For the Love of Literature

     Oftentimes, at the end of an intense semester of high school English, several students reach out to thank me for reigniting (or igniting) a fondness for reading.  It took several years for me to truly understand why these young people were happy after weeks of reading difficult or conceptually challenging material. In the end, I understood that it is the love of literature that inspires others to love literature.

     Loving literature is not always easy, even for an English teacher.  While some stories grab you tightly and refuse to let go until the last page is turned, other stories drone on and on, daring you to stay awake and pulling you farther into a black hole with every page turn.  Certainly, it is the latter type that forces a teacher, parent, or learner to dig deep into the “black hole” and find a little inspiration, leading us in search of an answer to the question that many learners face: How do I learn to love—or even like—literature that I struggle to read or understand?  

Try Something Unconventional

     Several years ago, I added a new novel to one of my courses. I remember how excited I was to read and teach a book that appeared on many “must-read” lists: The Great Gatsby. However, after finishing the novel, with very little fanfare, I wondered how I would ever create four engaging lessons relating to this novel. If I was uninspired to create content, how would I reach the students taking my course? In desperation, I decided to watch the movie version of the novel. With closed captioning on, I contemplated the unfolding storyline as the words came to life on the screen. Memories of and connections to the beautifully written narrative danced in my mind. As the movie went on, my excitement grew.  Frequently, I stopped the movie, searched my book to confirm the identical phrases, and took notes. By the end of the movie, not only did I fully understand the beauty behind Fitzgerald’s masterpiece, but I was also smitten: I fell in love with The Great Gatsby, and I finally realized what made the novel “great.” 

     Often, when I suggest the idea of taking an unconventional path, my words are met with fear and protests. Parents and teachers are not alone in this sentiment; in fact, in an interview with LA Weekly, Ray Bradbury, author of Fahrenheit 451, once feared that television was “useless” and filled “with so much useless information, [people] feel full.” While there is validity to the concern over excessive mindless television viewing, I assert that focused and intentional viewing benefits the learner. Whether you follow Westley and Buttercup’s adventure in The Princess Bride or travel with Frodo as he attempts to destroy the ring in The Lord of the Rings trilogy, there are solid movie adaptations of several classic novels. 

     In addition to the movie method, there are other unconventional methods that I have used to connect my learners to difficult material. Some alternate ideas include the following: partnering with the learner to create a project-based learning assignment; flipping the assignment by asking the learner to create the comprehension questions; utilizing visual learning with art, computer graphics, or other visual assignments that correlate with the material; researching a unique idea mentioned in the book and finding a real-world application of it; and much more. After deciding on the approach, the next step is to ensure conscientious engagement with the material in an unconventional way. For this, parents and learners can look to any of the countless resources that are available for a small purchase price—some are even free. 

Understand the Context

    In order to understand more about a given piece of literature, it is important to discover the historical context surrounding the time the literary work was written, as well as the time period it was set in. In my case regarding The Great Gatsby, I peeled back the layers of time and landed in the 1920s. I found myself in the Jazz Age: a world of lavish New York parties where ladies wore glitzy flapper dresses, men wore neat suits complete with bow ties and pocket squares, and alcohol flowed like a fountain—despite the prohibition. I also witnessed the deepening divide between socioeconomic classes. Putting this idea into action can be accomplished in several ways. My favorite method is to identify several categories, such as entertainment, politics, technology, and employment, and spend five minutes researching each element. In a parent-learner scenario, the parent and learner choose two topics each, research each topic for five minutes, and return for a shared discussion about the research. Discovering more information about when a novel was written and in what time the novel was set in is a simple process that will enrich your learner’s understanding of the characters, underlying themes, and plot.

Understand the Author

     Literature, especially that of the classic nature, is not only influenced by the specific moment in time the material was written, but it is also influenced by the author who has a unique life experience, cultural and social background, attitude towards various subjects, and point of view.  For this reason, understanding the author, as a person, helps to shape the intentions behind the text. Therefore, in the case of The Great Gatsby, I spent some time, attempting to understand the mind of the author, F. Scott Fitzgerald. Websites, such as History.com, helped me quickly locate the information I was looking for. Exploring his life revealed a man who left college without a degree and left the military without entering battle, yet he wrote a novel that catapulted him to celebrity status. While he traveled the world and found a modicum of success, he was unable to achieve his dreams. His marriage was unstable, he drank too much, he acquired a lot of debt, his writings were not always received well, and he never achieved the level of wealth he desired. In essence, Fitzgerald’s personal experiences echo many of the characters in The Great Gatsby and highlight an overall tone of disillusionment with “The American Dream.” While this example yielded an important understanding of the story’s context and background, there are times when this information is simply not enough, as the stylistic choices of some authors do not readily resonate with all readers.

Read, Listen, and Listen Again

    Sometimes, there is a disconnect, and the written word needs a bridge that will connect the text to your mind. My favorite connector comes in the form of the audiobook. As an illustration, let’s look at the story of Beowulf which was written by an unknown author. Even the translated version by Seamus Heaney can be difficult to understand; however, by pairing the audio with the written version of this classic story, the story takes shape while Heaney paints the picture of a hero’s journey. Admittedly, reading the audio by itself likely will not help you understand the meaning and vibrancy of a challenging novel; however, reading the book while listening to the audio will bring the words to life. There are a few caveats, though. To achieve a successful connection, you need to listen to the book at a comfortable reading level: not too fast and not too slow. In addition, you actually have to read along with the audio, and many times, it helps to read it without the audio, and then read it simultaneously with the audio. For literature that is in the public domain, you can find free audiobooks on Librivox, and you can locate many pleasant voices reading the text on YouTube; otherwise, consider purchasing the audio for any text that feels difficult to read or understand.

Research, Research, Research

     Research is a valid way to find inspiration. Some literature is difficult at best. Certainly, Shakespeare’s works are well known for challenging even the most studious learners, hence all of the books that have been written to help students understand them. Consider Macbeth for example: not only is Macbeth written in Shakespeare’s unique poetic style, but it is also rich with literary devices and universal themes of ambition, temptation, corruption, and moral decline. Therefore, there are many elements to research when approaching this tragedy: the structure of Shakespearean literature, unfamiliar and unique words from the past, unusual sentence structures, unnatural separations of ideas, the significance of soliloquies, and several literary devices. Equipping yourself with the necessary information and strategies on how to approach an author’s work will transform your reading experience for the better.

Find Inspiration

     In the end, there is no single “right way” to find inspiration and unlock levels of understanding. For challenging texts, it takes time, patience, and a willingness to explore new methods to gain enriched learning. If you find yourself (as the parent or learner) to be completely uninspired, consider seeking out a teacher/tutor that will bring the inspiration for you. The teacher/tutor should love literature and willingly share that love with others. Circling back to my personal story about learners thanking me for inspiring them to read again, I realize that this is what I do in my courses: I love the literature, despite its flaws, so as to inspire others to. . . love the literature.  

Valerie Stone is an IndyEd.com educator who teaches three high school English courses and tutors academic writing and grammar. If you are looking for engaging classes that foster a love of literature, explore some of Valerie's popular high school courses: American Literature & Composition, English 2 Literature & Composition, and British Literature & Composition.