all the information, it is the same as going to a doctor for a diagnosis with only half the information. I do believe that knowledge is power regardless of the society we live in. I don't agree with the banning of books because someone says they are "inappropriate" let me read it and let me decide what is appropriate for me. I don't expect every book I read to change my life but I do think that everything I read leaves something behind that I will use in the future at some point. I won't even buy a new hob without researching to find the best one for me. Your video was very informative and very well explained. Thank you
Thank you for this lovely chat. You’ve put into words something I’ve struggled to covey (why literature and arts are of value, outside of beauty/history alone). These differing perspectives between more artistic people and individuals focused on practicality give us a well rounded society, one that becomes lacking if we all “stay in our own lane”.
Very inspiring video. I study philosophy because I believe it's a wonderful tool to understand politics but I also question my choice quite often because of how it's perceived. I also started reading quite late, when I was 18 and studied for a very competitive exam that I ended up not taking because of the toxic environment. I kept up with reading every day from that time and discovered I could love most genres. This year I have to study as hard as that time in order to hopefully become a teacher and get an income. I really do need one, even though I could see myself studying for years. I feel like studying in this field forces to make compromises as it's not very recognised. But I am passionate about education and love the critical thinking all of my studied helped me develop, so I hope I can help others discover that !
Your talk about being careful about trying to read into authors' intention and meaning is really interesting. I've thought for a longtime that trying to read into the intent and the meaning of what an author is trying to say with what they write is really important. It's true though, trying to take our own subjective interpretations as facts is really dangerous. I think we should just take them as possibilities, and it's beautiful how a single piece of writing can spur countless possibilities like this
I'm the first person in my family to have attended university. I was incredibly blessed to have a full scholarship, which included books, travel etc. I get the people who wonder why I don't "use" my degree, but we use our degrees everyday.... I gained a greater understanding of the world, human interactions and got to meet people from other walks of life. Perhaps I don't use my degree in the sense that I travel to the city and work for a major company but we don't all go to uni for that, I certainly didn't. I think you make your videos so relatable, and for those who are mean about your lovely accent, horrid behaviour, hopefully people stop being so nasty in 2022, we can but hope! Thank you for your content and wishing you and doggie a happy 2022.all the best in your PhD, I love hearing your story. P. S. I grew up poor and in an abusive situation and I've been an introvert my whole life. I understand the finding solace in books. I too had an eating disorder... Cinzia, I can't thank you enough, your content is amazing. I think when I talk about Cinzia, hubby thinks I'm talking about a real life friend lol xxx
Love to hear from a fellow dyslexic academic. I can relate to reading more as an adult. I was always a ‘reader’ but much more so now I can follow my interests outside of secondary education.
Great video! I definitely agree that nuance is really easily lost in many current day conversations (especially online). And I definitely think that studying literature can help remind us of the importance of that nuance. I think our minds still have to catch up to the speed of modern media. I mean, radio has been around for a little over a century, TV for even less time, and social media for far less. We might be adaptable, but if we've had millennia to dig into working out meaning from words written in stone or on handmade paper, or on cleaned and treated animal skin, then we still have quite a while until we're able to really grock things like social media in the same way. Also, as a holder of an MA in English I was nodding along as you described studying literature as more of a passion project than a path to a career. 😅
I taught English and literature for decades, and I write novels. Knowing about books means mine are part of the authorial conversation that has been going on for centuries!
What a wonderful video. You make some lovely points here. I also agree that studying literature helps one prevent reductivism, as you said, by keeping the mind more creative and open to different interpretations. Less judgemental. I also feel, which goes hand in hand with the reductivism-prevention, that something also being lost amongst society today is what the reader brings to the art form. Good literature is a conversation between the author and the reader. Most people want to be distracted by entertainment, which is fine but if this is the only way you consume "art" there is a great deal one misses out on. Being entertained is like watching a dancer perform. It can be a beautiful experience but there is no interaction. The viewer brings nothing to the table. Good engagement with literature through analysis or conversation about that literature is like an organic dance between two people that can lead to an experience that transcends the physical art form. I find it hard to describe properly, so please forgive my clumsy analogy here. But over the last few years as I have dived deeper into books than I ever had before in my life, I have found new richness and dimension to so many different aspects of life. There is no one way to look at anything, and through conversations on my BookTube channel with other readers I have discovered my thoughts about things I hadn't yet considered, and other's perceptions of those things which are endlessly interesting. So all that to say thank you for this video, and I hope your schooling goes as you wish it to.
I'm curious, when you read, how do you read because of your dyslexia. As a kid, I loved reading but could not read fast to save my life, and it was kind of depressing because our school system actually graded you on your ability to just consume books at an accelerated rate (AR system). This eventually burnt me out on the written word, but I had also discovered mangas, graphic novels, and comic books, as a steadfast to reading. College kicked in and I really fell off the band wagon of reading (including most of my required text for school), but missed it (I was an escapist but not just to fiction, I discovered I really loved theories for the arts/humanities since I was an art/theater/film kid; I very much agree with how reading and literature can open your eyes to the world), and it was audiobooks that roped me back in and I AM SO GRATEFUL to them. I'd love to hear more on your experience on reading and dyslexia if it's not too taxing on you. Much love!
