http://bookhaven.stanford.edu/2012/12/enjoy-les-miserables-but-please-get-your-history-straight-first/, http://www.reachoutmichigan.org/learn/readbook.html, https://www.dartmouth.edu/~acskills/docs/sq3r_method.doc, http://www.edutopia.org/blog/brain-movies-visualize-reading-comprehension-donna-wilson, consider supporting our work with a contribution to wikiHow. Thomas Foster explores the Christ figure, listing characteristics that Christ figures often have in literature. "It's just awesome, flamboyant! By reading "Moby Dick" in the present day, we can gain a fuller understanding of literary traditions in Melville's time. The Question and Answer section for How to Read Literature Like a Professor is a great resource … Help him use … This article has been viewed 61,162 times. It may be classified according to a variety of systems, including language and genre. A canon is the accepted body of works for a given author. Intertextuality. You should ask your teacher questions about it, try to understand and focus on the context and keep reading it. There is no magic formula to understand literature whether English or otherwise. Simply put, literature represents the culture and tradition of a language or a people. Key Takeaways. It takes research skills to dig up evidence for their thesis from the text and scholarly criticism, and it takes organizational skills to present their argument in a coherent, cohesive manner. Does your child know how to predict? We know ads can be annoying, but they’re what allow us to make all of wikiHow available for free. However, it has since been recognized as a masterpiece and is frequently cited as one of the best works of Western literature for its thematic complexity and use of symbolism. When you open a book, when your eyes read the words and you take in its contents, do you ask yourself: How did this person imagine and write this? For example, if you are reading a play by Shakespeare, then check out a filmed version of the play. Even if you have not yet finished reading a text, you may benefit from describing what has happened so far in your own words. The best I can do is to draw on my experience as an avid reader and create a sort of structure out of my wholly unstructured approach to English literature. Derived from the Latin word literature meaning "writing formed with letters," literature most commonly refers to works of the creative imagination, including poetry, drama, fiction, nonfiction, and in some instances, journalism, and song. Some definitions also separate literary fiction from so-called "genre fiction," which includes types such as mystery, science fiction, western, romance, thriller, and horror. For instance, Herman Melville's 1851 novel "Moby Dick" was considered a failure by contemporary reviewers. One dimension of literary form is the genres in which a work is presented. Whether you're a student or just an avid reader hoping to delve into classic literature, you may be wondering where to begin. Think mass-market paperback. Simply put, literature represents the culture and tradition of a language or a people. We can learn, understand, and appreciate it. If you're reading a book in translation, look into various different translations (unless you're reading for a class that requires you to read a particular version). Mattie Silver is Ethan's household employee, so Mattie Silver must be a character in this passage right over here. Amid the current public health and economic crises, when the world is shifting dramatically and we are all learning and adapting to changes in daily life, people need wikiHow more than ever. (The difference in type does not mean that literary writers are better than genre fiction writers, just that they operate differently.). 1) Figurative language. You should pick your book wisely. Students who study literature and read for pleasure have a higher vocabulary, better reading comprehension, and better communication skills, such as writing ability. Additionally, literature is an art form in which how the authors express their content is an important part of their intention and effect. Literature, Life, and Society. an early 19th century translation and a modern one. LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in How to Read Literature Like a Professor, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work. This article has been viewed 61,162 times. {"smallUrl":"https:\/\/www.wikihow.com\/images\/thumb\/c\/c0\/Find-a-Job-in-Dubai-Step-6-Version-2.jpg\/v4-460px-Find-a-Job-in-Dubai-Step-6-Version-2.jpg","bigUrl":"\/images\/thumb\/c\/c0\/Find-a-Job-in-Dubai-Step-6-Version-2.jpg\/aid1010025-v4-728px-Find-a-Job-in-Dubai-Step-6-Version-2.jpg","smallWidth":460,"smallHeight":345,"bigWidth":"728","bigHeight":"546","licensing":"