In Defense of Using Film to Teach Works of Literature

English teachers often worry the novels they’re scheduled to teach will fly over the heads of their students. In some schools, these teachers might have entire classes of students whose reading levels are significantly below grade level. Naturally, this deepens the worries. Administrators in these schools might be strict about sticking with the curriculum and pushing forward at all costs. Teachers facing this dilemma might simply need to work through the novels the best they can. Should any flexibility exist though, some options are worth considering.

Teachers have to make a decision about the purpose of teaching a given novel. Is the point to teach particular literary elements that are clearly present in the work? Instead, is the point to expose students to this specific work because of its standing in the canon of English literature? Assuming the former point, if the teacher knows students will struggle with the text, he or she can take great lengths to prepare them for it. Or, if this is an option, the teacher can select a less formidable novel that shares similar characteristics. However, if the point is to share a novel considered to be of some cultural significance for that very sake, the teacher might wish to consider replacing the novel with a film version.

Of course this strategy won’t work if no film version of the novel exists. For novels with film counterparts, resistance might derail the plan. The students won’t necessarily resist, but department heads, administrators, and even parents might look at this as a cheapening of the course. Arguments can be made that skipping the text either denies students an authentic literary experience or panders to the perceived decline in student literacy. More practically, timing could be an issue, as curricula often include entire units based around novels with the pace dictated by the time the students need to plod through the text. Some administrators will take exception with deviation from the agreed-upon scope and sequence.

Critics might wish to consider the advantages of replacing a dense novel with an existing film version. Access is the most important of these advantages. At the high school level, gaps in reading ability might be so great that students simply will not be able to read an assigned novel. The unit runs the risk of being a waste if the students can’t handle the text. At least the film version grants them access to broad concepts of the novel.

Efficiency is another key advantage. Several films could be taught in the time necessary to teach one novel. The increase in exposure means students will have a familiarity with a wider range of works, even if they haven’t read the actual texts. The plan also is efficient in that it employs the visual means many of these students are going to use to engage the world. Schools can try to work against this trend, but students are going to choose to absorb information via video in almost every instance in which they have the choice to do so over text. Playing along with this trend might not be a concession; it might necessary in certain cases. For the lowest readers in a group, using video in lieu of text might indirectly teach them a survival strategy.

The final advantage isn’t really separate from the other advantages, but deserves its own mention. Cultural literacy remains crucial in our society. A truly educated person should have some familiarity the most well known works of literature. This means recognizing allusions to these in popular culture, remembering key lines when these are quoted elsewhere, and knowing the most storied characters along with their traits and struggles. Culturally literate adults should have a gist of the plots and themes of key works. Getting all of this across to students who are at a disadvantage because of their reading levels is most feasible by way of film. Thinking about it this way makes using film an act of advocacy for these students.

Using films in place of novels does shortchange students in many ways. The opportunity for a close reading and the fostering for an appreciation of the artistry of language are both strained. Development of or practice with advanced reading strategies gets pushed aside. Not all is lost, though. Teachers still can teach the context of the novels. They can employ the same writing assignments in response to the films. Vocabulary can be pulled from the dialogue. If close reading is desired, teachers can pull excerpts to use in print. Scenes can be watched repeatedly for different types of examination. With the availability of streaming, students can watch some films on their own as they work through exercises or prepare for assessments. The big missing piece will be the frustrating battle with the text itself. Replacing that with effective engagement with the story seems like a reasonable trade.

Written by Jeff Hartman