Handmaids tale has a relatively redemptive ending too.

For a dystopian novel that is.

I've never read it! Although I know the basic story. (Pygmalion, I mean.)

Where do you draw the line between an issue novel and a non-issue novel? I just can't think of a lot of books about generally content people that wouldn't be incredibly boring, but I also find books cathartic. Even something like Little Women has plenty of conflict and drama in it.

I don't think I would classify i A Handmaid's Tale as a *happy* read, though, despite the ending.

As long as we are talking about this-- did Archer actually have sex with Countess Olenska or were they just hangingout outside the bounds of convention.

I can't really think of many happy joyful novels that we would study in English lit, but maybe the canon should include genre fiction?

Enchanted April is a semi happy novel, now that I think about it.

In my reading, they're full of UST and angst, Sophia.

I hated the novels I was assigned in high school English until senior year honors English. I loved many of the short stories though. I don't remember reading much non-fiction in high school, but I don't think I would have enjoyed it much. Mostly I prefered reading anything I wasn't assigned.

Amy, I usually don't draw that line. My big demarcation is plot novels vs. character studies. I used issue novel as shorthand cause on my phone. I figurd HMT is "happy" in that no major character dies. In truth, my AP kids have been keeping a body count, with names, on my board since we have so many works we read where people die. We should read Macbeth just to up the counts.

The books I read in my junior English lit class were 1) To Kill a Mockingbird, 2) Childhood's End, and 3) Great Gatsby. The first two are not entirely depressing, although not what I'd call joyful. At least it's not Ethan fucking Frome.

Thanks Amy-- I read it that way, too, but I misinterpret things a lot!

There is also an issue in high school, I think, of why the class "English" exists (probably true of any subject)-- is it to teach critical thinking?, is it to teach love of reading?, is it to give someone a taste of what it would be like to be a Lit major?, is it to teach people how to see other peoples points ofview?, is it to teach writing?, is it to give everyone a common base of cultural reference?, is it to teach someone to read symbolism and theme?, or is it all those things or none of them.

Personally,I already loved reading, so it was great to learn to see patterns and interpretations, even though I may have fought against it at first. For example, I hated The Red Pony, and the instructor gave us a list of things that were always" symbols of death, like black clouds and crows circling. And it made meangry-- like, who was she to tell me and/or the author what things mean. ButI remember the lesson clearly, and as anadult,frankly, crows circling doe usually mean death!