by Gerson Nazareth

Created on: December 14, 2006   Last Updated: April 08, 2010

How I study English Literature

Unlike what people might say, English literature is actually very easy, and if you understand the actual history behind well which I shall explain in a moment, even you can become a Shakespeare if not better.

First you must understand the psychology behind the literature greats and what motivated them to write what they wrote. Works of literature were produced for two reasons:

1. People were tortured in dungeons to write big books and poetry.
2. They were so fed-up of studying literature in school that they decided to produce similar stuff so future generations like us would also have to suffer.

Given this, we can define English literature as "A group of random words put together that do not make sense." The only reason why it has survived throughout the ages and is still surviving is because people are still convinced that those words mean something. Studying literature is merely people trying to make sense of the words so the authors or poets are not embarrassed for writing rubbish and rest peacefully in their graves.

Analysing poetry

Let me give you an example. Below are a few lines of poetry that I shall attempt to analyse:

We will sidestep, and to the final smirk
Dally the doom of that inevitable thumb
That slowly chafes its puckered index toward us,
Facing the dull squint with what innocence
And what surprise!

Actually on second thought, it would be advisable to start with a simpler poem. Like this:

Mary had a little lamb, little lamb, little lamb

Mary had a little lamb, its fleece was white as snow.

Analysis:

Note in line one the words little lamb are repeated thrice. This is called repetition. It emphasis that the lamb that Mary had, was extremely small. Also note little lamb' both little and lamb begin with l'. This is called alliteration. It's supposed to give a certain effect to the sentence, but I can't see what.

Line 2 again begins with Mary had a lamb' which confirms the previous fact.

Notice the phrase "white as snow'. This is called a simile. To make the poem spicy, the poet compares things with other things.

Another element in literature is looking at the poem from different angles. By this I don't mean moving your head from left to right and reading it. I mean the poem can have double meaning. One is the literal meaning, and one is the not literal meaning. The literal meaning is that Mary had a young lamb which was very white. The not literal meaning can be interpreted in a different way. Like the lamb could

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