Anyone with an English Language and Literature Degree

[LoveyDovey]

Hi everyone,
I'm a new member here :oops:
I'm interested in English Literature,
I wanted to ask you this question to see if you are obliged to read literature or you love it!
Because I really love English Literature but I don't study it,,,and I wanna be better at understanding it...how can I? :rolleyes:
And how did you become a good English Literature reader?specially if your native language is not English?

[Ibtihaj]

Yes, I am an English student, I took few literature courses and I am fond of it, my major is education, but I just love literature more ...

[Shea]

I will be beginning my major in English next Monday. I'll be obliged to read literature but at the same time I love it. All of my classes deal with the same kind of books that I read for fun.

I think probably the best way to understanding English literature is practice. It might also help to do a little research on the author and the setting that they lived in. Oh, and discussing the books on a site like this also helps a lot!

[plea4peace]

I'm an english literature student in the sense that I'm taking AP Literature and Composition in high school. I've loved high school english so far (honors up to this point) because we actually read good literature, and classic stuff too, not just novels written in the last 50-100 years or so. But I read a lot on the side, too; I finished Something Wicked This Way Comes earlier this summer and it was really good, Bradbury is king.

[AbdoRinbo]

Do you all plan to teach when you get out of college, or what?

[Shea]

Do you all plan to teach when you get out of college, or what?

Yes, I do. I'd like to start teaching at the high school level, while taking courses to eventually earn a PhD. I know that's a lot of work even just to be a high school teacher, but we don't have any children yet, and it's only a plan anyway. 8)

[chrissy]

Shea, I hope you do get your PhD, that's something I've always wanted
to do but I don't know how I'd ever afford that much education. Besides, while I'm good at reading and understanding literature I'm not so good at writing about it. In fact I'm procrastinating right now!

Chrissy

[AbdoRinbo]

Teaching literature would get really boring after a while, if you ask me. Just how much do you expect to learn from a bunch of 15 year-old kids? Granted, I think that sort of education is important, but I always felt sorry for English teachers; they were either bored out of their minds (and those were the truly inspired ones) or they were on a caffeine kick and were too emotionally overwhelming to 'educate'.

[Koa]

I study Languages at University and thankfully Literature is a part of it... I like studying literature even if of course I don't like everything...

I DON'T want to teach... Actually after a bit of thinking I realised recently that I wouldn't mind teaching a language to adults, workers or such... never-ever make me work with kids, I'd only make the teenage-mortality rise! ;)

[AbdoRinbo]

Shea, I hope you do get your PhD, that's something I've always wanted
to do but I don't know how I'd ever afford that much education. Besides, while I'm good at reading and understanding literature I'm not so good at writing about it. In fact I'm procrastinating right now!

Chrissy

I'm proud of you anyway, Chrissy.

[Shea]

Teaching literature would get really boring after a while, if you ask me. Just how much do you expect to learn from a bunch of 15 year-old kids? Granted, I think that sort of education is important, but I always felt sorry for English teachers; they were either bored out of their minds (and those were the truly inspired ones) or they were on a caffeine kick and were too emotionally overwhelming to 'educate'.

Well, I don't want to be the one necessarily "learning" when I become a teacher, that's the student's postition. But I do want to have lots of discussions with them about the books we study. I always had wonderful English teachers. I don't know, maybe it had to do with the fact that I went to an art school, but my teachers were able to invoke a real passion for literature in me. The weird thing was is that I got most of that passion after high school, when I started thinking about those classes that I took. :rolleyes:

[Blackadder]

I have one year left to go before I get my Bachelor's in English. Then I plan to take a year off and then apply to library school. I don't have to patience for teaching, but I think I have aptitude for librarianship.

[Munro]

Like Blackadder said, I really don't have the patience to teach other people. I think teaching English would ruin it for me, constantly dissecting great novels and poems year after year (with an unchanging syllabus)...I hate bashing literature to death even as a yet-to-be-educated student. I'd be a terrible teacher, as well.

[Shea]

I actually don't think it would bother me to study the same literature year after year. For one thing, I love re-reading books. Also, I remember in High school and college acting in plays was one of my favorites. Some of the other actors would get annoyed because we'd be doing the same thing over and over and over again everyday for a week sometimes two for performances. But I loved it. To me it was always different every night because the audiences would react in different ways. I guess that can be comparable to teaching. :)

[Shea]

I don't have to patience for teaching,

Like Blackadder said, I really don't have the patience to teach other people.

