| The book is closed on Joyce and Yeats
By staff reporter
IRISH authors James Joyce and WB Yeats have been sent to the back of the
class in Britain.
In a review of what should be taught to 11-14-year-olds the two world-renowned
authors have been taken off the British National Curriculum.
Playwright Alan Bennett and names such as Carol Ann Duffy and Philip Pullman
are some of the writers preferred to the Irish authors.
In addition the curriculum planners have come up with a list of writers
from other cultures and traditions to help give pupils a better insight
into the world.
The list includes Meera Syal, the writer and performer who appeared in the
TV comedy Goodness Gracious Me, Benjamin Zephaniah, Athol Fugard and Maya
Angelou.
Other writers to be blotted out to make way for the new include John
Milton and Lord Byron although their works and those by Joyce who penned
the famous novel Ulysses will still be on the timetable for older pupils
studying for GCSEs and A-levels.
At the launch of the proposed new curriculum Sir Alan Greener chairman of
the Qualifications and Curriculum Authority made it clear that the proposed
new list was drawn up to meet the new needs of the 21st century.
He said: “The curriculum must respond to these changes.”
The list of contemporary authors has been compiled because “pupils
should be encouraged to experiment with new texts particularly in their
own reading” according to the review document.
The new modern curriculum will have three themes at its heart creating
successful learners, confident individuals and responsible citizens.
Irish student Mark Buckley who is studying English literature in London
said pupils in Britain will miss out on learning about some of the world’s
finest writers by the decision to take Joyce and Yeats off the curriculum.
He said: “I think this is a bad decision as I really feel some
of the greatest work I have ever studied is from Yeats and Joyce. Now
English students may never get the chance to experience their work.”
Quick guide to Ulysses
n Ulysses is a 1922 novel by James Joyce.
n It chronicles the passage through Dublin by its main character Leopold
Bloom during an ordinary day June 16, 1904.
n June 16 is now celebrated by Joyce’s fans worldwide as Bloomsday.
n The novel is 250,000 words in total with most editions weighting in
at between 644 to 1,000 pages.
n In 1999 the Modern Library ranked Ulysses first on a list of the 100
best novels in English of the 20th century.
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