Straight A for the Lit. Majors
December 6, 2010 5:28 PM Subscribe
How to Get Straight-A in Literature Classes?
Anyone who has successfully achieved A in college-level English literature class is welcome to put down your input.
B.A.s, M.A.s, Ph.Ds, DPhils, T.A.s and Prof.s of English literature highly wanted!
1) How to minimize the time spent on studying and get the maximum result? (Time organization skill)
2) How to read assigned texts before and after class?
3) How to take good notes? (I've noticed that a lot of high-achievers barely jot down anything. Why? Are they are auditory learners + excellent memory?)
4) How to prepare for tests/exams? (usually passage identification + comment on the passage + 1 or 2 fully developed essays)
5) How to improve my essay writing (English is my second language, my essays usually score B's and occasionally A-'s. My analysis is usually A level but writing itself is B or C. I also have extreme difficulties writing under pressure)
Please be more specific than telling me to defeat procrastination, try concentrate better, get started early, read more, and don't read everything.
Thank you very much in advance.
P.S.: The greatest irony is that I am not an avid reader. (Shame, I know! I used to be when I was a kid but failed to translate this passion after the language switch) I read non-fiction way faster. Thus, I am very slow at reading for lit. classes. Help?
Anyone who has successfully achieved A in college-level English literature class is welcome to put down your input.
B.A.s, M.A.s, Ph.Ds, DPhils, T.A.s and Prof.s of English literature highly wanted!
1) How to minimize the time spent on studying and get the maximum result? (Time organization skill)
2) How to read assigned texts before and after class?
3) How to take good notes? (I've noticed that a lot of high-achievers barely jot down anything. Why? Are they are auditory learners + excellent memory?)
4) How to prepare for tests/exams? (usually passage identification + comment on the passage + 1 or 2 fully developed essays)
5) How to improve my essay writing (English is my second language, my essays usually score B's and occasionally A-'s. My analysis is usually A level but writing itself is B or C. I also have extreme difficulties writing under pressure)
Please be more specific than telling me to defeat procrastination, try concentrate better, get started early, read more, and don't read everything.
Thank you very much in advance.
P.S.: The greatest irony is that I am not an avid reader. (Shame, I know! I used to be when I was a kid but failed to translate this passion after the language switch) I read non-fiction way faster. Thus, I am very slow at reading for lit. classes. Help?
Please be more specific than telling me to defeat procrastination, try concentrate better
Proofread everything. Religiously.
posted by googly at 5:39 PM on December 6, 2010
Proofread everything. Religiously.
posted by googly at 5:39 PM on December 6, 2010
Yes, office hours. For any major paper/assignment, complete it one week in advance (as though you were going to hand it in, not just a rough draft) and bring it to office hours. Some professors will be open to reading it and giving comments, with others you'll need to prepare specific questions (e.g. in this paragraph I am trying to argue x, do you think that my examples y and z are sufficient?) If your issue is more of a line editing sort (poor grammar, etc) your school might have a writing center that can help with that.
posted by telegraph at 5:40 PM on December 6, 2010 [1 favorite]
posted by telegraph at 5:40 PM on December 6, 2010 [1 favorite]
Read with a pencil in your hand. Make notes in the margins and underline significant passages. This may slow you down a bit, but it will force you to pay more careful attention to patterns in the text and will help you write papers later (because you'll be able to find useful passages more quickly).
If your college has a writing center, get a tutor there to work with you on improving your writing. Try to complete your papers in advance of the deadline and spend as much time editing them as you did writing them.
posted by prefpara at 5:43 PM on December 6, 2010 [1 favorite]
If your college has a writing center, get a tutor there to work with you on improving your writing. Try to complete your papers in advance of the deadline and spend as much time editing them as you did writing them.
posted by prefpara at 5:43 PM on December 6, 2010 [1 favorite]
Response by poster: 2) It'd be the best to talk about how to tackle different literary genres.
