What is the point of studying English literature?

[ccit 10]

@fatrajah

I'm fairly sure that the subject is still compulsory.

I'm surprised at that. Judging by the standard of English grammar, punctuation and spelling these days I wonder whether folk read at all.

I too was at school at the same time as you and it was my favourite subject. I used to spend a great deal of time reading and it was useful preparation for my working life.

Incidentally - why did you dislike English literature so much?

[altus 537]

You can enjoy listening to music without studying music. You can enjoy watching films without studying film. Why would you need to study literature to enjoy reading books?

 

So many people get turned off reading classic literature by being forced to examine it in great detail it at school, I can't help thinking it is counter productive for many people.

[Jessica23 10]

You can enjoy listening to music without studying music. You can enjoy watching films without studying film. Why would you need to study literature to enjoy reading books?

 

So many people get turned off reading classic literature by being forced to examine it in great detail it at school, I can't help thinking it is counter productive for many people.

 

You don't need to study literature to enjoy reading books. But if you already like reading books and want to know more, you should study English literature.

[Staunton 18]

If you do a degree in Social Work you will be told how to think and rewarded for subservient toadying to authority.

 

Take a degree in English Literature and you will be encouraged to think for yourself, and independence of thought is respected and recognised by the academic staff.

 

The Government Office for the East Midlands carried out a study a few years ago and found that for customer care, the best people were former hairdressers - they were adept at people skills - holiday advisers, financial planners, mentors, counsellors, befrienders, therapists - and all this whilst attending to your hair.

 

And they found that the best managers were not to be found in the Business Schools but recruited from the English Departments, because these folks can read between the lines, spot flannel, write a mean precis and develop a sophisticated idea from that independent thought that they have nurtured through seminar and tutorial rigour.

 

And bear in mind that literature is written to be enjoyed! It can take you anywhere, literally!

[foxy lady 10]

It was compulsory to study it up to O-Level standard at that time (1963).

I posted the topic hoping to elicit a few opinions about the usefulness of the subject in the real world.

 

It never did me any harm.

[charliewag 19]

as part of my english 'o' level i did english language and english literature. i loved the language part but try as i may, i could not get into the literature part which was based on shakespeare's henry iv (part 1). i persevered with it and scraped a pass but i wouldn't

have liked to study it further.

[illuminati 10]

Studying English Lit at 'O' Level put me off reading at the time and boy did I read a lot before then. Even a teacher at the time acknowledged that it did put people off reading for the enjoyment of reading, analyzing a book spoils it in my opinion.

Edited July 12, 2013 by illuminati

[Staunton 18]

Studying English Lit at 'O' Level put me off reading at the time and boy did I read a lot before then. Even a teacher at the time acknowledged that it did put people of reading for the enjoyment of reading, analyzing a book spoils it in my opinion.

 

You do realise that what you are here engaged in is the practice of criticism - you have just articulated a well thought out opinion about literature, and you seem to relish expressing your thoughts. Fab! Welcome to the true world of English literary criticism!

 

Remember - it's what you think that counts!

[taxman 12]

I did write a long answer but the short one is that anyone who needs to ask the value of studying English Literature wouldn't be able to understand the answer given to them in the first place.

[fatrajah 10]

Non-exhaustive list of the ways in which study of English literature might be useful in real life:

 

1. History. It's a good gateway for history.

 

2. Language. It teaches you how language works and achieves its effects.

 

3. Which in turn, will improve your skills at reading, writing, listening and speaking. Communicating more generally.

 

4. Communication skills are up there with the most important things you can ever learn.

 

5. They will improve every aspect of your life. No exaggeration.

 

6. Is that sufficient? I think it should be.

 

Are you suggesting that it is necessary to study the subject in order to gain these skills with language etc? I'm sure it is quite possible to do this through life experience, reading books for pleasure & reading the "better" sorts of newspaper.

 

---------- Post added 12-07-2013 at 22:07 ----------

 

I did write a long answer but the short one is that anyone who needs to ask the value of studying English Literature wouldn't be able to understand the answer given to them in the first place.

 

I was wondering when someone would come up with this one.

[Harleyman 12]

I endured 5 years of studying this subject & thought it the most boring & futile subject in the curriculum.

Incidentally, I was taught the subject by the same teacher that had taught Roy Hattersley about 20 years earlier.

 

So because you find it boring there really is no point in teaching it to anybody else ?

[Chris_Sleeps 10]

Reading a book isn't the same as understanding a book.