The Great Gatsby

I've been re-reading The Great Gatsby, which I haven't read since high school. I'm reading it for a class called "Style in Fiction" which makes perfect sense, since the book is so stylistic. (It's really amazing, actually!) I don't remember loving the book in high school. I didn't dislike it either. It just didn't leave an impression on me. But now I am absolutely loving it, and wondering why I didn't love it in high school.

I was talking about this with one of my professors, who suggested that it was because books are often taught differently in high school. In high school there is a sense that everything in a book is symbolic. Everything has to mean something. I've always thought this was the wrong way to read because it makes kids think that a book is a puzzle that must be solved. If they don't "get it," they might end up hating reading because they feel like they are doing it wrong.

There's really no wrong way to read a book. (And thankfully, in the MFA world, multiple interpretations are encouraged.) Most books aren't meant to be symbolic (sure, many books have a metaphorical meaning that goes beyond what is on the page, but it's not so black and white; like this means that) and I think we're doing a great disservice to kids by teaching books this way. In fact, I wonder if kids are still taught that in high school? Maybe things have changed since my day.

So my questions for you—What books did you read in high school that you've changed your opinion on since? And for all you teachers out there, how do you teach classic literature to your students?