@ k8t, Yes, I often hear how people to go the prof. to verify anything unclear, to ensure they are not missing out information and on the right track. Is that what you meant by going every week or do you have more to add?
posted by easilyconfused at 5:44 PM on December 6, 2010
@ k8t, Yes, I often hear how people to go the prof. to verify anything unclear, to ensure they are not missing out information and on the right track. Is that what you meant by going every week or do you have more to add?
posted by easilyconfused at 5:44 PM on December 6, 2010
Nthing office hours, regularly. Come in with drafts of papers to discuss (and by drafts, like telegraph said, I mean a version that is as good as you can make it). Come in to talk about themes from the literature. Come in to talk about examples of literary devices. Anything that is relevant to the class is fair game, and the more you do it, the better you'll get at figuring out what to talk about.
posted by philosophygeek at 5:44 PM on December 6, 2010 [2 favorites]
posted by philosophygeek at 5:44 PM on December 6, 2010 [2 favorites]
(English is my second language, my essays usually score B's and occasionally A-'s. My analysis is usually A level but writing itself is B or C. I also have extreme difficulties writing under pressure)
I'm a humanities TA and I also train other humanities TAs. Your college almost certainly has a writing center. Helping students who are good at analyzing but not as good at expressing themselves is exactly what they're for (whether English is your first, second, or whatever language). Drop in or book an appointment when you have a rough draft of your next essay, and go over it with them as slowly as possible. Ask them to explain any advice that you don't understand. I promise it will help, even if you've been there before; you haven't been there with your latest paper.
posted by Beardman at 5:45 PM on December 6, 2010
I'm a humanities TA and I also train other humanities TAs. Your college almost certainly has a writing center. Helping students who are good at analyzing but not as good at expressing themselves is exactly what they're for (whether English is your first, second, or whatever language). Drop in or book an appointment when you have a rough draft of your next essay, and go over it with them as slowly as possible. Ask them to explain any advice that you don't understand. I promise it will help, even if you've been there before; you haven't been there with your latest paper.
posted by Beardman at 5:45 PM on December 6, 2010
Just go to office hours and chat. Few go. The few that do benefit.
posted by k8t at 5:51 PM on December 6, 2010
posted by k8t at 5:51 PM on December 6, 2010
Before you begin reading, look at a plot summary. That way, you can read more deeply the first time, and not have to figure out the story line, the character relationships, and so on.
In class, the instructor will give guidance as to what you should be concentrating on. For example, "Read chapters X through Z, and consider A's relationship with B in contrast with her relationship with C." Or, "Next week we're going to look at the symbolism of the architecture of the cathedral." These things will definitely be discussed, and very likely be important in a writing assignment or exam.
Before and wxam, look through your notes and predict what essay questions might appear.
I've always found it extremely helpful to make notes and underline things in my books. You can jot a word or a symbol when you come to something relating to themes mentioned in class, and anything that strikes you as important or interesting. Then when you go to write about that work, you'll have a head start in finding passages to refer to or to quote.
posted by wryly at 5:54 PM on December 6, 2010 [1 favorite]
In class, the instructor will give guidance as to what you should be concentrating on. For example, "Read chapters X through Z, and consider A's relationship with B in contrast with her relationship with C." Or, "Next week we're going to look at the symbolism of the architecture of the cathedral." These things will definitely be discussed, and very likely be important in a writing assignment or exam.
Before and wxam, look through your notes and predict what essay questions might appear.
I've always found it extremely helpful to make notes and underline things in my books. You can jot a word or a symbol when you come to something relating to themes mentioned in class, and anything that strikes you as important or interesting. Then when you go to write about that work, you'll have a head start in finding passages to refer to or to quote.
posted by wryly at 5:54 PM on December 6, 2010 [1 favorite]
IAAEP, albeit not YEP. Er, I don't think I am, anyway.
1) Office hours!
2) If you're in a lecture course, take as many notes as possible in your text, instead of in a separate notebook.
3) Speaking of which, pay attention to anything the professor makes a point of quoting to you. Because you'll probably see it again on an exam.
4) One important skill to pick up: the ability to take a concept/image/turn of phrase/etc. from one text and find it (or a revised version thereof) in another. Allusion, appropriation, revision, parody, and imitation are all integral to any literary genre--you'll miss a lot if you don't watch out for such things.
5) If you take notes by hand, try typing them up when you're studying for exams. I always found that helpful.
