English, literature and questions of emancipation

The chapter asks, ‘What does Literature offer?' in relation to questions of emancipation and argues that the notion of English as ‘emancipatory' carries much of what is regarded as English's ‘exceptionalism'. We draw on a classic statement of that exceptionalism, which comes from Peter Medway and argued that English was actually nothing less than a different model of education and one that was about experiences, processes and was essentially unpredictable. Knowledge was to be made, not given: especially applicable in a classroom involving Literature, which has remained central to the project of English since its inception as a school subject. Glazener argues that Literature can offer knowledge, certainly, but it is usually characterised by its capacity to offer something else: wisdom; enhanced attunement to certain registers of human experience and sharper awareness of the capacities of language as a medium; or intense, transformative experiences. The chapter provides insights into the work of English teachers who see Literature teaching as helping students make sense of human experience, with any emancipatory power which that implies. It goes on to consider the work of Garth Boomer in this context.