I just wandered through my building and saw in several different nooks and crannies students of mine reading for our late afternoon class -- so fun to see their total absorption in the novel (Me Dying Trial)!
Which leads me to wonder again (as I did yesterday when I finished it) what they'll all think of the ending of the novel. I personally found the plot compelling and was totally sucked into Gwennie's perspective each time the narrative voice aligned with her. BUT... I found the ending a bit of a letdown: we got just enough of Peppy for me to be disappointed that we hadn't gotten more throughout the novel. It'll be really interesting to go into today's discussion with that reaction fresh in my mind.
As I explained to the class on Tuesday, in any literature-based course that I design and teach, I try to include 2-3 novels on the syllabus that are brand-new to me. I read a lot about them, to try to ensure they fit thematically, but I don't read them ahead of time. That way, when we discuss them in class, I can model for the students the experience of reading for the first time. I've read Frankenstein, for instance, a dozen times -- and I've read the 1818 edition, the 1831 one, the compendium of all the versions -- you get the picture. It's a novel I love, but I am far removed from the students who are experiencing it for the first time. And I think it's really important that there be moments when I literally don't have all of the answers for them, which this practice creates.
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