I have plenty of patience for teaching. What I DON'T have patience for is all the mindless rigamarole, plolicies, rules, "see this person", "see that person", garbage and torture that they put you through just to go to school to be a teacher! :evil: :evil: :evil: Oh, and I just found out that there is nothing I can do with a BA in English. I have to go straight for my masters. There is no teaching highschool and going on to the college level. But if they had any competant advisors there to tell me that in the first place I wouldn't be so upset! I don't mind studing longer to get my masters, but I was expecting to be able to work after the first two years! :evil: :evil: :evil:

I'm sorry for ranting, I've had a really rotten day and had to express it somewhere.

Oh, and I also hate it when a doublefaced employer will poison someone's mind with fancies of "one day owning the store!" all the while delaying her applying for school so long, that by the time she's allowed to register, every class in her major is full!!! :evil: :evil: :evil: Why do I listen to idiots!!

Sorry once again!

[AbdoRinbo]

Also, I remember in High school and college acting in plays was one of my favorites.

Oh my . . . so you're one of those people who wants to become a teacher because you had such a fun time when you were in high school? You might want to reconsider, for your own sake.

[alidif]

You can teach with a BA. You just have to go for a few education classes so you can become certified to teach. A BA is a more intensive degree, so once you get certified to teach, you shouldn't have any trouble finding a teaching position. You can get a BSE with a focus in English, but you won't have a very stong English background compared to the background of someone with a BA. There are also some universities that offer BA with certification options. It is probably easier to acquire your BA first and get your certification through the alternate route. The alternate route is available only to individuals who already possess a bachelor's degree. Good Luck.

[Shea]

Ok, I'll have to keep on searching. I can't stand policies :x they just cause me mass confusion. Anyway, my main concern today is trying to add the classes I need as people start dropping them. (I also hate leaving things up to chance. Isn't that somewhat of a paradox?)

Abdo, actually, I've had more fun in college with books than in high school, I just want to teach because I'm more interested in books than anything else.

[leonthepupil]

Hi ,Everybody!!
I major in Chemistry which turned out to be a bad choice.I like Literature very much so i choose Chinese as my second major in my university as English Departments here mostly focus on linguistics.At first I loved to read a lot of foreign novels which are all in Chinese versions.Later i realise i have to read the original book,so i started to read English books.It's not easy and goes very slow,but i do have fun.Especially when i go with both versions.
I remember once i read the Wuthering Heights,the name of Heathcliff means nothing when translated into chinese,so when i turned back to the original book ,i was led to a deeper understanding of the cold environment and Heathcliff's character.It's very simple to you guys,but to me,it means a lot.
I loved the comparative literature course in my second grade.I even thought of having my postgraduate course on it.Although things don't go as i wish ,i still hope someday i will have a chance to study that .Sometimes i think my experience of reading English books are funny as my background is quite different.
Oh,by the way,i am definitely not obliged to read books.Literature provides me a space to think and to imagine,which offers me a lot of support in the chaotic world.

[fayefaye]

shea, i really hope u do get ur phD, because i am still in highschool and hardly any of the teachers bothered to get more than a BA, and so few of them know what they're talking about it's ridiculous. i can't believe it-it seems like half the ppl on this forum r studying to be teachers, or studying lit. i don't do lit, though i wish i did; i do english (this means i study books as well as junk like tv drama-and then have to write essays on them), because i thought it would be more interesting, but it turns out i was dead WRONG.

anyway, last semester i got a C on my exam, so does that mean u can help me with english? roll wink

[Sindhu]

I have my PH.D in English Literature and I've been teaching at the MA level for five years. I'm from India and neither I nor my students are native speakers of English. I've never felt that to be a disadvantage though, if anything it has only seemed to make for more interest and effort. While I HATE the inevitable red-tapism associated with academics, I have NEVER been bored by the actual learning or teaching of literature. Maybe I've just been lucky and had great teachers and great students,but on the whole it has been a marvellous adventure. Of course I would be very unfulfilled if I had restricted my involvement with literature to purely professional activity. But no one eer said teaching means you have to confine yourself to that!

[Shea]

Luckily, I got past all the red tape and am thoroughly enjoying my classes, (especially now, that I got past Whitman, understand his work, don't like it) The first competant advisor I was able to see agreed that it was a good idea to for me to teach at the high school level first and then move on to my masters and PhD (that's what she did). But she said that teaching high school, although more work, was a lot more fun than teaching college. You get to know your students better, you see them more often, etc... Have you taught in an American high school Sindhu? What do you think?

[crisaor]

No, I'm not. I don't study english literature (but with the way things are going, maybe I'll start literature in a little while), and I'm not an englishman studying literature.

