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To Kill a Mockingbird and Mice and Men axed as Gove orders more Brit lit To Kill a Mockingbird and Mice and Men axed as Gove orders more Brit lit
(35 minutes later)
Academics and writers have reacted angrily to news that classic American novels including To Kill a Mockingbird, and Of Mice and Men are set to be dropped from the GCSE curriculum because of the insistence by the education secretary, Michael Gove, on students studying more British literature. Academics and writers have reacted angrily to news that classic American novels including To Kill a Mockingbird and Of Mice and Men are set to be dropped from the GCSE curriculum because of the insistence by the education secretary, Michael Gove, on students studying more British literature.
The new English literature GCSE syllabus to be published this week by OCR, one of the biggest UK exam boards, will drop Harper Lee's Pulitzer-prizewinning 1960 novel of racism in the American south. John Steinbeck's Of Mice and Men, and Arthur Miller's play The Crucible – in which the Salem witch-hunts serve as a metaphor for McCarthyite anti-communist zealotry – will also disappear from the list, according to the Sunday Times. Another exam board, Edexcel, is expected to follow suit.The new English literature GCSE syllabus to be published this week by OCR, one of the biggest UK exam boards, will drop Harper Lee's Pulitzer-prizewinning 1960 novel of racism in the American south. John Steinbeck's Of Mice and Men, and Arthur Miller's play The Crucible – in which the Salem witch-hunts serve as a metaphor for McCarthyite anti-communist zealotry – will also disappear from the list, according to the Sunday Times. Another exam board, Edexcel, is expected to follow suit.
OCR attributed the change directly to the education secretary. "Of Mice and Men, which Michael Gove really dislikes, will not be included. It was studied by 90% of teenagers taking English literature GCSE in the past. Michael Gove said that was a really disappointing statistic," he said. OCR attributed the change directly to the education secretary. "Of Mice and Men, which Michael Gove really dislikes, will not be included. It was studied by 90% of teenagers taking English literature GCSE in the past. Michael Gove said that was a really disappointing statistic," it said.
Instead, the list will be dominated by pre-20th century British authors, such as Charles Dickens or Jane Austen, poetry and a Shakespeare play.Instead, the list will be dominated by pre-20th century British authors, such as Charles Dickens or Jane Austen, poetry and a Shakespeare play.
The move provoked a furious reaction on Twitter with "Mockingbird" trending. Actor Mark Gatiss, who wrote Dr Who and Sherlock, tweeted: "Since when was the wretched Michael Gove allowed to dictate what children read? This man is a dangerous philistine."The move provoked a furious reaction on Twitter with "Mockingbird" trending. Actor Mark Gatiss, who wrote Dr Who and Sherlock, tweeted: "Since when was the wretched Michael Gove allowed to dictate what children read? This man is a dangerous philistine."
Bethan Marshall, a senior lecturer in English at Kings College London and chair of the National Association for the Teaching of English, said the list could put children off continuing English literature to A level. She said: "Many teenagers will think that being made to read Dickens aged 16 is just tedious. This will just grind children down."Bethan Marshall, a senior lecturer in English at Kings College London and chair of the National Association for the Teaching of English, said the list could put children off continuing English literature to A level. She said: "Many teenagers will think that being made to read Dickens aged 16 is just tedious. This will just grind children down."
Marshall said schools would be depressed by the new syllabus. "It's a syllabus out of the 1940s and rumour has it Michael Gove, who read literature, designed it himself."Marshall said schools would be depressed by the new syllabus. "It's a syllabus out of the 1940s and rumour has it Michael Gove, who read literature, designed it himself."
Last year, Gove, who has said children should be reading 50 books a year from the age of 11, told a conference of independent school heads that he would much prefer to see a child reading George Eliot's Middlemarch than one of Stephenie Meyer's Twilight vampire novels.Last year, Gove, who has said children should be reading 50 books a year from the age of 11, told a conference of independent school heads that he would much prefer to see a child reading George Eliot's Middlemarch than one of Stephenie Meyer's Twilight vampire novels.
The actor and writer Emma Kennedy tweeted: "But why would Gove want children to learn about tolerance and doing what is right rather than what is popular?"The actor and writer Emma Kennedy tweeted: "But why would Gove want children to learn about tolerance and doing what is right rather than what is popular?"
The Department for Education (DfE) said: "In the past, English Literature GCSEs were not rigorous enough and their content was often far too narrow. We published the new subject content for English literature in December. It doesn't ban any authors, books or genres. It does ensure pupils will learn about a wide range of literature, including at least one Shakespeare play, a 19th-century novel written anywhere and post-1914 fiction or drama written in the British Isles.The Department for Education (DfE) said: "In the past, English Literature GCSEs were not rigorous enough and their content was often far too narrow. We published the new subject content for English literature in December. It doesn't ban any authors, books or genres. It does ensure pupils will learn about a wide range of literature, including at least one Shakespeare play, a 19th-century novel written anywhere and post-1914 fiction or drama written in the British Isles.
"That is only the minimum pupils will be expected to learn. It is now up to exam boards to design new GCSEs, which must then be accredited by the independent exams regulator Ofqual.""That is only the minimum pupils will be expected to learn. It is now up to exam boards to design new GCSEs, which must then be accredited by the independent exams regulator Ofqual."