There is wide variety of poems, plays andnovels constituting English Literature. These works of literature have been lasting for centuries or generations, and the reason for their permanent stay in literature is that these are excellent. The best of works have stayed permanently since it tells something worth telling and is depicted in artistic way whereas mediocre quality work have lost in obscurity.
Why novels in literature areimportant?
English novels hold a special place in the cultural heritage. These are easily available in local book stores and also online to all, this helps in enrichingyour lives or thinking process in every ways. All you need is to break thebarrier which sometimes makes study ofliterature daunting. Then you will see with an open mind, see the literary works may seem beautiful, funny or tragic, and entertaining.
The novels will show profundity inthinking, display rich emotions and offer deep insight in the character. It will sometimes take you beyond therestricted experience in your life and exhibit the different lives of others. These books will stir youemotionally and intellectually. You will understand our society, the history and lastly your own individual life in a more philosophical way in depth.
Why you must study novels?
You may want to read a novel just for your leisurely time pass, or may be as an alternative option to watch television. If you intend to get a more fulfilling experience from you are reading, if you desire to appreciate all the fine elements in the novel or literature, or you are determined to seriouslystudy the books you are reading, then you have to go down to a deep level . There are various techniques to make your reading more interesting and enlightening.
There are some skills or tips provided but not in any priority order, these may be appropriatemuch more for some novels you are reading than others.You may apply these tips as you wish and you will see a marked difference in your interest level in studying literature.
- There does not exist one particular method or formula or may be a secret tipto make the reading of novels successful. But what you can try is to be an attentive and careful reader when studying a book of literature. In simple terms you must go on reading and re-reading. You need to actively engage with the novel, and hence you must make a habit of reading slowly instead of rushing through the pages.
When you read slowly you can take some important notes, which can be referred later. This will be important for your retention and also you will never lose track of the characters and story.
- Is there any specific approach for novel reading? Yes, there is. At first justquickly read the novel, and get a hint of the story-line. In the next step you may read it very slowly again and make notes. If you do not have timethen read the first time carefully and slowly with proper note-taking and understanding at the same time.
Say for example you are reading a short novel like Joseph Conrad’s Heart of Darkness you can read it quickly, and re-read it next time carefully, taking detailed notes. But suppose when reading a long novel such like Charles Dickens’s Bleak House, it is not possible for you to have enough time to read it once and then re-read. In this case you have to jot down the noteand read simultaneously.
The notes you write in the pages itself become very significant when you need to write in your term paper or essay project regarding the book. When you want to quote a passage from the book the notes taken will save you a lot of hours.
- You can take notes in two possible ways. You can write the note in the book pages itself and another way is to write in a different sheet of paper. The points written in the book it is to highlight minute details while you read along.
But the note taken on separate page is for summarising all the evidences, mention your observations, and marking reference to pages for studying quotations and topics.
- You can try arranging for group study with your peers. Fruitful discussions with others may bring to light certain notes or theories that you may have missed. In course of discussing the important points in the novel you also get the knowledge in depth rather than superficial.
Novels or literature imparts you with glimpses of ancient times. You get to visualize the images of Celtic Ireland through the lyrical poetry of W. B. Yeats and the great Romans through plays of Shakespeare. These novels will take our imaginations to earlier ages, to the beginning point in culture. When you read these in depth you experience a feel of continuity or modification. By surveying the history you will get to understand the modern world in a much clearer perspective.
From the elite writing or novel by famous authors from the past who were your ancestors, you can feel the people and the country as they were. You also get to see with your mind the climate of those ancient ages with the help of language, the grammar, the vocabulary, and the tone. When you go through the writing of authors such as Dickens, Chaucer, Boswell, Shakespeare and Samuel Beckett one beside the other you immediately can realize the method or way these writers have adopted to embody the cultural heritage of their ages.
The best works in literature are not meant to be museum antiques that are preserved or studied to gather historical knowledge. These novels or work of excellence have a perennial value since they retain freshness till recent times, they transcend and encompass simultaneously the age when they were authored. So when each reader reads a novel or each work it becomes a unique and new event. The work is now speaking to you elaborating the truth of human life, that remainrelevant in all ages and times.