OK One more question...! :-) Re: How to study literature

Wow am I glad I found this forum! :p Sorry to make a pest of myself so soon after joining, but I do have one more question.

Like I mentioned in my first post, I have to do a research paper on a piece of literature this semester (and probably every semester hereafter, since I'm an English major, LOL!). Last semester was the first time I've ever done any type of research paper on literature ~ I wrote about The Piano Lesson by August Wilson (we were given a list of different plays to choose from). Anyway, during the course of the semester, I read TPL literally 6 or 7 times (at least) in order to get a real handle on the story and the themes etc, in addition to the research I did. My question is.... there is a pretty decent chance that whatever I choose this time around will be longer (possibly substantially longer) than TPL (which was somewhere around 100 pages or so, roughly) ~ not to mention more difficult to read because of the ancient time period involved (King James English...ugh, LOL!!!). :D I obviously may not be able to read whatever it is 6 or 7 times, LOL! So, what I'd love to know from those of you who are much more experienced with this type of study/research (which is pretty much everyone here, I'm sure!), what is the BEST way to study a longer piece of literature in preparation for a literature research paper? I'm a little (lot?!) intimidated by the amount of information I'm going to have to consume and digest... heck, I had to read TPL at least twice before I figured out what my "angle" was going to be on my research paper.

Anyway, I would love to hear tips, suggestions, etc from those of you out there who are more experienced at this than me! :-)

A million thanks in advance ~ I TRULY appreciate y'all's help!!!

~Kat

Hi Kat,

I’m no expert (third year into a five year degree in literature), but one approach with longer pieces is to read it once - absorbing the story, characters, plot, and generally enjoying it - then to sit back and write your first impressions. Are there any scenes in particular that stand out? What are the themes of the text? Who is the principle character and what type of character are they, how do they interact with the other characters? What motivates them? Then read it a second time, concentrating on the things you’ve noted from your first impression. The second reading is necessary to concentrate on the actual language used (which you don’t tend to notice on the first reading when you’re caught up in the story), how it contributes to the particular effect created by the author.

Once that’s done it’s time to do a bit of background reading – about the author, the text itself – depending on how obscure the text is, it usually isn’t a problem to find some information out there that will be useful to you (although always check internet sources) and give you a different perspective on what you’re studying. Remember to write everything down. Even if it’s just a random thought about the text that you think may not be relevant, once you write it down you can explore it further and maybe discover that it does have a baring on what you’re studying. Your notes will be the bones of your essay. There’s nothing like writing to focus your mind!

I think you’ll find that everyone has they’re own approach to studying longer texts and what’s right for one person may not work for another. Still, hope this helps and that you get some other suggestions.

Hi, I'm not really sure about the academic/scientific method in literature research. But I often did some of the things that Zippy already mentioned. I often highlited the names in the book (sometimes with marker), their main physical and mental characters, and their statements/actions in specific events (which I found as important). I also consider the backgroud, i.e. time frame, place, historical events, which may influence actions/statements.
Of course, it's a good thing if you can find people to discuss your opinions.

Zippy and subterranean both had very ideal suggestions. Read slowly (analyzing a work of literary art ought to seem no race), take notes of characters, thoughts concerning those characters, and the like, and, before or after reading the book, learn a bit about the author. With the World Wide Web at your fingertips, one can find all sorts of brief biographies about authors, and also good summaries and learning tools for understanding literature (such as this website, sparknotes.com, various Internet encyclopedias, etc.).
Subterranean had a good thought, also, on finding others to discuss the works. If you get a small group of people (or just one other person), and read at roughly the same pace, supplementing each other with ideas definitely enhances the comprehension of a book.
Good luck! ;)

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Originally Posted by mono

... If you get a small group of people (or just one other person), and read at roughly the same pace, supplementing each other with ideas definitely enhances the comprehension of a book.
Good luck! ;)

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Like people in this forum..............

Hmmmm......so many qualified ideas, and from such good sources...*nods to Mono, Zippy, Subby....*

.....a technique I have used in the past concerns modern technology we use everyday. Find a quality production of the tale in question: 'BBC Classic Movies', Literary Renditions on CD, or "Classic" audio tape, or VCR tape, etc., in certain sections of many fine libraries. Having read the book once, having digested and dissected as much as you can, rent/borrow the movie, watch it with your book in your lap.........relate your vision to the movies vision. MOst of these types of productions are almost word for word from the original. (WARNING: DO NOT WATCH A 'HOLLYWOOD' VERSION OF ANYTHING!!!!)

This little activity is not really that strenuous, and if you've already done your research/explication/disection this activity will truly and firmly cement your ideas in your mind. The eye has a great ability for memory.............

P.S. good luck, and don't forget to enjoy the work.... ( :

Thanks so much to all of you ~ you all have given me some GREAT direction of where to get started. :)

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Originally Posted by subterranean

Like people in this forum..............

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LOL that is EXACTLY what I thought when I read that. :p