The study of literature — or really any cultural text — requires two components: research and response. The latter builds on the former. Begin by studying the primary text then researching that text using secondary sources. Take copious notes during your study; this will help you remember facts and arguments in order to compose your replies later.
Research
One cannot study literature in a vacuum. Any rewarding study of literature comes through seeing background information on the texts and what other literary critics have suggested about the works by reading secondary texts. Research means the study of secondary texts that address the work of literature, or the primary text. Research for this class will attempt to answer the following questions:
- Genre: How does the piece of literature fit into a genre? How does it not? For example: how is the Iliad an example of epic poetry? Not only does research on genre look at a particular work, but it also considers exactly how a genre can be defined. For instance: what is epic poetry?
- Background: What is the historical and cultural background of the literary work? What facts are being explored? What fictions have been added? What ideologies inform its construction? What are the major issues, or themes, the work concerns itself with? Who are the primary characters, and what are their backgrounds? Who is the author, and how does the work fit into his or her oeuvre?
- Criticism: What have critics had to say about this work? What are the major and minor interpretations, both historically and generally, about the work? What do various schools of interpretation — feminism, psychoanalysis, new-historicism, deconstruction, etc. — have to say about the work?
No research is complete without a list of works cited and resources for additional reading, usually in the form of links to other web sites. Keep meticulous track of your sources as you research.
Response
One cannot study literature without interpretation. One could argue that this is the most important component of the study of literature, and will be the most heavily influential in evaluation. Responses should take the form of a reader response and should critically address an aspect of the text: passage explication, thematic analysis, etc. A response might use your research, but goes beyond facts to state something original about the work — what the work means to you. The best way to respond to a work of literature is to take a small section and look at it closely and then discuss the section’s relevance to the overall work and/or how that section is significant to your life. The best responses cite strong secondary sources, like journal articles and books, and use supporting evidence from the text by quoting passages or referring to specific events.
