A head start to getting an A in English Literature

So you are doing Lit? Here’s a checklist of what you should do to enjoy this subject.

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    1.    Read your text. In one sitting. Why? Why must I do it in one sitting? Simple, the author of the text did not write it for a school student and was not thinking of its inclusion in a school syllabus. Just as the playwright wrote it for an audience that was expected to watch it in one sitting, the novelist had a reader in mind, and certainly wanted the reader to finish the story and not put the book down until he had finished it.

    2.    Read your text. Don’t watch the movie adaptation first, don’t skip ahead to the Literature guides. You need to respond to the text as a first-time reader. You need to feel the fear intended, the hurt, the elation, the indignation, the sense of justice served or the blight of the tragedy unfolding. You should not deny yourself that one time you can call your first reading. Break up your reading and you would have lost it. The impact, the effect all lost on a reading interrupted by a retreat into an online game or Episode 10 of the latest Netflix drama. 

    3.    Read your text. Then read your text again. Before your teacher gets started with it. Don’t count on the Literature lessons to learn WHAT happened in the story. That’s an insult to the author. Get ready to talk about what happened, take that conversation about the text beyond what you read. Getting the facts right is only the start. 

    4.    Read your text. Then watch the movie, then read the guides. Find out why the author had to write what he wrote. Study the historical background, understand the politics of that age, the customs of that time. Then sit back and consider how universal the themes are, how relatable the characters are even in a different time and place.

    5.    Read your text. Hear the voices in the story, visualise the setting, and with many O-level and secondary texts, appreciate the compelling truths about humanity.

I weave English Literature lessons into my Core Secondary English Language Programme because my students want to do well in Literature but don’t have the time to attend a separate class. An A for Literature almost always guarantees an A for English Language (though not necessarily true the other way around). To find out more about my Core Sec ELL Programme, visit my website here or drop me a call at +65 81386011. 

Happy reading, and enjoy the journey!