Category Archives: literature

Nantucket Weekend

Posted on July 1, 2019 by forstegrupp

For the second year in a row, SH was invited to speak at a conference given by a certain private equity firm. As an added perk, he is allowed to bring a + one. Thank goodness he still wants me … Continue reading →

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Oxford and Christopher Ricks

Posted on July 25, 2018 by forstegrupp

Today was my first full day participating in the Oxbridge program at Oxford. I spent the morning learning about vaccinations from Sarah Loving from the Oxford Vaccine Group. Then there was a lecture about Edward Lear by Jasmine Jagger (lots … Continue reading →

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What happens with Shakespeare collides with the real world?

Posted on February 15, 2017 by forstegrupp

The new semester started two weeks ago. The eleventh grade began Hamlet. They always face Shakespeare with trepidation: the language, the syntax, the allusions, the vague pronouns, the metaphors, the similes. It all gets so overwhelming. But this year something … Continue reading →

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When Literature Offers Hope against the Times

Posted on November 16, 2016 by forstegrupp

Since last Tuesday, I have treated the classroom as my safe zone. For a short while, I focus on the girls in front of me and what they need to learn. But sometimes the literature addresses our times in most … Continue reading →

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Who is the astrologer in “Tebaldo”?

Posted on November 1, 2016 by forstegrupp

For the second year, I am teaching a senior elective in fairy tales. Recently, we read Giovan Francesco Straparola’s story “Tebaldo” (1550 CE). Like many fairy tales, this one begins with an intact nuclear family and everything is fine until … Continue reading →

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The Charlotte Bronte I did not appreciate

Posted on July 11, 2016 by forstegrupp

Summer is such a wonderful time for teachers to read books we otherwise don’t have time for  during the school year. This is a new biography of Charlotte Bronte which Haverford Township Free Library had on its new book shelves. … Continue reading →

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Anticipation for what they will say about Song of Solomon

Posted on May 11, 2016 by forstegrupp

In a few hours, my class of juniors will troop into class for our discussion of the last chapters of Morrison’s novel Song of Solomon. This was not a book I was at all eager to teach because of the … Continue reading →

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Which of Chaucer’s Tales Would Win the Prize?

Posted on February 19, 2016 by forstegrupp

If I had to award the prize to the best tale, it would be on the basis of which tale contains the lesson I need to apply right now in my life. Not the tale which was told by the … Continue reading →

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Discovering poetry

Posted on December 19, 2015 by forstegrupp

The New Yorker is my favorite means of discovering new poetry and poets. Just a few minutes ago, I finished an article by Dan Chiasson in the August 31, 2015 magazine about Linda Gregerson who is a professor at the University … Continue reading →

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The Teacher’s Challenge: Designing Paper Topics in an Internet Age

Posted on November 9, 2015 by forstegrupp

The chief weapons against the temptation to plagiarize are student excitement and engagement. Continue reading →

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