[Sindhu]

Have you taught in an American high school Sindhu? What do you think?
No, I've worked only in India and only at the college level. But I rather think the college system in India is different from the USA or UK systems in the sense that in involves more regular teaching hours, compulsory classes etc, even at the PG level. So there's been no question of not seeing my students regularly, it's minimum three hours five days a week as a group apart from individual sessions.

[KLO]

Technically, I was a student of American Literature, but I studied all English-language literatures. I have my Ph.D. from the University of South Carolina, and I am currently teaching part-time at various colleges near my home.

I love teaching literature. However, as a part-time instructor, I often am forced to teach composition, which is mostly boring and mind-numbing. :rolleyes: Recently, I have had the chance to teach World Literature surveys and upper level American Literature surveys, and these classes completely make up for all of the composition courses. They are fun, and they allow me to use my expertise. :D

I refuse to teach at a lower level than college because, as several people have already noted, the bureaucracy in high schools is totally unreasonable. Especially here in the Southern US, the list of books that cannot be taught in public schools is so long that I don't know what I could possibly teach! When Steinbeck became an unacceptable author, I gave up any consideration of teaching at the high school level!

[Rotty1021]

KLO, I am interested in earning a PhD for personal reasons, and don't want to teach professionally. (I want to be a psychotherapist). Could you tell me if programs accept students that don't want to be academics? Thanks.

[KLO]

Hi, Rotty1021.

I believe that most doctoral programs will accept you, no matter what you want to do. Some of the Ivy League schools or private universities may have preferences for Academics, but at most of the state universities, they want anyone who is interested in literature, even if they do not plan to teach.

There is one catch for some programs, though. For example, the University of South Carolina would not admit me unless they could give me a teaching assistanceship. I needed the money and I wanted to teach, so this was not a problem for me. However, I had also applied to Ohio, and they admitted me but told me I could apply for a teaching assistanceship after my first term. So, I guess the lesson is that you have to contact the departments you might be interested in and ask what their policies for admission are.

Anyway, that's as much as I know for sure. I wish you the best of luck, and I think it's great that you wish to pursue a degree in this field even though your profession is in another area!

[Rotty1021]

I'll have no problem teaching during the course of my studies, it's just that once I complete the degree I don't want to do that. At the state university that I would like to attend (the University of Florida) I believe they offer a tuition waiver for students who become teaching assistants.

I want to get a lot of things out of life, and don't want to wind up down one road. Part of me earning the PhD is getting life experience by studying the philosophies and characters of writers, and this, I hope, will help with me performing psychotherapy.

By the way, how long did it take you to complete the PhD?

Thanks.

[KLO]

I sort of stormed through my degree. I finished my coursework in 3 semesters, my dissertation prospectus in 1 semester, and my dissertation in 3 more semesters. So, my whole degree took 3 and 1/2 years.

I wanted to move back to Texas, so that is why I took a full load every term at South Carolina for my 3 semesters of coursework. And luckily, my dissertation committee was willing to let me send them my chapters via e-mail and send responses back. Having to pay out-of-state tuition also inspired me to finish my dissertation as quickly as possible. :D

Most of the people I knew at SC and at UNT were averaging about 5 years for their Ph.D.s, but the national average is something like 7 years.

Anyway, good luck with U of F; it's a great school, and I bet you can find some really interesting philosophies there.

[Rotty1021]

Thanks for your good word. I have a while before I work towards my PhD, though, because I'm still in high school. I have a feeling that I'll complete my PhD quickly because when I study something I love (i.e. lit or psychology) I can storm through the material, working at an uncanny pace.

Once again, thanks for helping me out.

On a different note, does anybody at the high school level feel that the English programs in the public schools are a joke? I do, as we read no more than five novels per year and have lousy discussions on th stuff. Plus, the whole English program seems to be chock full of esoteric grammar. I am motivated about English; but it seems that as soon as we finish a story in class, I am the one doing all of the background readings on the author. This stuff never comes up in class. I also read very advanced stuff for my age. The reading comprehension tests say I have a college reading level.

[Rotty1021]

KLO, sorry to bother you again, but I have two more questions.

(1. Did the 3.5 years to finish your PhD include your masters?

(2. Does reading speed play a factor in success in a PhD program? I am neither slow or fast (more like above average), yet was wondering about this.

[KLO]

No problem...
The 3.5 years did not include my master's degree. I got my master's in 2 years at the University of North Texas.

