Silas Marner as a schoolstudy book

I had not heard of Silas Marner until a couple of years back. Looking at this list, I gather it is one of the books often studied at GCSE level (school exams for 16-year-olds in the UK). The books in the list are Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde, Frankenstein, Great Expectations, Jane Eyre, Lord of the Flies, Of Mice and Men, Pride and Prejudice, To Kill a Mockingbird, Heroes, Animal Farm, Wuthering Heights, Touching the Void, Paddy Clark Ha Ha Ha, Silas Marner and Anita and Me.

What do you think about its suitability as a study book? It is not Elliot's best book, but it is reasonably short. It is Victorian, which will put a lot of 16-year-olds off, but it is not romantic fiction, which would put the boys off. Although I enjoy discussing books and listening to discussions of books now, at that age, I thought analysing books like we did at school spoilt them. Therefore, it would be a shame to kill a really good book like Wuthering Heights or Great Expectations.

It's a short book, innit.

My A level novels were To the Lighthouse and Joyces' Portrait of the Artist. I did very well in the exams, but I've never learned to love moderism and I've never returned to them.

On the other hand I also did Pope's Rape of the Lock and it is one of my favourite poems, which proves that set texts don't always act as a turnoff.

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Originally Posted by JonathanB

It's a short book, innit.

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It does have that advantage, along with Frankenstein and Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde among the Victorian books and Animal Farm among the others.

Entertaining article on Silas Marner from The Onion. I think this thread is the appropriate place to link it.

Thanks so much for the link! The article had me laughing out loud, and then reminded me how much I have been missing by not checking out the Onion more often.