As someone who read the odd time as a child and in school, I never read with any consistency. Since I associated books with school, which made them seem less appealing. Well, that was the case until I turned 20, and discovered how much I love literature! Particularly classics, modern-classics, Russian literature, poetry, philosophy, history, psychology etc etc. Now I have a library of over 400 books. I find reading enriches you and helps you grow as an individual, and they go a long way in helping you find fulfillment and self-realization. As a 29 year-old, I can quite confidently state that books have changed my life, for the better. Read some Dostoevsky or Tolstoy and tell me it didn’t leave an impact. Truly great literature leaves such an imprint on you as a person.
OMG you have dyslexia just like me. When I was in high school here in the United States we touched on the classics. It was just too difficult for me to read fast enough and keep up. For the longest time up until a couple years ago. I just thought it was stupid and lazy. I wish I had known sooner. My life might have turned out different.
I have to admit you caught me off guard when you started mentioning the incidence of cognitive structures in the comprehension of art and literature. Where I studied, literature majors usually clung to the postmodern belief that there’s no ulterior meaning in literature other than that which the reader implants into the document. It’s particularly intriguing considering I attempt to follow suit with contemporary researchers concerned with integrating the acquired knowledge of the role of cognition and cognitive structures in the preservation of society. Therefore, I’d like to ask if your approach to literature through a psico-cognitive approach bears in consideration Jean Piaget’s genetic epistemology, considering his works on the centrality of the development of cognitive structures delves directly into the impact said development has on both worldview and morality? As always, thanks for the pleasant conversation.
Not related to this video but I just found your channel again! I remember watching quite a few of your minimalist videos year or two ago and really enjoyed your content. So glad to have found you again!!
My opinion was that it is indeed meaningful to study literature if you can build a bridge to modern society. Parallels and evolutions. But besides that it gives such an insight
Hii, you remind me so much of one of my lecturers at uni, it's insane. She has the same motivation about her PhD and is so happy to give her knowledge forward
Thank you so much, this was a very interesting and somewhat moving discussion. It has made me feel very lucky for the Italian school system which, despite all of its many problems, allows me to study Classics at a not so elitist high-school (not saying that it isn't elitist at all) and tends to be very focused on the Humanities side of things. I also really love books and luckily my parents were able to support my passion ever since i were little; I love both the escapism and the subtle way books can change who you are as a person. Thanks again for the amazing video!
I was diagnosed with dyslexia and ADHD as a child. I was then diagnosed with Asperger's in my 30s. Were it not for my love of reading, I wouldn't be where I am today. I discovered that love when I was 11 and it expanded my mind in ways I didn't get to appreciate until decades later. I couldn't be more glad for it.
A thought provoking viewpoint and topic for discussion. Thank you. I personally believe the books written in the past (both fiction and non-fiction), some of which may contain racist, patriarchal, sexist etc. content, still need to stay on our shelves, as they tell us what society was like then. It gives us an opportunity to stop, think and discuss how we can move forward as a society to ensure such injustices are not repeated. Personally, I have returned to reading the books from our past. I have learnt so much, about education and how this was denied many women, how women today are free to pursue a career and leave marrying a man and having children until later, how women could not vote at one time in history, about the amazing women who helped on the land and in factories during the war while the men were out fighting etc. These books of the past have opened my world and made me so thankful and grateful to be a woman living today (despite ‘some’ residual patriarchal behaviour still being evident in our world today). If these books were banned, then I wouldn’t have been aware and learnt what I have. We can’t shut the door on the past, but rather we can look back, learn about the past, take responsibility and not repeat it, and at times be grateful. As a woman today, I have the opportunities that my grandmothers didn’t. I’m enjoying your videos. I don’t comment on all, but give a thumbs up. Being Boxing Day 2021, I bought a book titled, ‘The Odyssey: Homer’ translated by Emily Wilson because of your inspiring vlog content on ancient classic literature. I’ll see how I go reading it, as it looks like heavy reading. I also bought online before Christmas, thanks to your vlog, the book, ‘Woman and Other Monsters’ by Jess Zimmerman. It sounded like a thought provoking and interesting read. Thank you for being an inspiring person 🦋
I can relate to this - I didn't get into Literature, sadly, until after university. I was diagnosed autistic last year, and I think the late 90s teaching method of getting students to take it in turns to read passages aloud to the class really took a lot of the joy out of reading for me. Thankfully the Kenneth Brannargh Frankenstein film led me to Mary Shelley, The Hours film led me to Virginia Woolf, and Kate Bush led me to Wuthering Heights, and I've been obsessed since!
