QUICK TAKES - Feb. 18, 2009

Teaching major works of English literature is becoming more difficult because students lack enough knowledge of the Bible or classical mythology to appreciate them, Britain’s poet laureate said Tuesday.

Andrew Motion, who teaches at London’s Royal Holloway University, said English classics remain valuable because they impart useful lessons about human nature. But getting to the heart of them is proving tough for many students.

“We need to think of imaginative ways to allow students to rediscover this material, in some cases to discover it for the first time,” Motion told BBC radio’s “Today” program.