How Should We Read Literature?

(Reading Strategies for Introduction to Literature Courses)

Step #1 -- Preview the Selection:

• Are there multiple sections or chapters within the selection?

• Are the sections numbered? Are there "white spaces" between sections?

• How long is the selection?

• Skim it.

Step #2 -- Read the Author's Biographical Information / the Headnote:

• What are the "major life events"?

• What are the major works the author has written? What is s/he most known for?

• What are the author's "major themes or trends"?

• What literary "categories" does this writer fall into?

Step #3 -- Read the Selection:

• If it is short (less than 10 pages), read it once quickly to enjoy it, then read it again more slowly to "study" it.

• If it is longer than 10 pages, read it more slowly and carefully, enjoying it and studying it at the same time.

• For fiction, pay attention to the characters, the narrator (point of view), the setting, the plot, and anything else that catches your notice.

• For poetry, pay attention to the speaker, the situation, the general topic, the structure, and anything else that catches your notice.

• Don't highlight! Instead, underline important lines, circle key words, dates, or names, and make short notes in the margins.

Step #4 -- After Reading:

• Review the selection (skimming) and make notes in your notebook.

• Make lists of characters and their characteristics.

• Note settings -- places, times, dates, seasons, etc.

• Sketch out the plot and/or the structure.

• Write down questions or things you don't understand.

Step #5 -- Come to Class Prepared to Talk:

• Expect a quiz at any time.

• Be willing to ask questions and venture answers or guesses.

• Contribute "quality" maybe more so than "quantity" -- help us move along and dig deeper.

Step #6 -- Take Notes in Class:

• Things that you find especially interesting or that matter to you in some special way.

• Write down things that are said about specific passages in the text -- e.g., style, language, syntax, vocabulary (diction), imagery, verb tense, etc.

• Write down things that are said about the text as a whole -- e.g., themes, morals, lessons, overall messages, etc.

• Write down the various "interpretations" of a passage or entire work -- and, note which one(s) you prefer or make the most sense to you, based on how you read the text.

Any Questions?