How to Study English Literature
In all honesty, English Literature is a very complex discipline and requires a lot of concentration and knowledge to master. Not many people in the world can easily interpret all the contents of a particular theme of English Literature which is the reason why it is important to get help from a professor of this subject in order to prepare for an exam that you want to pass with flying colours. Studying literature means that you have to understand all the text so if you follow a few basic steps you will be able to analyse the whole content.
Instructions
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1
Read thoroughly
First of all, read the whole text in detail and make sure that your complete concentration is one the text. Do not skim through the pages as you might miss out on some important content which might bear a lot of significance in the upcoming pages. -
2
Know the main characters
It is important that you gain a familiarity with the main characters in the text. Also work out on the plot as it will give you a sound understanding of what is to unfold next. -
3
Make summaries
It is a good habit to make summaries of each chapter so that the next time you read the text, you will have no difficulty in revising the text. -
4
Profiling
Many professors in your university will ask you to make character profiles for each main character. It is also a very good habit to remember and underline anything important the character says or does that has significance to the theme of the novel. -
5
Make more notes
Make more detailed notes for your text and highlight the reasons why a particular character holds importance in the text. -
6
Revise
It is advisable that you give a thorough read to the text at least three times as it will be a big help to you in future when you are giving an exam. That way, you will be very familiar with the story line and will be able to write a lot on a particular scenario. -
7
For Poems
If you are studying poems, you don’t need to learn them by heart. All you need to do is to know about the dynamics of the structure of the poem, the theme behind it and the characters if any. -
8
Remember statements
It is great if you remember the important statements given by the main characters of the story.