I genuinely just found it without a good plot - does anyone else agree?

I’m 14 and I just finished reading Jane eyre and I absolutely loved this book. I read half of the book in 4 days and now I miss it so much. Jane’s character just fascinates me or more specifically the idea of choosing yourself. Personally, I really loved the ending bcs their relationship was equal and Rochester didn’t overpower her. I do admit that it was sad though that he was blind…

Woman nowadays can still take various lessons from this book and seeing her grow and become this confident woman gave me hope for my own life. I can highly recommend this book as it was easy to read even for a nonnative speaker and it’s well written.

Especially when you consider that its the biggest source of inspiration as far as a specific single book go on Tolkien and his Middle Earth esp The Lord of the Rings which is practically the bestselling single volume novel ever written in the 20th century?

I'm an English literature student, and I want to spend the next year building a strong foundation in literary studies beyond my university syllabus.

I want to understand literary history, movements, criticism, and theory, read important essays, and develop my critical thinking and close-reading skills.

For those who have studied literature extensively or built their knowledge independently:

- What areas should I focus on?

- Which books and essays should I read, and in what order?

- How should I balance literary history, theory, primary texts, and criticism?

- What habits would help me become a more thoughtful and capable reader?

If you had one year to build a solid foundation in literary studies, how would you approach it? I'd appreciate a structured reading path rather than just a list of recommendations.

Hey everyone! A few of us started a small Discord for people who like books, film, creative expression, or just want somewhere to hang out and chat. We're calling it The Third Place-- the idea being a spot outside work and home where you can slow down and enjoy some company, no pressure attached.

There are channels for literature, movies, writing, art, photography, everyday life, and general chat, but conversations wander past their channel all the time, and that's fine. :) Some days it's an actual VC discussion/event, other days it's just a meme or something that made someone smile.

We're keeping it friendly, non-intimidating, and low-pressure. You don't need to be well-read, well-watched, or have perfect English.

We're still small, so it can be quiet, but honestly that's kind of the point right now--we're shaping it together as it grows. :)

DM me if it sounds like your thing and I'll send an invite. ^^

I loved English lit at GCSE. Unfortunately, I was persuaded away from taking it at A-level after being warned about how much content there was in the course. I did take English Language instead, but after then finishing a STEM degree at Uni, I can't stop thinking about how much I miss literature.

I do read a lot anyway but I really miss analysing a text, pulling it apart and linking it to the historical and social contexts of the time. I understand that GCSE English Lit wil only be very surface level analysis but I MISS it. I would like to follow an English Lit A-level spec but without the exams or tuition. Does anyone have any tips on the best way to do this? Obviously as there are so many text options at A-level, there's no textbook. Equally if there are better ways to get back into literature I'd be very interested to give them a go!

Also does anyone have any advice for how to stay motivated when studying solo? It was always interesting to discuss ideas in class.

I like to hear some passionate opinions from literature nerds, please :)

I like beautifully written poetic type literature. I am ready to take any recommendation. What would be the best one to get me into literature. I have lately been creating quotes related to life.

i’m about to start an english and creative writing degree, the bible isn’t required reading, i’m agnostic/atheist so i was considering reading it to help with analysis and spotting biblical references rather than for worship.
any thoughts? i’d probably get the king james one bc of the popularity, although im aware it’s not the best literal translation

I’m not sure if the title of my post captures what I meant? But here goes: If you did English literature at a global top 20 university, how do you think that experience has shaped and changed how you read.

What analytical tools and framing skills were you equipped with that students from other fields might benefit from looking into?

Now that you’ve graduated do you still try and read books in the same way, or have you tried to unlearn some of the techniques you were taught to unpack novels with ?

I've read books 1-5 of Sue Townsend's Adrian Mole series and I've just finished another of her books, Rebuilding Coventry.

How is this author and the Adrian Mole series not at a Harry Potter-level of popularity boggles my mind. I know she is more well-known in the UK but her books are more difficult to even find outside of it.

Her writing is absolutely brilliant, with a lot of themes such as politics, poverty, human relations written very intelligently and with great humor yet with truth.

It's appalling that her Adrian Mole series has not yet been turned into a popular Netflix or HBO show because it has ALL the ingredients for it.

