The Death of the English Degree, Brought on by Critical Analysis

[TheBlackAdder]

26. As an English novice, a continuing ed student, I'll give it a shot...

Apparently, the current set of undergraduate English degrees don’t do more than that. In fact, while they teach creativity, they do not allow one to apply creativity. They are producing graduates who have no applied skills beyond the critical writings of authored works. Sure, the student is exposed to varied thoughts and concepts, but they cannot participate in those and engage further with them. They are prevented from placing themselves in the author’s works or by creating unique works of their own. Imagine being an English student and having to write 6-7 critical analysis papers each month—nothing else, just CMA papers. That is not the English program my twin sisters took back in the 1970’s, and I am in the same school and in the same program.

As with any major, there are generalities and specializations. Instead of opting for a specialty in English Literature or the like, I chose a Standard English track to hopefully broaden my exposure to writing, composition, and thought. As I move forward, I see that you cannot be a good writer without a solid background in literary history. So much is learned about the human condition and human nature that one would be challenged to write a good composition without it. A writer needs to know how to attract their readers, how to write a believable storyline, how to hold their reader’s attention, how to end their work without leaving loose ends while satisfying the reader’s demands to want more.

One of the core requirements for a BA in English is a Critical Methods of Analysis course. Little did I know (reminds me of the movie ‘Stranger than Fiction’) that Critical Methods would be the basis for an entire English program. Nothing reinforces any further composition skills once you complete the CMA course. It is just one critical analysis paper after another, regardless of what you cover. Critical analysis is important, but once you learn it and have it reinforced after writing a dozen papers in English and elective courses, you kind of have that skill set down. It is time to grow and develop beyond CMA. Perhaps the professors like it because they do not have to work to grade the results, but you would think that would become boring for them as well.

As far as self-publishing, I am all for that. In the past, you would write a novel and it might get reviewed or it might not. Some intern decides whether you get your novel published. Get the book, “The First Five Pages,” and you will see how many great contemporary authors almost never were. Nowadays, a writer can self-publish for around $1,000 and that includes the ISBN numbers, the electronic books, and a submission for the pressing of on-demand hardcover/softcover books. Of course, if you require art work or specialty paper, those costs will start to go up a bit. Sure there’s a bit of ‘me’ in everyone and it is expressed in different ways. Luckily, I am not part of the instant gratification era that my kids are in, even refusing to have a Facebook and Twitter account, but I do have a voice, a set of concepts, and the will to try and get them out. It’s personal for me. I have stories, and if no one reads them, that is fine. I just want to vent after working behind a desk all day.