As for reading speed, I don't think it is a particularly significant factor in success in a Ph.D. program. Probably, it is the ability to read, analyze, and write quickly that is most important. Also, much depends on your topic of specialization; the more traditional the topic, the more you would have to read, so reading quickly would be an asset. Since I focused on a topic that was not particularly traditional, there were few background texts or even examples for me to examine, so reading speed was not really a factor.

[Rotty1021]

Thanks for your speedy response.

[jscholar]

Hi all,

Just jumping into the fray a bit late I'm afraid. I just finished my MA (completed on a part time basis because of family concerns) and am now in the process of applying for a doctoral program. The desire to obtain this degree is not a light decision. The years spent reading and researching followed by years in Academia are not for everyone. IMO, it's almost an obsession to willingly devote that many of your waking hours to the pursuit of such, knowing that the long-time financial rewards may never equate with the time and money spent obtaining the degree. But, I know that nothing else would ever make me happy....

[anubanu]

doing phd is a good idea till you get a good guide or you're attached to a good university.the point is that what should a person living in a remote area do..........with limited resources.???
i am in final year of m.a english literature.i have not been able to get material for topics in M.A .......think what would happen in phd program.
sindhu which topics have you been teaching?. i have some questions .i'll appreciate if you could answer
1.how to choose optional paper in ugc -net exam.is it that one option is more scoring than the other.

2for ugc net -----should i go in for some postal course like brilliants or not .kindly recommend some books if you can
thanks

[Cafe Rob]

I do like your name: LoveyDovey, are you? I mean LoveyDovey.

[Cassiel240]

I'm a student in English lit struggling toward my MA. Did anyone else find their MA really hard? Part of it is probably that I'm in my first year back in school after 3 years off, but I also feel hugely unguided (my advisor is way too busy and I've only met with him twice all year). It's really frustrating. I don't have trouble with the material itself, so much, but I feel like I'm having to relearn doing research a bit and I never was much exposed to literary theory in my undergraduate so I feel woefully inadequate in that area. Additionally my mother is ill, which means I can't spend as much time at school as I'd like and am doing much of this from home on a part-time basis. Excuses, excuses. Add to this the fact that the scholarly aspects of the program are very irritating to me - I really want to teach, not do research. I enjoy teaching writing and I enjoy discussing literature. In my first two terms I considered forgetting about the MA but now I have the bug.
I guess this has been kind of a rant, so I apologize. But does anybody else relate to this? Anybody have any advice?

[protagonist]

Hi!
I have just participated in this forum.I am an english literature student.I hope we share together all we need

[tudwell]

I'm still in high school, but I plan on majoring in English because I want to be a novelist and at the moment can't think of a more productive (or interesting) degree. No way in hell am I teaching. I guess I look to Cormac McCarthy for inspiration in my apathy (if not full blown revulsion) at having a job (at least a nine to five job). I honestly don't know how I'll make money when I'm older if my writing doesn't get published. And even if they do, that's no guarantee of success. Oh well. It's just money.

[Mazi]

Hi everybody
I am a university student of English Literature and Language in Iran, and therefore a non-native. Anyway, I have devoted the last 4 years of my life to literature (both Persian and English). I've written some articles on comparative literature, some criticisms(2 of them published in Firdawsi department of English Language and Literature) and also a collection of short stories which if god will, will be published in 3 monthes. This is the first time, I am writing here in this site. Hope I find some good friends here to have literary discussions with.
Mazi

[Wilhelm]

I'm a university student in Dutch(native) & English(non-native) literature, in Belgium. Really love it! I would like to take a degree in performing arts too.

[quasimodo1]

To Cassiel240: First of all, enlighten up a bit. I had four and half years of college (Catholic U. and Temple U.) and never graduated but really it only means what you want it to. Get the MA; it is a great thing to do. Then get the PHD; they are not near as hard as they used to be (except for Math, Science, Astronomy, Physics, Medicine and about twelve others. In lit however, you must do something original in that field (but you knew that). How hard can that be...just another twist on literary criticism. You got it made and besides that you are still young. I do rant a little myself. quasimodo1

[early 1960s]

I am an English literature major, living in Norway, though my first language is English. One thing I do to make the study easier and clearer is look up any words I don't understand in a dictionary. There are some advanced learner's distionaries like the one published by Longman publishers, and others. In addition, I get study guides to many of the works I read, from publishers like Cliffnotes, and York Notes. These often have good glossaries to explain unusual words, something which really helps. Speaking of study guides, here is a message I'm putting out in various sections of this site's forum:
I was wondering if you or anyone out there can tell me where to get reputable study guides / glossaries for E.A. Poe's "The man of the Crowd" and Charles Boudelaire's Essay "The Painter of Modern Life" I've gone through cliffnotes, york notes, you name it, and cannot find guides/glossaries for either of these central works (whch I'm studying in a university course on modernism). The Poe work for example has words which I've had a challenge to define precisely. It's easy to find study guides with good glossaries for more well known stories, like "The fall of the House of Usher" or "The Dubliners" but where do you go for the something like "The Man of the Crowd"????