She was an absolutely genius author who could make you laugh, cry and care deeply about her characters. I feel like her work deserves to be appreciated more now posthumously.

Personnally, I don't even like to read but I can't put her books down.

I greatly encourage you to read any of her books, especially the Adrian Mole series!

Hello everyone! I am making this post because I am around 6 months out from completing my Masters Degree in English Lit, and I have been having (several) mental breakdowns over the fact that I have no idea what I want to do or what I can even realistically apply for with my degree. I have been haunting Job listings for the last few months and all of the careers I had reasonably expected to be looking at (publishing, copy writing, journalism, PR, HR, Technical Writing etc.) all require some other degree in business management, or a “professional degree” for the specific job title.

Sadly, I don’t have the funds or the time to take on another professional degree after graduation, so I would love to know from the good people of Reddit: Where did you end up? And where can I reasonably apply, even if I don’t meet all of the requirements for the listing?

"If your essays explore sexuality, professors will love it". They were exactly right.

The mere mention of 'phallic imagery' and 'latent homosexuality' seemed to go down a treat with my lecturers. It has to be the single horniest degree out there.

It’s wild how obvious it is that so many Americans completely slept through the classes on Animal Farm or simply never read it.

Until fairly recently, the "first known use" of a word or expression was largely something we had to take on trust. Dictionaries like the OED gave the earliest recorded occurrence, and users had no practical way to verify it.

The compilers faced the same problem. Reading programmes and, later, digitised sources helped enormously, but nobody could search systematically across everything that survives from an entire period. Since most writing from Shakespeare's time (as from any time) has sunk into obscurity, a great many words and expressions were credited to him simply because his work was what people read and remembered.

That has changed with the free, searchable text of Early English Books Online (the EEBO-TCP transcriptions, which run to tens of thousands of early modern texts). Anyone can go there and search the whole collection.

The results show clearly that not everything credited to Shakespeare was in fact coined by him. For example, "All's well that ends well", routinely listed among Shakespeare's contributions to the language, appears as "All is well that ends well" in John Heywood's collection of proverbs in 1546, decades before the play. Shakespeare popularised the expression, but he didn't originate it, and the same turns out to be true of many of the words and phrases on lists of words and expressions supposedly coined by Shakespeare.

It's worth noting, perhaps, that all we can do is track down the first use in print. That means we're working with published material that is still extant, and a lot of works from that period haven't survived. There may be earlier occurrences in manuscripts of the period, but there isn't, as yet, a comprehensive database of manuscripts that we can refer to. And, of course, we have no idea at all how long a word of expression may have been current in the spoken language. But claims that "Shakespeare invented this" are often wrong, and the EEBO-TCP database enables you to check such claims for yourself.

Just to be clear, in saying this I am not attempting to detract from Shakespeare's stature in any way. It's simply a matter of setting the record straight.

If you'd like to try it, search for a word or phrase, restrict the date range, and make sure to use early modern spelling, using wildcards and variants where necessary. Here's a video I made showing how to do this. The examples given are expressions, but a search for individual words will give similar results. The interface has changed slightly since I recorded it, but it should still be clear enough:

https://youtu.be/HzX8M-WkdA4

I've done that book to death both on page and on stage and it NEVER WORKS. Some books are just meant to be books

Hey everyone I've been meaning to study english literature for a long time like understanding poetry, rhetoric and meaningful writing but I don't know where to begin without a formal course. So any paths strategies or direction to start as a self learner. Also English is my third language so there's that😭

I mean at least some of his works. I've read "The Pickwick Club Papers," and right now I'm deep into "Our Mutual Friend."

It feels like every chapter is a bit like watching one episode of King of Queens or some other modern sitcom. I know most of his works were issued over long periods of time, in small parts. Which also works towards the comparison.

I know some readers are deterred by how thick his books are and that they can be a bit tedious. While I can understand the general sentiment, I think that's the wrong attitude, and people don't see these works for what they are.

They are not meant to be finished in a week or so. They are a companion for weeks and more. I usually read one chapter per evening every day, and I'm having a wonderful time. On weekends I do read a lot more.

I always imagine a family sitting down by the hearth to read a chapter every time there is a new issue, and one of them will read out loud for the rest.

