Why Study Literature

Begin this Unit by Viewing our Presentation: "Why Study Literature"

Slides and Notes for the Presentation on Literary Criticism

Matheson, Moire. "Why Study Literature." Matheson201, 21 Jan. 2024, sites.google.com/view/matheson201/why-literature-matters. Accessed DATE.

How and Why We Read: Crash Course English Literature #1

John Green kicks off his Crash Course Literature mini-series with a reasonable set of questions. Why do we read? What's the point of reading critically? John will argue that reading is about effectively communicating with other people. Unlike direct communication, the writer has to communicate with a stranger through time and space, with only "dry, dead words on a page."

"How and Why We Read: Crash Course English Literature #1." Youtube.Com, uploaded by Crash Course, 15 Nov. 2012, yout.ube/MSYw502dJNY?si=J93DuieuyfHhKnPJ.

"Why Study Literature" by Tim Gillespie

We live in a culture denigrating the literary arts as non-essential, but are they? What are the benefits of studying literature? In his article "Why Literature Matters," Tim Gillespie considers the inherent value of teaching literary works in the high school English classroom. His assertions are as relevant to high school students as they are to those of us at a college level and beyond. He argues that teaching literature remains a powerful moral and cultural instruction mode. Additionally, Gillespie claims that literature stimulates the imagination and performs an empathetic function.

Gillespie, Tim. "Why Literature Matters." The English Journal, vol. 83, no. 8, 1994, pp. 16-21, http://www.jstor.org/stable/820324 . Accessed 10 Jan. 2012.