Season Special: Three Great Works of Literature

Retired teacher Chris Starling shares a few of his favourite works of literature that inspired him as a linguaphile and educator. We hope this encourages you to reflect and share your favourite titles in the comments below.

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Key talking points

Discussion of "Slouching Towards Bethlehem" by Joan Didion:

• "Slouching Towards Bethlehem" is a collection of 1960s journalism by Joan Didion, offering a critical look at the counterculture movement.

• Chris appreciates Didion's style and personal approach to journalism, which invites readers into her world and provides insightful commentary.

• Favourite quote: "This is the California where it is possible to live and die without ever eating an artichoke…"

Discussion of "Fugitive Pieces" by Anne Michaels:

• Chris describes "Fugitive Pieces" as a powerful exploration of memory, personal history, and self-construction set against the backdrop of the Holocaust.

• He praises Anne Michaels' poetic writing style and the depth of insight each reading offers.

• Favorite quote: "The past is never dead, it's never even past."

Discussion of "Bleak House" by Charles Dickens:

• Chris highlights Charles Dickens' storytelling prowess in "Bleak House," emphasising its intricate plot and rich character development.

• He discusses Dickens' use of symbolism, particularly the fog, to represent societal issues and interconnectedness.

• Favourite quote: "Fog everywhere... Fog in the eyes and throats of ancient Greenwich pensioners."

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About Chris

Chris qualified as a librarian and then as a teacher of English, careers he followed with pleasure for over 30 years although he was drawn away from the librarianship side quite early. His longest service, over 20 years, was in a school where the students had over sixty home languages.

We hope by sharing our conversation, you’ll be inspired to share your favourite works of literature in the comments below.

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References

Links will direct you to later publications of the following works of literature so you can read them, too.

1. Didion, J. (1968) Slouching Towards Bethlehem. Farrar, Straus and Giroux

2. Michaels, A. (1996) Fugitive Pieces. McClelland & Stewart Ltd.

3. Dickens, C. (1852-1853) Bleak House. Bradbury & Evans

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Watch the video with closed captions or refer to the transcript below.

Transcript

00:00:00:00 - 00:00:20:20

Laura

Hello and welcome to this special episode of the TESOL Pop podcast. Now, if you're familiar with this podcast, we like to do something different in our special episodes. So today I'm joined with Chris, who'll be sharing three favourite works of literature that inspired him as a teacher. Chris has over 30 years of experience in education, starting as a librarian before becoming a teacher of English.

00:00:20:22 - 00:00:29:20

Laura

His longest stint of service was 20 years, serving in a school that had over 60 home languages. It's an absolute delight to have you on the show, Chris. Thank you for your time.

00:00:29:23 - 00:00:31:24

Chris

And it's wonderful to be here. Laura.

00:00:32:01 - 00:00:54:10

Laura

In today's episode, Chris will share three works of literature, briefly what they're about, what stands out about them for him, and some of the favourite quotes from those pieces. Now, of course, this is all down to our own personal preferences, so I encourage you to share your favourite works of literature in the comments on the website or on our social media, because we'd love to hear your suggestions too.

00:00:54:11 - 00:00:56:17

Laura

Which work of literature would you like to start with first?

00:00:56:17 - 00:01:27:04

Chris

Let's start with Joan Didion's Slouching Towards Bethlehem. This was a collection of, 1960s journalism, and in it she is writing about the counterculture, as it was then phrased. But don't get carried away with the idea that it's one of those “oh, how wonderful the hippie movement is” things. She is very, very aware of the dangers and the problems in the movement at that time.

00:01:27:06 - 00:01:41:10

Chris

And it's not just about that. It's about her personally, how she who reaches out and talks to you as a journalist, as a person.

00:01:41:13 - 00:01:51:05

Laura

And what is it about this piece of work that stood out for you? When did you read it? Maybe that's the first thing I should ask you. When did you first encounter this piece of literature?

00:01:51:07 - 00:02:29:19

Chris

This was one of the books I encountered as a set text, to teach for A-Level. exciting times, to have pieces of journalism. And I'd never heard of Joan Didion before that. But what struck me and what has stayed with me is her style, the way that she writes. And I think the style in all, like all of the pieces that I'd actually chosen, is one of the keys, in Nabokov, who said, “you can trust in a murderer to give you a good prose style.”

00:02:30:00 - 00:02:48:17

Chris

So, that's perfectly true. Joan Didion invites us into her life, invites us into California, sometimes invites us into America and other parts. It's a very wide ranging selection of essays.

00:02:48:19 - 00:03:06:19

Laura

it's interesting that this was something that was assigned to you, and that's how you discovered it. Sometimes it can be quite a tense relationship between works that you're given to teach. To think I'm speaking for myself and your own preferences. So this is really lovely that this was something that really inspired you, even though it was set by the curriculum.