Can you recommend a repudable study guide for Poe's "The Man of the Crowd" and the French poet Boudelaire's essay "The Painter of modern Life" ?? I need good glossaries that define some of the more unusual words used in the Poe story, and possibly in the essay (I have only started reading the essay).
I have been looking in the usual cliff notes etc. Since you have a PhD, maybe you have found some good sources of information regarding this.

[amalia1985]

I am a graduate English Literature student, waiting for my degree. I am from Greece, I've always loved reading, my father studied Theatre. When I was twelve years old, I realised I began to love English, as well, so the result came naturally...

[amanda_isabel]

i'm still in high school and my english teacher asked me to give an introdutcion to world literature. loved reading but that report just made me love literature all the more. even before that, though, i already listed literature as one of the courses i'm interested in taking on my college application forms. english is my mother tongue, by the way:)

[eyemaker]

I'm very glad to know that your one of us... By the way, I'm also a new member of this network...One effective strategy of inclining in Literature is to read and reab and read literary documents(e.g. books, magazines...etc) or better yet surf in the internet for some great authors and try to decipher every techniques they are using....:idea:

[Ashwinkumar S.]

Hi..........
This is Ashwinkumar wish you best wishesh.
I am working as lecturer in english. I wish to share your views regarding literature. Please feel comfortable to communicate with me.:) :thumbs_up

[kandaurov]

I kind of am. English and German, hoping to do Masters in Comparative Literature. This poll is a riot, by the way. I'm saying this even though I know you won't get this, because you've been inactive for 5 years. Quite fun poll, all the same.

[Tersely]

I'll be starting next year after taking a break touring some of the American South. I can't wait. High school English classes were always the ones that stuck with me anyways.

[Sana Koulagasi]

hi everybody, this is my first participation.
i'm an English literature student, but i can never think about teaching, i believe that the good teacher should be patient and this can never be one of my characteristics.

[maraki16]

hi! it's the first time i post anything. I actually became a member yesterday. I study english literature (well, it;s not just literature because i am a freshman year student, so i also study linguistics and other subjects). I like literature in general so, i don't just read english or american literature just because i have to. After all, it was my choice!. I don't believe that you need to study something in order to understand it better. What you can do, except from improving your knowledge on the english language, if you are not a native speaker of course, is to learn more about the history of england. This would be good for understanding the content of the text, the facts that are discussed and the culture that is presented. That's the best advice i can give you in terms of comprehending the context. I hope you did not mean something different, unless of course you meant understanding an untranslated version of an english novel. Well, if that counts, i am not an english native speaker. I hope you finally manage to have an excellent understanding of english literature. good luck!

[aabbcc]

Nope, but I am off to university next year to study Comparative Literature - therefore I will not be studying specifically Anglistics and English Literature, but it will be a part of my studies. :)

[frida_kahlo]

I am an English Literature student, too. I love my major and really enjoy it and I am a fresh(wo)men, we studied Old English Period, Medieval English Literatue and some selections. I really love Chaucer's Canterbury Tales and adore writers of these periods although most of the writers are not known :( I think Piers Plowman is also a real magnum opus. Using seven deadly sins as allegorical characters, Langland was very creative and with characters' confessions he tells people what they should not to do. I really enjoyed this year and I sat the literature final exam. Now,I am waiting for next semester's literature course impatiently :)

[cipherdecoy]

I'm an English Literature student too - I'm only in secondary school but we were given a choice to study what we wanted, though the combinations were rather limited, and I chose the combination with Lit in it, since I did badly (and also because I lurve it) and one of the combinations that had Lit in it was for a "weaker" class.

[Pyrrho]

I am a student of English literature too and am currently finishing my first year at university.

[JBI]

I'm in University, studying English (literature of course, since I am a native speaker) Italian (just language right now, I cannot yet read well enough), and probably French later on. I plan to teach, but I am going to get as many degrees as I can first, before I go anywhere. Maybe I can get the Ph.D. and get a lecturing position at a university. I'd have to get Ejlert to kill himself first though...

