I didn’t like English at school. I suspect I’m not alone. In one of the books I recall reading at school (I’ve forgotten which), in the preface there was mention of how forcing children to study a book, to write essays about it, causes them to dislike the book. The feelings of annoyance, of frustration at homework, become partly directed at the book.

You see, it wasn’t that I didn’t enjoy reading. One of the many gifts granted to me by my mother was a love of reading. But analysing a book, writing an essay, these detracted from the enjoyment of reading.