Posted on November 11, 2021 at 12:53 PM by Sadye Scott-Hainchek
Students these days have it easy, in some regards.
After all, when those of us who grew up before social media had to read complex literature for school, we had far fewer opportunities to contact its author.
Nowadays, though, you can just send a direct message to the author on Instagram.
That’s what many students in New South Wales, Australia, did recently — reaching out to poet Ocean Vuong to ask for clarification on (or complain about) passages from his debut novel, On Earth We're Briefly Gorgeous.
The Guardian reports that Vuong played along with the students; for example, to the comment “UR TEXT WAS GOOD BUT SO CONFUSING,” he responded, “MISSION ACCOMPLISHED.”
He was a little snarkier to parents who complained, commenting: “Guys, they got the MOMS out here digging hard in my DMs. Don’t y’all have Spark Notes in Australia?”
The passage appeared on the Higher School Certificate exam, which students take at the end of secondary school.
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Categories: Today in Books