00:03:06:21 - 00:03:28:21

Chris

Well, teaching for that long, I suppose one was going to say, one was going to find the bits of gold amidst all the rest that went past, and obviously it did leave me a big problem when you asked me to do this, deciding which three to choose. It's, it is so difficult from that treasure trove that's out there.

00:03:28:23 - 00:03:44:17

Laura

It really is. And considering how much you read as well, it's quite difficult to whittle it down to three. So maybe this won't be the first episode that we would record in this case. So for slouching towards Bethlehem, do you have a particular favourite verse that you'd like to share?

00:03:44:20 - 00:04:14:16

Chris

Well, it's as I said, it's like plucking a feather from a beautiful bird in, the first essay. She's writing about, not the counterculture. She's writing about an America that most of us will probably never, ever have encountered. And there she writes, “this is the California where it is possible to live and die without ever eating an artichoke, without ever meeting a Catholic or a Jew.

00:04:14:17 - 00:04:30:07

Chris

This is the California where it is easy to dial a devotion, but hard to buy a book.” You can see from that just how she looks. Pretty good eye at these, what goes on there.

00:04:30:09 - 00:04:56:06

Laura

Yeah, it sounds like a really strong commentary of of what's happening in the space she's living in for that specific time. And it's interesting that's essay format and. Yeah. And how that ‘s structured. I wasn't expecting you to pick essays when we approached this planning this episode, I thought maybe that we just all kind of chunky books. So this is really interesting format and also style of writing that you picked for the first one.

00:04:56:08 - 00:05:08:00

Chris

Yes. And it's not a big, thick book. Yeah. If you're dipping in and out because I remember what teaching was like. sometimes you don't have the time and read.

00:05:08:02 - 00:05:22:14

Laura

So this is a good one to start with, isn't it? For listeners haven't got a lot of time. This would be a great one to pick up and to notice the the format the style and the commentary its providing. Now, what have you picked as your second, piece of literature?

00:05:22:16 - 00:06:35:00

Chris

My second piece of literature is entirely personal. It is the only book that I've ever read for pleasure, where I've gone back immediately and read it again. And now I think coming to 4 or 5 times a reading. And for this podcast, you put me back to it again. And so that thank you for that. I mean, it is wonderful.

It is Fugitive Pieces by Anne Michaels. And this is the story of a boy who survives the Holocaust because he is “just thin enough still to hide behind the wall.” I'm quoting him. But it's also about the memory. It's about personal history. It's about how we construct ourselves within the lives that we lead. And what happens to us.

It's not a book that one could say, oh, it's about this. It's almost like reading poetry. It is so beautiful. And Anne Michaels is a poet. So one does remember that it's inevitable that you're going to.

00:06:35:00 - 00:06:41:01

Laura

This book you say you've read it several times. What have you taken away from each reading? Has it been something different?

00:06:41:06 - 00:07:06:21

Chris

Oh yes, oh yes. Each read, funny enough each reading has been just as exciting, if not more than the one before. And that, for me has been very unusual because I read there are a number of books I've read lots of times because I've had to teach them and that and actually to find a book which is so exciting, so readable, which makes one stop and think so much.

00:07:06:23 - 00:07:11:17

Chris

That is really for me, what makes this unique.

00:07:11:19 - 00:07:19:06

Laura

Can I ask you, you've just read it recently before we recorded, came here to record this podcast. What did you take away this time from reading it recently?

00:07:19:08 - 00:07:52:03

Chris

The shades of remarks like “there's a moment when love makes us believe in death for the first time,” you find bits like, yes, endures throughout, and sometimes you haven’t noticed, and other times you have, and this time reading it electronically and highlighted with it's a totally different experience again. And so what is discovering again? Yes. It's like finding a new seam in a gold mine or something like that.

I don't know how else to express it. It is just so wonderful.

00:07:52:05 - 00:08:02:14

Laura

A truly special work. You shared a line from there, but I wondered if there are any other particular lines that have stood out this time you've read it. Obviously there's lots that you'd like to share. Before we move on to the next book.

00:08:02:19 - 00:08:08:07

Chris

I think very relevant is “the past is never dead. It's never even past.”

00:08:08:13 - 00:08:19:12

Laura

That's really powerful. I can see what you mean about the poetry coming into Fugitive Pieces and the author's experience, and skill as a poet. That's really beautiful and very powerful.

00:08:19:14 - 00:08:28:11

Chris

It's a lovely way to express memory, which is, of course, the most fugitive of pieces. And that we have.

00:08:28:11 - 00:08:40:07

Laura

That's a wonderful piece, for us to talk about. I wonder, how are you going to beat this? Like, what are we going to finish? Well, actually, I do know what you're going to close this with a little introduced the the third and final piece of literature.