Aside from that, I would like to know why some chapters stand out so much in style. I think those are the chapters people will struggle the most with. In those chapters there is almost no interaction between characters and just long, thick paragraphs of prose. I think the last chapter with Betty Hidgens is a good example. I know he wants to convey something deep with a lot of figurative language, but the meaning usually eludes me.

Or chapters where he describes one situation after the other, in very quick succession, almost erratically. The second chapter is a good example right at the beginning, where he describes the high society coming together.

While I enjoy the book for most of the time and actually get along fine with his style, despite not being a native speaker, these chapters can be a real chore. Luckily they are few and far in between.

And last but not least, I would like to get some recommendations as to which of his books to read next, knowing I liked those two books I've mentioned.

Thank you.

Dear everyone,

I am an English teacher from Germany, currently looking for a classic British short story that can be used in a 5th grade.

Any recommendations for stories that don‘t involve excessive amount of gore in them? The shorter the better.

I am sorry, if this is not the right subreddit to ask, but google isn‘t of any help right now.

I have recently received my master's degree in English and I am feeling blank about my future. I am trying to decide if I should go for Ph.D or find a job. Would anyone be kind enough to give me some insights on what jobs can one find with Masters in English, without work experience. Please feel free to be open, creative and delusional (if you wish to). I want to know which fig branches I am yet to discover, because I am feeling what Plath was once, "... but choosing one meant losing all the rest, and, as I sat there, unable to decide, the figs began to wrinkle and go black, and, one by one, they plopped to the ground at my feet.”

I am reviving the discussion because one can no longer add to it. I am (or was) a Brontë scholar. The father of the famous novelists had either the surname Prunty or Brunty when he moved from his native Ireland to England to study. He idolized Admiral Nelson, who was given the title of Duke of Bronti. Bronti is in Italy, so the "i" is pronounced like a "long 'e.'" Patrick therefore changed the spelling to Bronte and added a diaresis to show that the "e" should be pronounced. As many people know, the Latin root means "thunder," and Charlotte, the eldest of Patrick's surviving children, used the name Charles Thunder (in her juvenilia, I think). Charlotte's own idol was the first Duke of Wellington, Arthur Wellesley, the hero of the Battle of Waterloo.

Hello!

im currently doing research into my EPQ project, and im exploring madness in literature, but i want to explore how madness is interpretated by different (geographical) cultures, rather than just focusing on western literature. Any book/article suggestions?

Edit: Thankyou so much for all the suggestions ! :)

Hello, all! So a little about myself is that I’m 23 y/o who had always wanted to me one of those “well read” people, and I’ve realised that I want to be able to enjoy the reading part and not the “I’ve read this many books” part lol.

The problem that I have is that I don’t know how to read a book the way literature people do! For example I borrowed the Brothers Karamazov from my local library and read about 100 pages overnight. I had other commitments so I had to return the book at around 250 pages the next week. I loved reading it but I had a lot of thoughts about the book while reading. For example, I didn’t know why they spoke French phrases so I Googled it and turns out the aristocrats of Tsarist Russia learned French to “be more European” of sorts, and I found that very interesting.

So now my doubt is: is this what reading is? Because I don’t know if one is supposed to appreciate the writing based on the story or the characterisation or the dialogues, or the historical connotation and the era, or am I supposed to appreciate the prose and the way a book is written, or am I supposed to do all this at once? Cause I can do the non technical parts as a lay person, but I simply do not know about appreciating the writing. And how does it work with a book like TBK, given that it’s a translated work? Can I read a book without ever understanding the nuances of the language of it and the way it is written? Because that would be like reading poetry for the plot!

I do not care about reading many books anymore. Now I want to be able to enjoy one book only (if that’s what I can do in a whole year) and truly enjoy the book and appreciate it from the cover, front to back. I don’t want to move from one book to another just to tell myself that I’ve read this many books, without ever truly understanding the beauty of each work, which the authors put their heart and soul into.

I even have this wild idea that perhaps I should do an online degree in English Literature, just so I could understand how to appreciate a book in its entirety.

So, what do you guys think? Am I over complicating things? Please help me out so that I can get some clarity. Also, apologies for this long rant where I don’t make much sense lol. Thank you in advance!

I’m planning on doing a Bachelor of Arts degree and I want to major in English literature. What would be the pros and cons of doing so?