The Catholic bulletin. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1911-1995, 1916-07-22

anu Literature SSCLton OF Ine OaLnOltc
Educational Association at the recent
Convention. in Baltimore, Md, by Miss
Mary A. Molloy, A. NJ, Ph. o., Dean ot
the College Of ST. Teresa, Winona
MINI.
Because English and Latin are the
languages most widely studied, shall
draw my illustrations both for crit.
cism and for suggestive practice
from them. AS the limits of my
paper will not admit comprehensive
treatment of my subject from the stand
point of secondary school and college
practice, shall stress with major en-
phasis the problem as it finds applica-
ton in the high school course.
In both high school and college,
courses in literature are given with
the same objective end in view, name
ly, for the purpose of affording the
student the information a cultured
person is supposed to possess, and
secondly to develop in the student,
as far as is possible, the critical
acumen to measure and judge literary
productions in the light of sound
canons of art criticism. In the high
school, the major emphasis must of
necessity be placed upon the acquisi-
.tion of knowledge with such training
of the literary judgment Of the pupils
as their stage of intellectual advance
ment will admit In college, the major
emphasis should be placed upon the
development of the critical faculty.
Unfortunately, however, we find too
frequently college freshmen, sopho-
mores and even juniors with so meagre
a background in literature that the col
lege professor must Of necessity give
over his time to supplying the founda-
ton, instead of completing the super
structure Of literary training. For
the time spent upon it, | viii say with
out fear of contradiction that the
results of English literary training in
the high school and college are less
satisfactory than are the results OBJ
tanned in the teaching of any other
subject in the curriculum. IL the
high school English were effectively
taught, we might be encouraged at
times by the presence in our college
classes of student or two in whom
we could cultivate an exquisite sense
for the correct use of words, and a
feeling for adequate expression as the
necessary complement to lucid and
lofty thought.
Twenty years ago the subject of
English literature as presented in the
secondary schools and even in the
colleges was literary biography set
over against a very sketchy back
ground of general history. The lives
of major and minor writer's supple
mented by a masterpiece or two made
up the course. Pupils we're taught
facts about an author; they gained
comparatively few facts relative to
the author from the author himself.
If the writer happened to be master
of style the pupil learned several
catch-words of criticism by which to
characterize the masters productions;
but Of actual experience in applying
the canons of criticism, there was
little. Few indeed were those who
knew the stylist so we'll from close
study of his technique that by imita-
tion of his stylistic graces they were
able to improve their own gift for ex.
preston.
Direct Method OF Literature.
Times changed. Labeled with the
derisive epithet of the "VestibuIe
Method" literary biography was super.
seded by what was called the Direct
Method in Literature" Instead OF
learning all that was to be known of
an author with scant references to the
prime source of his self-revelation
his writings, students were set to
work upon the authors productions
directly. They now no longer hesi
tate, in the ante-chamber but they
advance boldly into the sacred pres