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I& #39;m teaching a couple of romance novels in my ENG 101 Intro to Lit this term, and we& #39;ve just reached them, now that we& #39;re in the final weeks of the quarter. I& #39;ve started getting messages from my students about them:
For example: "This novel has transformed how I think about the genre and opened my mind to other books that I could possibly read in the future--and actually enjoy reading."
In the student body I work with, it& #39;s not uncommon to find people who haven& #39;t read a book for pleasure in a very long time. They& #39;re taking ENG 101 to check off a requirement. If I can use that course to introduce them to whole worlds of books they might actually enjoy?
That& #39;s a gift that keeps on giving. (The novel this message was about, btw, was An Extraordinary Union by @AlyssaColeLit.)
This isn& #39;t a goal I can only reach with romance, of course. I have students who are gaga about Paradise Lost and Lucille Clifton& #39;s poetry in a different 100-level class this term. I& #39;m just thinking out loud about pleasure as a goal in these 100-level classes (and others).
"What brings you to ENG 101?" "Pleasure, pleasure, my dear Algy! What else should ever bring one anywhere?"