Is it necessary to read your english books? I've finished reading the Crucible and 1/3 of the way with Left Hand of Darkness and I honestly can't tell if my understanding of the texts has improved compared to when i only read the online summaries. I'm also a slow reader and it takes me ages to finish a book, and english is really boring for me even though i try to enjoy it
Hello!
Unfortunately, reading texts in English is a necessity. This can be especially difficult when a text is boring, or is written in an odd style. Like yourself, I’ve always found that the online summaries make a text clearer (on the first reading). But this is generally in terms of plot only. All originality and nuanced ideas will stem from your own close reading of a text, meaning that it is fundamental that you read them yourself. Of course there are analyses available online, relating to symbolism/imagery/plot analysis. However, half of the state will be privy to this information, making it very difficult for you to set yourself apart.
To ensure that you don’t grow bored too quickly, try and set yourself allocated page numbers each day. Eg. Today I will read 20 pages of text X. And when you allocate yourself these pages, commit to being fully absorbed in the text. Annotate it, ask yourself questions about it, or write some notes beside yourself. This should ensure full engagement, and make it easier for you to understand the text.
All the best
How is it possible to gain a deeper understanding of texts without the proper resources? For example, I'm going to have to write a creative piece on 'Like a House on Fire' by Cate Kennedy, and I haven't come across any resources online that could help me gain a better understanding about the short stories in her novel.
Also, on a different note, how important is it to include historical context in essays? I've started to do this as a habit, but is it always required?
Thanks.
Hello!
Lovelyperson and Sine have already provided some fantastic advice, but I’ll just add some further ideas!
To gain a deeper understanding, I really recommend that you go through each short story and highlight important (only important) phrases or words that you think are central to either a character or certain theme. Once you’ve done this, transfer these highlighted segments onto a word document, where beneath each of them, you can carry out a 2-3 sentence analysis. Now, this analysis does not need to be in full academic English. It can be as simple as you finding the main view/value, asking questions, unearthing strange traits of a character. Although this task can become tedious at times, it will elevate your perspicacity by 10. You’ll start finding links that you’ve previously never come across, illuminating aspects of characters that were never clear, or establishing a deeper understanding of the author’s intent/style (a critical element for the creative response).
In relation to historical context, it’s always nice to weave elements throughout your essay. But as lovelyperson and Sine have mentioned, don’t turn this into a history lesson for the examiner. They are aware of a text’s background. All they want to know is that you can effectively link textual elements to context, and analyse the significance of this.
Hope this helps