2. ‘It’s alive!’ - Reasons to Study Literature: ‘When you’re working in the money markets, what good are the novels of Wordsworth.’ (Four Weddings and a Funeral) Whilst the above quotation may make even those with only a passing interest in literature shiver, it highlights a view about education in the arts that is far too common - that while it be nice to learn about fine art and works of literature, it is essentially useless.  Few people express this view about science, because with an education in science you can become a doctor; if you choose to study law, parents will beam at the thought of having a solicitor or a barrister in the family.  However, if you tell your parents that you want to go to art school or write for a living and many parents will furrow their brows and internally judge their offspring, as though they had expressed a wish to join the circus.  Say you wish to audition for X Factor and many parents will encourage and support, b...

Why Study Literature? And What Not to do When Studying Literature Misconceptions about Studying Literature One of the popular misconceptions about studying literature in school is the concept of ‘the right answer’.  You have probably had teachers who have tried to teach one reading of a literary text as though it were the gospel truth, whilst others who proclaim that ‘there are no wrong answers in studying literature’.  Both of these viewpoints are unhelpful .   The first method - that there is an ‘authorised version’ of reading any canonical text is unhelpful because literature is designed to be a ‘living’ text.  What is meant by this is that its interpretation varies depending on the person reading it and the values and morals and worldview that they bring with them.  Take, for example, Frankenstein.  A reader in the early 19th century may read the text as a warning against the rejection of religion over science, as they would likely have...