If you are confused about whether to choose English Literature as a degree or not, we have some things to tell you before you make that decision. Pursuing a degree is the biggest decision one makes in life and it is one thing you should try to get right in the first go, because a lot of your life’s experiences will depend on it in the future. So, read along and see if you are prepared to take this step further or not.
Research the courses you will be taking
Make libraries and online search engines your best friend before jumping into anything new. Before jumping into anything new you must know all that there is about it. So, keep your research game strong, check all the courses out and see if you can work with them or not, because people often misunderstand literature as a very simple subject while they have no idea how hard and confusing some courses can be. Therefore, it always better to be prepared beforehand.
Be a Grammar Nazi
When jumping into taking a literature related course, make sure you don’t make basis language and grammatical errors. Having a good grip on language is a pre requisite when you go for language related studies, so when checking your papers, your teacher will notice your grammar and you grip on the language along with the answer’s structure. If you are planning on getting enrolled in Bachelors in English Literature, start working on language, grammar and answering structure of yours.
Become a pro Critique
People only develop critical thinking skills when they watch and read critical content on already written literary works. One good way of learning critical analysis is to get a good TV servive and watch TV shows that are discussion based. Watch shows that specifically discuss movies, TV shows, books, and music. You can get rcn cable and get access to plenty of TV shows that discuss classic literature and literary criticism.
Reading Habit is a Pre Requisite
Well, one more pre requisite of English literature is to be a habitual reader. One you start studying you will have to read and read until you feel like your eyes will fall out. While people who have an interest in the subject already will be avid readers and it will be a plus point for them but if you are not habitual of reading a lot, develop the habit and start reading because if you don’t, you will definitely feel over burdened by all the books you will have to read. When you study literature you cannot avoid books, you will have to read them to pass your exams, so keep this in mind before being enrolled. You will not only read English and American Literature you will study world literature so make sure you have the basic knowledge or it will become difficult to catch up.
Make sure you have an interest in writing
Do not chose this degree as a career only because someone else suggested you. Literature seems a simple and easy subject but it is not a scoring subject and often along with the reading, you need to know how to write about it. For learning how to write, you will need to learn how to structure a critical analysis. Also, if you choose this as a subject it is natural that the most probable careers you will come across will be writing related so if you find reading and writing boring, you can still withdraw and choose something more related to your interests. Always do what you like doing or there will come a point when you will start lagging or not enjoying what you do.
People will not take what you do seriously
One thing you must stay prepared for is people not taking what you do seriously. You will have to ignore people’s remarks or you will have to reassure yourself and them that what you are doing is an authentic serious subject and needs serious hard work. People often tend to take the subject lightly and some end up taking admission in the subject, which results in them scoring low because they are unable to catch up with all the reading, writing and overall studying. So, the next time if someone doesn’t take your subject seriously and are willing to jump into it for easy studies, tell them they are making the biggest mistake of their lives.
You will start correcting people’s grammar
When studying literature, it is common for people to become grammar Nazis and even if it is a text or a Facebook post you start correcting people which annoys them to the core because it seems like language studies are a part of you. So, if next time someone pronounces something wrong, or spells something wrong or puts a comma at the wrong place, let it go because grammar matters to you not them.