Reading is an act of engagement and participation. It is also, simultaneously, an act of clarification and discovery. Literature allows us, as perhaps no other medium can, the chance to overcome the limitations of our own subjectivity and those limitations imposed by sex, age, social and economic condition, and the times in which we live.
Literary characters offer us immediate access to a wide range of human experiences we otherwise might never know. As readers we observe these characters' private as well as public lives, and become privy to their innermost thoughts, feelings, and motivations. It is the very intimacy of this access that explains why psychologists have traditionally found imaginative literature a rich source for case studies to illustrate theories of personality and behavior.
Just as literature allows us to participate in the experience of others, so too it has the power to shape and alter our attitudes and expectations. To know why we identify with one character and not another may tell us about the kind of person we are or aspire to be. In other words, literature holds a mirror up to human nature, revealing its inner depths and complexities, its array of virtues and vices; and moreover, it holds a mirror up to a cultural age, illuminating its shape and ethos.
After all, literature may simply be the creative expression of metaphysics and being: In some mysterious way, each life is every life, and all lives are one life—there is something of ourselves in each and every character we meet in the hallowed pages of a Great Book.
David M. Wright is the director and author of the upper school literature curriculum at Memoria Press. He is currently working on a Ph. He is the founder and director of the annual Climacus Conference in Louisville. His greatest blessings are his wife and seven children. You must be logged in to post a comment. Remember me Log in. Lost your password? If you are having trouble logging in, you may need to delete any site cookies in your browser for memoriapress.
Here are six reasons: 1. Wright David M. Although we call the activity by the same name, the deep reading of books and the information-driven reading we do on the Web are very different, both in the experience they produce and in the capacities they develop. Those who read only onscreen were three times less likely to say they enjoy reading very much and a third less likely to have a favorite book. The study also found that young people who read daily only onscreen were nearly two times less likely to be above-average readers than those who read daily in print or both in print and onscreen.
Unlike the ability to understand and produce spoken language, which under normal circumstances will unfold according to a program dictated by our genes, the ability to read must be painstakingly acquired by each individual.
The deep reader, protected from distractions and attuned to the nuances of language, enters a state that psychologist Victor Nell, in a study of the psychology of pleasure reading, likens to a hypnotic trance. That's the joy of studying literature, there is always a new reality to discover.
Literary devices? Some make-believe stuff that people invented to make English seem scientific. As I understand it, those feelings are not uncommon. The difference for me, though as compared to some other people I know , is that I grew out of them.
I started really looking at rhetorical devices, and the use of language. I started to see that, although it still was not science, it was art, and art is the greatest expression of that which is human. And it is a good feeling to know a lot about it. However, that is not my greatest concern. Most of all, my goal is to learn as much as I can about the human condition, and what it really means to be human, in all aspects.
I am confident that my choice to be an English major is one that I will be satisfied with. Thus far, in my opinion, to be an English major entails more than just being able to read and write well.
An English major must also strive to understand and interpret the importance that various forms of literature have had on the society of the past and the present. Being able to express opinions is another important aspect, as is starting a piece of literature with an open mind. These habits are also important when facing everyday life, not just literature. The chance to read and write is something that everyone should be able to experience. Whether it is studied in the classroom, read for pleasure or purpose, literature is a central part of many lives.
In my case, having the opportunity to study literature in two different languages has helped me to find similarities in two different cultures, and to also find that although literature varies in form and content, it is important and it is a central part of many lives. After mastering these elementary skills, comprehension, analysis, and interpretation are learned and used to better educate ones self.
Studying literature and observing personal reactions to the literature can make one more aware of his or her own values. English skills are helpful in every area of life. Reading, writing, comprehension, analysis, and interpretation increase efficiency in multiple ways including communication, documentation in other areas of study, and reflection of personal values. I believe there is no area of study that English and communication skills do not influence.
However, there exists a purpose for reading and writing outside of these immediate practical purposes; the written word can be used to enlighten, to persuade, to express emotion, or simply for enjoyment. In these forms the written word becomes an art form, and a way of reaching out to others through a personal experience between the writer and the reader.
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