6) Get in the habit of asking one question or making at least one thoughtful contribution per class, if you're in a course that invites discussion.
7) Always read the directions. (Before you say, "well, duh," many of my students don't read directions on exams or papers, and Bad Things Happen.)
posted by thomas j wise at 6:10 PM on December 6, 2010 [3 favorites]
1) Office hours!
2) If you're in a lecture course, take as many notes as possible in your text, instead of in a separate notebook.
3) Speaking of which, pay attention to anything the professor makes a point of quoting to you. Because you'll probably see it again on an exam.
4) One important skill to pick up: the ability to take a concept/image/turn of phrase/etc. from one text and find it (or a revised version thereof) in another. Allusion, appropriation, revision, parody, and imitation are all integral to any literary genre--you'll miss a lot if you don't watch out for such things.
5) If you take notes by hand, try typing them up when you're studying for exams. I always found that helpful.
6) Get in the habit of asking one question or making at least one thoughtful contribution per class, if you're in a course that invites discussion.
7) Always read the directions. (Before you say, "well, duh," many of my students don't read directions on exams or papers, and Bad Things Happen.)
posted by thomas j wise at 6:10 PM on December 6, 2010 [3 favorites]
I also recommend writing notes in your books as you read and attend class. I didn't do this at first, because the books were so pristine and it felt like I was defacing them. Then I noticed my professors' books -- covered with scribbles, underlining, highlighting, and sticky notes, with cross-references written in the margins and make-shift indices, timelines, and lists of themes on the blank pages in the front and back. When I decided that marking in my books was improving them, things got much easier.
posted by Houstonian at 6:28 PM on December 6, 2010 [2 favorites]
posted by Houstonian at 6:28 PM on December 6, 2010 [2 favorites]
Contrary to my handle, I was an English major in college (BA, MA candidate). While I'm a native speaker, I've also taken a couple of ESL teaching grad courses, and have for taught undergraduate writing classes.
1, 2, & 4: I'd advise reading once, then using Cliff Notes & similar to provide quick summaries to jog your memory for studying before tests/quizzes (there are things like this in the reference department of the library, "Outlines of American Literature" or similar, having trouble recalling their titles). I would advise resisting the urge to read in your native language. Another idea, if you understand spoken English better or are a strong auditory learner, would be to try getting audiobooks of the works and read along as you listen.
3: If you are having problems with notes, talk to some of the better students in your class to see if they will share. Pick their brains for strategies for dealing with the professor. Lit profs each have their own ideas as to what they think is important in the literature that you're reading. Talk to the prof/TA about the latter as well if you aren't getting a good feel for it within the first week or so of class. Read the prof's bio to find his/her specialty. In my opinion, it's best to avoid writing class papers on the specialty of your professor.
As for other students not taking a lot of notes--it depends on the prof. Some professors are more interested in hearing their own words and ideas "massaged" a bit and parroted back to them. You'll see people keeping more notes in that case. If the professor has an honest interest in getting a real analysis from the students, then jotting down reminders based on things said in class (themes emphasized, characters that receive a lot of attention in class, etc.) is usually enough to jog your memory when you're reviewing for tests. Think about the way that you learn and remember--maybe you need to take notes when reading the literature, maybe more notes in class, maybe mind maps, or even getting a discussion group going with your classmates--everyone varies.
When I'm taking a literature class, I'm always "analyzing" as I read the literature. Notes in class just help me integrate other students' and the professors' ideas into my own developing opinions and/or "sanity check" my analysis to make sure it's not way out of line with typical analyses. Having an unusual analysis is not necessarily a bad thing, it just means I'll need more material to back it up.
4: Pre-Test preparations: Review your notes, Cliff Notes/summaries of works. Think about themes (usually a major aspect of all lit tests), conflicts between characters, development of the protagonist, "social impact" and "social context" of the works, and contemplate what kind of questions might appear on the tests. Check around campus to see if students have "test banks", where they keep historical tests from profs and classes. Some might consider these "cheating", but IMO, they are just good strategic appraisals--you still have to write your own test.
5: Improving your writing under pressure is a tough task. I'd suggest putting yourself into self-imposed timed writing exercises. Meaning, design a task for yourself (or get a classmate to do so), set a time limit, and *write*. Fluency with language is all about practice. Doing a couple of these a week should help dramatically.
