Beyond the Pages: Lit Defense Project Sparks Unexpected Literary Connections

What do Ernest Hemingway’s The Sun Also Rises and Madeline Miller’s The Song of Achilles have in common? You might think, "Not much." One explores the disillusionment of post-WWI expatriates in France and Spain, while the other reimagines the story of Achilles and Patroclus in ancient Greece. But at Cannon School, the annual Lit Defense project in AT Literature challenges students to explore connections between such seemingly unrelated works. This thought-provoking project pushes senior English students to think critically, creatively, and independently, leading to unexpected insights and complex literary discussions.

The Lit Defense centers on students choosing two books to analyze—one contemporary and one from the past (before 1999)—and weaving them into thoughtful conversation. The process begins with students selecting two works that may seem wildly different at first glance. From Stephen King’s It to Virgil’s Aeneid, from Cormac McCarthy’s Blood Meridian to Jane Austen’s Persuasion, students have the freedom to choose any combination that sparks curiosity. They then read both works, account for their unique literary properties, explore the humanistic questions each one raises, and examine the extent to which their selected texts shed light on each other.

The magic of this project lies in the unexpected. Students are not limited by conventional guidelines or prescribed conclusions but are encouraged to think critically and independently about what emerges from their chosen works. The exercise is an open canvas for students to pursue their own intellectual curiosity, resulting in analyses that are uniquely individual.

“When you ask someone to consider what ideas result from putting two pieces of art together that were never designed to be in conversation, who knows what brilliance can emerge?” said Richard Smith, AT Literature teacher.

The project’s dialectical aspect encourages students to explore how literature, when placed in dialogue, can complicate their thinking. By examining two works side by side, students engage in a process of critical reflection that allows them to draw connections across centuries, genres, and perspectives. This exploration fosters deeper understanding not only of the texts themselves, but of the broader human experiences and questions they address.

The project builds throughout the year as students work together on complicated texts in the classroom. Through reading works like Faulkner’s As I Lay Dying and Ward’s Sing, Unburied, Sing, they develop the confidence and skills necessary for the independent work required for the Lit Defense.

This year’s AT Literature students completed their Lit Defenses at the end of February and have been reflecting on their experience. “This was the most important thing I have done in my entire high school career,” said Ian Kuo ‘25, who chose to read John Steinbeck’s The Grapes of Wrath and Richard Powers’ “The Overstory,” both Pulitzer Prize-winning novels. "The Lit Defense pushed me beyond where I thought I could go, and it has made me view myself differently. It’s ignited a passion for reading and writing, but more importantly for curiosity and discovery and understanding.”

“This project was hands down the most challenging and taxing for my creative and critical thinking skills,” shared Gabbi Coppa ‘25, who paired F.Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby with Elif Batuman’s The Idiot. “It forced intellectual, personal, and motivational endurance. It was like my brain was working out. But I also valued this experience because while it was challenging, the content I was working with taught me about the human condition and I think this is the most important thing we can learn: why we do what we do. Few things explain the human experience as authentically and truthfully as literature can; this is how humans respond to being alive.”

At the heart of the Lit Defense is the idea that literature is not static; it is a conversation that transcends time and space. The project’s emphasis on independent thinking and intellectual autonomy creates a powerful experience, allowing students to see how even the most seemingly unrelated works of literature can share profound connections and provoke new ways of seeing. And as Smith notes, it is this unpredictability and open-ended nature that makes the Lit Defense such a unique and transformative experience for students.

“You never know, it’s just possible that no one has ever put your two books in conversation with each other before,” Smith tells his students. “And that’s just amazing for a high school experience.”

At Cannon School, AT Literature isn’t just about reading and analyzing —it’s about students finding their own voices in the world of literature and using those voices to engage with timeless, universal questions about humanity.