[kasie]

No, I'm not an Eng Lit student but I used to be one in the Dear Dead Days Beyond Recall. Now that I have retired I can go back to read the books I always meant to read or re-read the ones I enjoyed first time round.

I realise this makes me old enough to be Grandma to most of you. :D

[Trystan]

Nope. Well, not on an academic level. I only studied it at school, though I may drop philosophy so I can take it up in college next year.

[Page Sniffer]

LoveyDovey ~ I am a current part-time student involved in theatre. I fell in love with English lit when I found the trench poets Sigfried Sassoon & Wilfred Owen just to name a couple. I was active duty in the military at the time, and they helped me make sense of some things I was struggling with. I went on to discover Virginia, Dylan and Orwell.

I have some great books that help with understanding the times, like: London in Dicken's Day (Jacob Korg/Prentice Hall); Shakespeare's Critics - from Jonson to Auden (U of Michigan Press); Shakespeare of London (Marchette Chute/Dutton); Samuel Johnson's Lives of the English Poets (Gateway); and A Hundred English Essays (Nelson). I bought a Johnson's Dictionary to help with words I found in Shakespeare's dialogue that I wasn't familiar with too. He used slang like "pard" = leopard.

IMHO, to understand ourselves as literate (and hopefully progressive) humans, we should understand the epics of Gilgamesh, Chaucer and so on. I recently found a hilarious play that was resurrected. Originally written by Englishman George Farquhar (1707). Thornton Wilder began a revision but it went unfinished until Ken Ludwig recently finished and produced it on stage -- The Beaux' Stratagem.

Hope this helps. Literature helps to make us richer as a human race if the race will only realise it. I know it's helped me through the insanity. Peace to all of us -- Carl

[Kilgore_Trout]

Finance/ accounting double major in senior year of undergrad. I have a feeling I may be in the minority here. Anybody else in this or a similar sector?

[Vincent Black]

I'm first year uni doing English Lit, I'm considering doing further study after my degree.

[sofia82]

I was graduated a few months ago, but want to continue my studies. To be a good reader of literature, i think you have to know it academically. by acamdemically i do not mean to study english literature at the university, but following the way.

[Jane's Nemesis]

I'm an English/History major, and I guess that had I not studied English at Uni I would probably not have known as much or understood as much. I think university has the advantage of providing teachers who can show you new things and explain ideas. And university libraries are also really good for finding scholarly material. I think one of the best ways to stimulate thought is reading what other people have said about books.

But, if you don't have access to any of this, then I think the best advice is to look around for critical material, read as widely as possible, even the obscure stuff, and try and find like-minded people to talk to about the books you're reading.

[jgweed]

Most of my literature reading was done before entering university; although I began as a Comp Lit major, changed to Modern History, and ended up majoring in Philosophy, the literary background was invaluable to understanding all of the humanities courses, and reading literature was a constant enjoyment. The more great works you read, the more perspectives you meet, and the better (hopefully) you write.

[Ms.Mustafa]

yes..i am a literature student..i love it n i study it at my school..and in two years time i will appear for my GCE EXAM..i love reading books and books are my passion..!

[EricP]

My B.A. and M.A. are in English, but I'm planning on starting law school next year.

[Erichtho]

No, I don't study literature.

[Scheherazade]

My B.A. and M.A. are in English, but I'm planning on starting law school next year.Oh, finally someone sees the light!

:p

[DapperDrake]

Finance/ accounting double major in senior year of undergrad. I have a feeling I may be in the minority here. Anybody else in this or a similar sector?

You're not alone, I work in Finance and am studying accountancy part time.

[bej6s]

Nope, I have taken a couple of English Lit classes at university but I am a History major. Yes, I would still read if my only motivation was enjoyment.

[Hala Sami]

Hello,:wave:
yes I am an English literature student. I study in a college. I am a final year studen. this year we are studying modern literature.

[enzobambino]

I am in a different category: I am a literature teacher.

[Annamariah]

I'm a second year student studying English translation, not literature.

I think that sometimes studying literature takes the pleasure from reading. I'll rather read books for my own fun without over-analysing them.

[JBI]

I am in a different category: I am a literature teacher.

At what level?


I'm a second year student studying English translation, not literature.

I think that sometimes studying literature takes the pleasure from reading. I'll rather read books for my own fun without over-analysing them.

You're going to have to analyze pretty deeply to translate though.

[LitNetIsGreat]

Yes, and can the study of literature really take away the pleasure of it, or does it merely add to its enjoyment? To me the common idea that studying something takes away the pleasure just doesn't fit.