A specific test strategy: set your own timer for 5-7 minutes shorter than the test, to give yourself time to proofread and make corrections. That sounds like it might be something which will give you that edge up to the next level on tests, since you say you have the analysis aspect, but are just struggling with the actual writing.
Meta-Analysis of your "P.S.": I'm guessing the barrier you're having with literature vs non-fiction written in English is that non-fiction tends to use more formal English, while literature tends to be more idiomatic English use, and in the case of older literature, archaic English use. These are issues with which all second-language students struggle--hell, many native English speakers struggle with the archaic forms. I can only suggest making friends with some native English speakers, and picking their brains about idiomatic expressions and themes.
k8t's idea of spending time at the office hours every week could reap many benefits. The prof & TA should be able to help you get focussed on the things they will be looking for on tests and essays, and should also help you with specific idiomatic language questions you have. Remember, they teach literature for a reason--they like it. Just talking about the works with them may help you clarify your own analysis, give you clues to their approaches to the work, and help them appreciate that you are putting effort into the class. This may make them consider your second language struggles when it comes time to grade your test.
Unfortunately, most literature profs make assumptions about the background of their students as far as cultural and historical contexts, so you might also want to take some time and read some historical summaries for whatever countries/time periods your lit classes cover. Again, the reference librarians should be able to help you.
posted by unixgeek at 6:36 PM on December 6, 2010 [3 favorites]
1, 2, & 4: I'd advise reading once, then using Cliff Notes & similar to provide quick summaries to jog your memory for studying before tests/quizzes (there are things like this in the reference department of the library, "Outlines of American Literature" or similar, having trouble recalling their titles). I would advise resisting the urge to read in your native language. Another idea, if you understand spoken English better or are a strong auditory learner, would be to try getting audiobooks of the works and read along as you listen.
3: If you are having problems with notes, talk to some of the better students in your class to see if they will share. Pick their brains for strategies for dealing with the professor. Lit profs each have their own ideas as to what they think is important in the literature that you're reading. Talk to the prof/TA about the latter as well if you aren't getting a good feel for it within the first week or so of class. Read the prof's bio to find his/her specialty. In my opinion, it's best to avoid writing class papers on the specialty of your professor.
As for other students not taking a lot of notes--it depends on the prof. Some professors are more interested in hearing their own words and ideas "massaged" a bit and parroted back to them. You'll see people keeping more notes in that case. If the professor has an honest interest in getting a real analysis from the students, then jotting down reminders based on things said in class (themes emphasized, characters that receive a lot of attention in class, etc.) is usually enough to jog your memory when you're reviewing for tests. Think about the way that you learn and remember--maybe you need to take notes when reading the literature, maybe more notes in class, maybe mind maps, or even getting a discussion group going with your classmates--everyone varies.
When I'm taking a literature class, I'm always "analyzing" as I read the literature. Notes in class just help me integrate other students' and the professors' ideas into my own developing opinions and/or "sanity check" my analysis to make sure it's not way out of line with typical analyses. Having an unusual analysis is not necessarily a bad thing, it just means I'll need more material to back it up.
4: Pre-Test preparations: Review your notes, Cliff Notes/summaries of works. Think about themes (usually a major aspect of all lit tests), conflicts between characters, development of the protagonist, "social impact" and "social context" of the works, and contemplate what kind of questions might appear on the tests. Check around campus to see if students have "test banks", where they keep historical tests from profs and classes. Some might consider these "cheating", but IMO, they are just good strategic appraisals--you still have to write your own test.
5: Improving your writing under pressure is a tough task. I'd suggest putting yourself into self-imposed timed writing exercises. Meaning, design a task for yourself (or get a classmate to do so), set a time limit, and *write*. Fluency with language is all about practice. Doing a couple of these a week should help dramatically.
A specific test strategy: set your own timer for 5-7 minutes shorter than the test, to give yourself time to proofread and make corrections. That sounds like it might be something which will give you that edge up to the next level on tests, since you say you have the analysis aspect, but are just struggling with the actual writing.
