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the mass reader and the elite reader, lies in the elite reader's intelligence: the elite reader looks for the techniques utilized within a work, as well as societal structures inherent in the work, which elicit response. Where a mass reader will merely consume a work, the elite reader will carefully weigh their options and scrutinize the available market of opinion before they buy. Literary analysis allows the elite reader to be an educated consumer of the material at hand, allowing them to shop around for the best deal. In this case, the best deal refers to the best approach toward digesting the literature at hand.

Each branch of literary criticism has its own structures and linguistic system, which is unique unto itself. Readers without prior experience in criticism discourse will not be prepared to take part in any intellectual discussion regarding literature. Each sect of literary criticism adheres to the definitions it has created for otherwise common terms. A mass reader may have an opinion of a literary work, yet they will never have an intellectual voice to express their views within the literary world. Literary criticism and analysis provide readers with ammunition. This knowledge turns a mass reader into an elite reader, who will have the weapons needed to support their arguments within the world of literary criticism.

Although mass readers have the knowledge to recognize elicited response, literary criticism theories give readers the needed edge in today's literary world. Literary criticism structures provide a framework for elite readers to dissect pieces of literature and communicate their findings. Elite readers possess an intelligence that promotes critical thinking, the consideration of abstract ideas, and the ability to construct personal paths to meaning. Without exposure to literary criticism theories, readers will all come from the same mold: that of the mass reader doomed to fight against their own ignorance within the literary world.

The foundation of literary analysis is for readers to read with a purpose. The effects of gender, history, and personal experience upon perception dramatically influence interpretation. Reading with purpose means that we acknowledge these effects, and the reader uses the tenets of literary criticism in order to make sense of their responses. Reading with a purpose, intertwined with the concepts of literary criticism, allows a reader to make educated contributions to the realm of literary analysis on a larger scale.

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