Attention Economy


Sunday, December 1, 2024

The Rise of Illiteracy

Has ‘wokeness’ killed the English literature degree?
Arguably the biggest contributory factor shaping how we regard and teach English literature has been the catastrophic decline in reading and the commensurate increase in illiteracy rates. A recent survey by the National Literacy Trust Survey found that reading for pleasure among the under 18s is at its lowest since the survey began in 2005, with only 20.5 per cent saying they read daily in their free time, down from 28 per cent in 2023. One academic I spoke to said they have abandoned asking students to read entire novels because they know they won’t bother.
“Literature depends on nuance,” says one teacher at a private school. “But students now struggle the most with tonal variation: the ability to detect irony and humour. And the only way you learn to do that is by reading enough books.” Our addiction to social media is an overwhelming factor. “Gone are the days of kids sitting down with a book because they would rather be scrolling on their phones,” says Zainab Kar, head of English at Riverside School, a leading state school in Barking, east London. “Nor do I see parents leading by example.”
 
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