Meta-Analysis of your "P.S.": I'm guessing the barrier you're having with literature vs non-fiction written in English is that non-fiction tends to use more formal English, while literature tends to be more idiomatic English use, and in the case of older literature, archaic English use. These are issues with which all second-language students struggle--hell, many native English speakers struggle with the archaic forms. I can only suggest making friends with some native English speakers, and picking their brains about idiomatic expressions and themes.
k8t's idea of spending time at the office hours every week could reap many benefits. The prof & TA should be able to help you get focussed on the things they will be looking for on tests and essays, and should also help you with specific idiomatic language questions you have. Remember, they teach literature for a reason--they like it. Just talking about the works with them may help you clarify your own analysis, give you clues to their approaches to the work, and help them appreciate that you are putting effort into the class. This may make them consider your second language struggles when it comes time to grade your test.
Unfortunately, most literature profs make assumptions about the background of their students as far as cultural and historical contexts, so you might also want to take some time and read some historical summaries for whatever countries/time periods your lit classes cover. Again, the reference librarians should be able to help you.
posted by unixgeek at 6:36 PM on December 6, 2010 [3 favorites]
wryly has already brought this up, but I'll second it: reading plot synopses, as a study aid and NOT as a substitute for reading the assigned material, can be a big help. I used the Oxford Companion to English Literature [note: that link takes you to the edition I used, not the latest one] to study for the GRE, but nowadays there are adequate synopses on study sites like Sparknotes. For each work assigned, read the synopsis to get the gist of the story, then read the original work, then read the synopsis again and ask yourself if there was anything you missed, or if there's anything important that you think the synopsis left out.
When I was teaching literature, (some semesters) I made my students write their own precis and character chart of each play or novel that we read. I also sometimes assigned students to write paraphrases of poetry. This exercise helps the most when you can compare your results with a study buddy and catch each other's omissions or question each other's assumptions. For more details, see my comment on this thread, which may be worth reading in full.
5) How to improve my essay writing (English is my second language, my essays usually score B's and occasionally A-'s. My analysis is usually A level but writing itself is B or C. I also have extreme difficulties writing under pressure)
Is there a theme to the instructors' comments? Is there a particular type of mistake that you usually make? Ask your instructors for help working on that specific issue.
posted by Orinda at 6:40 PM on December 6, 2010 [2 favorites]
When I was teaching literature, (some semesters) I made my students write their own precis and character chart of each play or novel that we read. I also sometimes assigned students to write paraphrases of poetry. This exercise helps the most when you can compare your results with a study buddy and catch each other's omissions or question each other's assumptions. For more details, see my comment on this thread, which may be worth reading in full.
5) How to improve my essay writing (English is my second language, my essays usually score B's and occasionally A-'s. My analysis is usually A level but writing itself is B or C. I also have extreme difficulties writing under pressure)
Is there a theme to the instructors' comments? Is there a particular type of mistake that you usually make? Ask your instructors for help working on that specific issue.
posted by Orinda at 6:40 PM on December 6, 2010 [2 favorites]
As prefpara said, by all means go to the writing center/tutoring center if your university has one. They can be VERY useful (I used to work in one).
If you need to ask the professor a question or get help on a paper or something, do so early--don't wait until the last minute. If you find that professors are unresponsive, hostile, or slow in answering your requests, get help in writing your e-mails to them from a classmate who gets along with them well. (I read an interesting research paper showing that many international students don't follow certain unspoken norms in requesting help from professors, and most professors aren't quite ... culturally aware enough to realize that may be the problem.)
Make sure you have classmates' e-mails so you can double-check with them about what's going on in class (etc.).
Don't hesitate to read other people's interpretations of something you're reading. Of course, don't just copy them or imitate them, but I had no problem consulting other sources when I was reading works that I felt were unnecessarily difficult to interpret. (I realize literature teachers may shudder at this, but I think literature can arguably read as part of a conversation among other readers, and am okay with getting others' takes on something--particularly if you're having trouble understanding it, and particularly if the text's language is not your first language. But I teach English for communication, not English literature.)
Or if you don't need to do that, as wryly said, look at a plot summary or introduction somewhere (even Wikipedia) before you start the story.
Realize that even professors often have to read things several times. (I felt a great sense of relief when a Stanford professor said so!)