Does the chef not eat better due to his knowledge of food?

[JBI]

Yes, and can the study of literature really take away the pleasure of it, or does it merely add to its enjoyment? To me the common idea that studying something takes away the pleasure just doesn't fit.

Does the chef not eat better due to his knowledge of food?

I personally love studying literature, and love going to my lectures on books. One of my professors in particular shows me many great things that I completely would have missed.

On the other hand, in highschool, studying literature was rather dull. The reason? Well, the teacher quite plainly. If someone herself doesn't care about the works, and is choosing rather dry and boring poems and things to read, then how can it be fun.

Highschool literature classes simply don't compare. University ones however, are incredibly enjoyable.

[LitNetIsGreat]

Yes, agree, the higher the level the more interesting it gets. It is difficult not to appreciate literature much more with the addition of studying theory and criticism at university level and things of that nature.

You may be a little hard on your school teachers though, I think that the school arrangements (11-16) don't lend itself that well to the study of literature as much as at a higher level. This is certainly the case in the UK at least. Literature at this level seems more concerned with character and themes and things of a basic foundation, than looking at the more interesting concepts. Of course there is all the 'jumping through hoops' and red tape at school level too. There is so much pressure to meet targets that teachers are all but forced to ‘teach to the test’ in order to satisfy the powers that be, so unfortunately pleasure doesn’t come into it here much. :(

[bree]

Yes, and can the study of literature really take away the pleasure of it, or does it merely add to its enjoyment? To me the common idea that studying something takes away the pleasure just doesn't fit.

Does the chef not eat better due to his knowledge of food?

I could not agree more Neely, I love the analogy

[LitNetIsGreat]

Ha ha, thanks, (when I say "food" I am really thinking of "beer").

It is quite a common thing that people think studying something can take away from its enjoyment, I have heard this sort of thing expressed many times. The "over analysing" thing is usually thrown-up sometimes too. People get hung up on authorial intention and "reading too much into things" when the reality is of course that is almost impossible. (Yes there are times when studying itself is a nag but this is small fry.)

I doubt that anything above, The Phone Book, can be analysed down to one meaning, or a particular reading. Of course if it can be, it is not worth reading very much at all. No offence Annamariah naturally.

[bree]

I am currently studying theory and criticism. My problem is I seem to have theory overload and am now looking for so many different theories in one piece of writing. It is still enjoyable though.

[Annamariah]

You're going to have to analyze pretty deeply to translate though.

Oh, of course I have to think about the text thoroughly, but I don't have to try and see more than there is to it. I can't really explain this properly in English... The main thing why I prefer studying translation to studying literature is that translation is very ... practical and concrete, not abstract. Each text has a function and I get to analyze that function instead of just analyzing the whole text as a ... something :D Sorry, my English is failing me right now (though I'm not sure whether I could do any better in Finnish at this late hour...) Perhaps I'll get back to this subject later, when I'm a bit more awake :lol:

[weltanschauung]

electrical engineering \m/

[LitNetIsGreat]

Oh, of course I have to think about the text thoroughly, but I don't have to try and see more than there is to it.

In a text there is only what the reader sees, what the author intended is largely immaterial.

[Annamariah]

At school I used to hate when the teacher made us read poems and then analyse them. I'm not saying that it's completely useless doing so and I can even admit enjoying it to some extent, but there IS the aspect of over-analysing too, when the teacher always wants to hear more and more far-fetched ideas about the texts, and no matter how ridiculous things the students say, it's always "a great interpretation".


In a text there is only what the reader sees, what the author intended is largely immaterial.

As a translator-to-be I have to disagree with this one. When you translate the text, knowing what the writer wanted to say with it (or what purpose the person you're translating it for is going to use it for) is essential.

On anohter level, though, I know what you mean. One reason I don't like going into too deep analyses of books/poems/other texts in the class is that it's always very personal. Everyone sees the text a bit differently than the other, and I see no point in saying "this is what this and this means", because it's always your subjective view on the matter.

[LitNetIsGreat]

Any text that is translated is like light bouncing from two mirrors. There are two authors: the original author and the translator, there is an extra level of ambiguity for the reader. I would always prefer the translation to be as close to the intended original as possible and therefore I suppose the translator will have to try and know what the author intended as far as possible, but this knowledge is still the interpretation of the translator. The translator of a text is first and foremost a reader of the text like anyone else.

I can only begin to image the minefield that must face the translator of even the most basic text as words don’t exist in different languages or they have different social connotations etc, it is really an unforgiving task I suppose. As it seems you view things almost solely from the translator’s viewpoint, and not the readers, it seems that these are traits of a good translator who simply tries to transfer the original intention of the author however much an uphill battle this appears to me, good luck.

