At the end of every school year, I come away with a distinct feeling about the novels we’ve read, whether I enjoyed them or not. I’ve come to understand that the goal of our English curriculum is not just to analyze texts, but to step into worlds that aren’t our own. We read to experience new perspectives, to imagine lives different from our own, and to gain a deeper understanding of people and situations we might not otherwise consider. Literature gives us that opportunity — to live through others, to feel what they feel, and to question what we think we know.

I’ve always struggled with reading during the school year. I tend to gravitate toward a specific writing style, and when something doesn’t fit that, I usually disengage. But this year, that was constantly challenged. Whether it was the emotionally complex and nonlinear structure of Beloved or the dense, old English language of King Lear, I found myself slowly coming around, and coming out the other side with more appreciation than I expected. These books pushed me to be a more reflective reader. To consider not just what was being said, but how and why it was being written.

Although Pride and Prejudice remains my favorite novel, this class gave me the chance to revisit it through a new, more analytical lens. It was the reason I took the class in the first place, and I’m grateful it ended up giving me so much more understanding about the dynamics in the text.

Going foward, I want to maybe challenge myself to pick up books that are going to truly challenge me in ways this class did, but also maybe alternate, because I think I would hate myself if that’s the only thing I read.