And yes, by all means, READ MORE FICTION. It'll make you faster, if nothing else. One of the things that let me get an A on every literature test in college was that I was an avid and fast reader. One particular professor had open-book tests. This professor was infamous and dreadful, and taught the most depressing literature possible. I couldn't stand dwelling on the stories, so while I hate to admit it, I didn't really read many of the stories outside of class. (I might not have survived the class if I had!) Eheh.
Try timed and repeated reading--read the same thing several times to see if you can read it faster; see how much you can read in 3 minutes and try to increase that. You can also try to increase how much you write can on a certain topic in 1, 3, and 5 minutes--don't make it a lit topic at first; just pick something like "why chocolate is awesome!" Later, try pre-writing an essay about what you think will be on the test. (However, if you have trouble writing under pressure in your native language as well, and you're at college in the US, you may want to see student disabilities services to see if you qualify for extra time on tests, etc.)
If you find you learn by listening, ask if you can record the class (some professors will say no--if they say no, then try reading your notes aloud, and maybe even recording them). If you prefer to learn by reading, copy over your notes either by hand or by typing. Try both and see which way sticks better. Ask yourself questions about the material.
Good luck--and for the record, you're doing very well as it is. Bs-As are difficult to get in English lit classes for most English learners.
posted by wintersweet at 6:47 PM on December 6, 2010 [1 favorite]
If you need to ask the professor a question or get help on a paper or something, do so early--don't wait until the last minute. If you find that professors are unresponsive, hostile, or slow in answering your requests, get help in writing your e-mails to them from a classmate who gets along with them well. (I read an interesting research paper showing that many international students don't follow certain unspoken norms in requesting help from professors, and most professors aren't quite ... culturally aware enough to realize that may be the problem.)
Make sure you have classmates' e-mails so you can double-check with them about what's going on in class (etc.).
Don't hesitate to read other people's interpretations of something you're reading. Of course, don't just copy them or imitate them, but I had no problem consulting other sources when I was reading works that I felt were unnecessarily difficult to interpret. (I realize literature teachers may shudder at this, but I think literature can arguably read as part of a conversation among other readers, and am okay with getting others' takes on something--particularly if you're having trouble understanding it, and particularly if the text's language is not your first language. But I teach English for communication, not English literature.)
Or if you don't need to do that, as wryly said, look at a plot summary or introduction somewhere (even Wikipedia) before you start the story.
Realize that even professors often have to read things several times. (I felt a great sense of relief when a Stanford professor said so!)
And yes, by all means, READ MORE FICTION. It'll make you faster, if nothing else. One of the things that let me get an A on every literature test in college was that I was an avid and fast reader. One particular professor had open-book tests. This professor was infamous and dreadful, and taught the most depressing literature possible. I couldn't stand dwelling on the stories, so while I hate to admit it, I didn't really read many of the stories outside of class. (I might not have survived the class if I had!) Eheh.
Try timed and repeated reading--read the same thing several times to see if you can read it faster; see how much you can read in 3 minutes and try to increase that. You can also try to increase how much you write can on a certain topic in 1, 3, and 5 minutes--don't make it a lit topic at first; just pick something like "why chocolate is awesome!" Later, try pre-writing an essay about what you think will be on the test. (However, if you have trouble writing under pressure in your native language as well, and you're at college in the US, you may want to see student disabilities services to see if you qualify for extra time on tests, etc.)
If you find you learn by listening, ask if you can record the class (some professors will say no--if they say no, then try reading your notes aloud, and maybe even recording them). If you prefer to learn by reading, copy over your notes either by hand or by typing. Try both and see which way sticks better. Ask yourself questions about the material.