00:08:40:09 - 00:10:02:05

Chris

The third book is by Charles Dickens. It's Bleak House. Dickens, for me is a master storyteller. And, you know, this is the master story that he wrote. And it's full of the most wonderful things. From his very opening, he is laying down what is going to be actually a crusade against the law in England at that time, which allowed lawyers to drain estates of money if there was an argument about who inherited it.

But he's also trying to show us how everybody is connected, which for us now probably doesn't sound very odd. We know this because we're all connected, on the internet. But then the interconnectedness of the upper class and the road sweeper, it wasn't recognised. It was almost as if they were living in totally different worlds and they were totally different animals.

Almost. This is a story which Dickens, in which Dickens will weave a wonderful, wonderful tapestry and complete it so beautifully. And it's full of Dickensisms.

00:10:02:07 - 00:10:09:22

Laura

But those that not read any Dickens, what would a typical feature of Dickens be? Aside from starting sentence to the.

00:10:09:22 - 00:10:59:08

Chris

Definition of Dickens? Watch out for the names he gives to people. I mean things like Inspector Bucket. Or Lady Deadlock.

And and Sir Leicester Deadlock. Wonderful man called Crooks who for me dies in the most fascinating death in literature. And you have to read it to get the full flavour of the death. Esther Summerson, and I think you can tell from this just the creation of the names. Who are the heroes? Heroines? Who are the goodies?

Who are the baddies if you want. It's a book. Enjoy. Because it's going to take you through love, crime, all sorts of things, but it is all going to be brought together in the end.

00:10:59:13 - 00:11:09:19

Laura

And how did you encounter this book? Was this something that you studied in school as, as a student yourself? Because it is quite a hefty book. I wouldn't expect this to be on the curriculum. Or was it?

00:11:09:21 - 00:11:32:22

Chris

Yes it was. Oh, gosh. I have, along with quite a number of those 19th century doorstop, as one of my colleagues used to say, yes, it was. And I didn't know what I was getting into when I got into it. But I've loved it ever since. And it is a book where again, when you revisit it, you will find out more and more.

00:11:32:22 - 00:11:49:11

Chris

Jules Verne was a great fan of Dickens. He said, I think he'd read Dickens, the whole of Dickens ten times. Gosh. And if you remember 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea there is a Captain Nemo. Where there man who is a captain who's named Nemo in Bleak House.

00:11:49:12 - 00:11:52:06

Laura

So there's the influence there. Yeah, you.

00:11:52:06 - 00:11:54:16

Chris

You can see the homage.

00:11:54:18 - 00:12:01:10

Laura

With such a vast book. How do you go about choosing a favourite line or quote? Do you want to have a go at sharing?

00:12:01:12 - 00:12:29:04

Chris

Yeah, you have to be careful because if you go too far into it, you start doing prompts for this, which you've really got to avoid. The second paragraph, which is where starts to hymn about fog. “Fog everywhere, fog up the river which flows among green aites and meadows. Fog down the river where it rolls defiled among the tiers of shipping.

00:12:29:06 - 00:12:58:18

Chris

Fog on the Essex marshes, fog on the Kentish heights. Fog creeping into the cabooses of collier-brigs. Fog lying out on the yards. Fall drooping over the gunwales. Fog in the eyes and throats of ancient Greenwich pensioners.” And it's it's wonderful because he is to use the fog as a symbol of farm more the just a weather condition.

00:12:58:20 - 00:13:11:19

Chris

It is what the course Chantry is doing and to society in England. It is the way that everybody experiences the fog and thus everybody is interconnected.

00:13:11:23 - 00:13:20:11

Laura

A very relevant book for today's society. Like you said, even though it was written so long ago that interconnectivity will resonate more than ever for people that pick up this book.

00:13:21:08 - 00:13:30:12

Chris

I would say that my reason for reading is just a great storyteller. I love a story well-told. There's nothing better.

00:13:30:15 - 00:13:34:12

Laura

Chris. It's been lovely talking to say thank you so much for sharing these three works of literature.

00:13:34:14 - 00:13:38:14

Chris

It's been a tremendous pleasure. And, go and read!

00:13:38:16 - 00:14:05:08

Laura

Brilliant words to close this episode with. With all of those works, you can find those details in the show notes if you want to read along. And of course, we'd love to hear what your favourite works of literature are. You can share with us on the website or on social media, we’re on Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn.

Finally, you can support the work we do at TESOL Pop by leaving a rating review wherever you listen to the podcast, by sharing today's episode with your teaching community, or by even buying a coffee at ko-fi.com/tesolpop

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What works of literature have inspired you?

Continue the conversation by sharing your favourite titles and how they inspired you in the comments.