[librarius_qui]

Hi everyone,
I'm a new member here :oops:
I'm interested in English Literature,
I wanted to ask you this question to see if you are obliged to read literature or you love it!
Because I really love English Literature but I don't study it,,,and I wanna be better at understanding it...how can I? :rolleyes:
And how did you become a good English Literature reader?specially if your native language is not English?


History will help you a bit. It organizes things. As long as you don't get enslaved by it.

I'm not an English Literature student, nor a native speaker ... But I think about doing somethings by love of them rather than by obligation.

Once you love E. L., you won't have problems at reading it, so, 70% of the way is done. (Or will be being done, gradually.)

Read always. Organize what you read. Understand the time when and reason(s) why the things were written.

There seems to be no secret about it ...


But, again,

who am I to say anything,
I think with myself ...


librarius
:crash:

[pinkmoon]

I graduated from the university last year, after I studied English language and literature
congratulation to me :)

and now, I teach English at the school

[Desert Dusk]

I'm not an english lit student or studying it in colledge, I'm a medical student but I find litrature as an out let and a beatiful art. Thinking how writers can be creative, and being able to capture various human mind or emotional status is been always impressive to me. Despite there is nothing quite artistic in my studies, but I've always had my share of admiration towards art.

[Annamariah]

I can only begin to image the minefield that must face the translator of even the most basic text as words don’t exist in different languages or they have different social connotations etc, it is really an unforgiving task I suppose. As it seems you view things almost solely from the translator’s viewpoint, and not the readers, it seems that these are traits of a good translator who simply tries to transfer the original intention of the author however much an uphill battle this appears to me, good luck.

Studying translation does affect the way you look at texts in general. Even when I read only for pleasure I constantly find myself thinking about different words, phrases and structures I would use if I was translating the text. Also when I read translations, I always kind of try to see the original text behind it and why the translator made the decisions he or she made. It's the same whenever I watch television - I can't help reading the subtitles critically.

Translating texts can be "an uphill battle" as you put it, but it's exactly the sort of challenge I enjoy :)

[Zainy]

Hello everyone.
Just wondering if anyone holds a degree in English Language and Literature?

Z

[Kitty88]

hello :) i am a literature student ! what is everyone studying at the mo'?

[Kafka's Crow]

I always had excellent teachers and studying literature was never a chore or burden. My last day in school, the teacher of English told me to study Literature and make it my aim in life. She wrote it down on a peace of paper and told me to show it to my parents. My parents were always supportive although there was no money in a humanities or an arts degree. I completed my MA with distinction in 1992, taught literature with a friend (he is doing his PhD, of all the places, in Sarajevo, now). We were a rootless pair, we taught for nothing, taught everywhere and studied everywhere. We gathered round us an odd circle of young students and 'corrupted' the youth to our hearts' content. Till my parents pulled the plug, stopped my money and I had to look for a job. I became a school teacher, teaching literature and Art History. It was a lovely job. I loved the inspired children, I made them in my own image! Once they found me reading War and Peace and collected money to buy a copy for their classroom book collection and some actually started reading it! We talked about Napoleon, Borodino, about Michaelangelo, the Pope and his ceiling (that's when I read Agony and Ecstasy). Then I moved on to teach college. Good, but not as rewarding as school teaching. Still it was good. A studentship at Luton University coincided with my marriage (I had known my wife since we were in our mid-teens). I dropped out of Luton and that was effectively the end of my academic career. Then kids started coming along and I loved spending time with kids. Still I gave literature another go and joined university again in 2001, a thirty-something father of two. Everybody said it was crazy but I loved it. I studied Modernism and Postmodernism at the University of London (Royal Holloway) and really loved it. Loved it so much that I just whizzed through the course without any problem. I was working full-time and looked after two kids as my wife worked days (I worked nights) still the course and lectures were so interesting that I never faced any difficulty at all. It felt much easier than the first MA although I was absolutely young and free when I did that course. Now my kids read a lot. We discuss Chaucer and the medieval English, Shakespeare, Walther Raleigh, Homer, Wordsworth and Francis Bacon. My eldest will be 11 years old in January. He has a 'reading age' of 16+ according to most recent assessment and a 'spellings age' of 14. I continue creating in my own image!

[JBI]

Oh Frankenstein! What hath thou wrought.

[Mr.Safdar]

hello
i am a student of English literature and interested to learn more and more.


safdar