A Journey of Discovery through Literature

English teacher Victoria Stitt‘s elective, Remembrance: The Self When the Fog Lifts, isn’t just about literature; it’s a journey through identity and memory, where students explore personal narratives through a mosaic of writers and filmmakers from around the globe. Lawrentians examine a blend of fiction, memoir, and poetry, turning Stitt’s classroom into a space to explore how literature and film mirror and shape their understanding of self and society.

The English course is deeply student-driven, which is important to Stitt.

“I select the material, but they are the ones who are driving the car,” she explained. “It’s a combination of the material and the students leading all of it. I love when they take ownership over the classroom.”

Stitt’s approach was inspired by her own studies as a Hutchins Faculty Fellow in Social Justice at Lawrenceville’s Hutchins Institute for Social Justice.

“I created this peer lecturing series which is very similar to student-led discussions, but it puts even more responsibility on them in terms of trying to bring their whole selves into the classroom,” she explained.

Students must not only demonstrate deep engagement with the text but also make personal connections by incorporating supplemental materials—whether it’s a poem, a song, a music video, or a film clip — that relate to the themes of the course. Discussions include, Stitt said, connections between remembrance and matrilineage, remembrance and migration (forced and voluntary), trauma, and how all these influence the composition of who we are and how we continue to find/strive for joy/wholeness.

The class pushes students beyond analysis, encouraging them to consider how literature connects with their own lives.

“The personal and political are so centered in this course that they just jump right into those important matters,” Stitt said.

Students become deeply invested in the classroom dialogue.

“Our Harkness discussions are amazing!” Arya Vishwakarma ’25 said. “What I most appreciate is what M. Stitt says when someone poses a question to the group: ‘But what do you think about that? I’m interested to know.’”

A key focus of the class is the role of memory — both personal and collective. Stitt explores how remembering is not just an intellectual exercise but a bodily experience, one that carries the weight of inherited trauma and survival.

“Remembering is more than mental — it’s physical, spiritual, and emotional,” she said. “And that immediately relates to the inheritance of pain and trauma. But I don’t like to dwell there — I also ask, ‘What’s the joy here? How did we survive as a collective?’”

This theme is central to the works she assigns, including Ocean Vuong’s On Earth We’re Briefly Gorgeous and Carmen Maria Machado’s In the Dream House. The latter, a poetic and deeply personal memoir told through vignettes, was added to the syllabus this year to bring a fresh perspective to students’ exploration of identity and memory.

In addition to literary analysis, students engage in a range of writing assignments, from traditional analytical essays to creative projects such as poetry, vignettes, and short stories.

“It’s a balance of both,” Stitt explained. “When we get to poetry, they choose a poem by Vuong that we haven’t read and present on it.” This approach gives students a sense of responsibility over the material, reinforcing their role as active participants in their own learning.

Vishwakarma said she’s found the class to be a “refreshing change” from writing college applications.

“Much of high school students’ lives is broadcasting their life story (or path to success) in a linear fashion, emphasizing achievement while embellishing rough patches,” she explained. “In Remembrance, we read about issues of race and class and how they are experienced cyclically, and how trauma can resurface many years later in strange ways.”

Beyond the literary and academic elements, Stitt is particularly invested in the reflective growth of her students, encouraging them to assess their learning, identify limitations, and consider ways to improve.

“Metacognition is key,” she said. “It’s about understanding what and how they’re learning, and continuously improving.”

Stitt hopes her students will take more from the course than just literary analysis.

“Academically, of course, I want them to grow,” she said. “But I’m much more focused on how they’re thinking about these issues, these people, and themselves.” Ultimately, the class challenges students to think critically—not just about literature, but about their own lives and the world around them.

“I’ve become less scared of engaging in deep reflection. I realize that my stories are as interesting as those of others, and my mind has been opened to new ways to describe myself in the world,” Vishwakarma said. “I definitely want to continue taking analytical English classes, but I think I’ll continue with creative writing not just for my own pleasure but for my own self-understanding.”

The course culminates in a screening of Everything Everywhere All at Once, a film that resonates deeply with the themes of memory, identity, and generational inheritance. Reflecting on the students she taught last spring, Stitt said, “Many of them had already seen it, but watching it with a critical lens just feels different.”

Stitt’s passion for the spring semester class, now in its second year, is evident.

“I love my classes. All of them,” she said, while acknowledging that this elective holds a special place. “The material is so stunning, and the students engage with it authentically — they’re really reading. They come in more excited to talk about it.”

Through her commitment to student-driven learning, Stitt has created an elective that goes beyond the page, encouraging students to explore the intersections of literature, memory, and identity. As they navigate fiction, memoir, and poetry, they are also piecing together their own narratives — learning not just how to read, but how to reflect, relate, and remember.