Good luck--and for the record, you're doing very well as it is. Bs-As are difficult to get in English lit classes for most English learners.
posted by wintersweet at 6:47 PM on December 6, 2010 [1 favorite]
(Oops, I confusingly didn't finish the story about Professor Dreadful. The point was that because I was a fast reader due to my reading habits, I just read or skimmed the stories in class during our long tests. I don't advocate this, but it does demonstrate how useful fast reading can be!)
and Orinda has said what I was trying to say about reading other people's interpretations of a work--not as a substitute, but as a supplement. Some professors may not like it, but it can be very helpful.
posted by wintersweet at 6:51 PM on December 6, 2010
and Orinda has said what I was trying to say about reading other people's interpretations of a work--not as a substitute, but as a supplement. Some professors may not like it, but it can be very helpful.
posted by wintersweet at 6:51 PM on December 6, 2010
Nthing the "use your writing center" meme. Since you are not a freshman going through your very first writing class, the folks working there will be very happy to see a different writing problem for a change. :-) (I can honestly say this having worked at a writing center, getting a mature reader in the place with something other than a pro/con essay needing help was an exciting event.)
Another suggestion I just thought of: if you are study Shakespeare or other plays, go to your media center and find those and watch them, reading along. Plays are meant to be seen from the audience in a theatre, not read in a book.
On the topic of notes in your text: I'm of two minds on this. I found it useful when I was going through a work that I was going to write about or include in a paper. For the general "pile of literature" that was required reading for a class, I found it less useful, because a) I'm not going to re-read the entire texts before a test/quiz, and b) my intertextual notes are incomplete thoughts due to the lack of space.
YMMV, as I'm not a big note taker on the stuff I'm just being tested on, because I have a very high reading retention. In those days, I'd use a highlighter and jot down page numbers/paragraph #'s in a separate notebook with whatever notes I thought were relevent.
These days I'd probably use a scanner pen and one of those new-fangled Livescribe Pulse pens with the add-on hand-writing recognition software to get it all on my iPad. I'd probably do that for the stuff I'm using for paper writing as well.
posted by unixgeek at 6:56 PM on December 6, 2010 [1 favorite]
Another suggestion I just thought of: if you are study Shakespeare or other plays, go to your media center and find those and watch them, reading along. Plays are meant to be seen from the audience in a theatre, not read in a book.
On the topic of notes in your text: I'm of two minds on this. I found it useful when I was going through a work that I was going to write about or include in a paper. For the general "pile of literature" that was required reading for a class, I found it less useful, because a) I'm not going to re-read the entire texts before a test/quiz, and b) my intertextual notes are incomplete thoughts due to the lack of space.
YMMV, as I'm not a big note taker on the stuff I'm just being tested on, because I have a very high reading retention. In those days, I'd use a highlighter and jot down page numbers/paragraph #'s in a separate notebook with whatever notes I thought were relevent.
These days I'd probably use a scanner pen and one of those new-fangled Livescribe Pulse pens with the add-on hand-writing recognition software to get it all on my iPad. I'd probably do that for the stuff I'm using for paper writing as well.
posted by unixgeek at 6:56 PM on December 6, 2010 [1 favorite]
Best answer: Former English teacher (and English major) here. As a high school English teacher, I developed a literary analysis short hand for marking my texts--when I started, I was teaching books I'd never read before or hadn't read in years and so needed to get through texts quickly and efficiently. You should develop your own system, but here are some of the things I did to give you an idea:
In text:
- Circle: vocab word/word my students weren't likely to know (you should do this for words YOU don't know so you can look them up later)
- Box: new character name
- Underline: phrases or sentences that were particularly important to the plot or provided a deep insight
- Squiggly underline: figurative language (metaphor, simile, personification)
Marginalia (varied depending on theme, instructional goals):
- FS: foreshadowing
- Picture of an eye : passage with strong imagery
- Male/female symbol: gender issues
- Hammer/sickle: class issues
You get the idea--change/adjust for the text's theme, focus of the paper, etc. Marking these sorts of things up as you go will help you participate in class discussions more effectively and will also make it easier to write your papers!
And nthing the writing centers & office hour suggestions. Despite doing very well on my AP English exam, I never broke a B on a college essay until I sat down with my awesome, amazing, and wonderful Analysis prof for an hour and reworked a page of my latest essay draft. Changed. My. World. And my grades--All A's after that!
posted by smirkette at 6:58 PM on December 6, 2010 [11 favorites]
In text:
- Circle: vocab word/word my students weren't likely to know (you should do this for words YOU don't know so you can look them up later)
- Box: new character name
- Underline: phrases or sentences that were particularly important to the plot or provided a deep insight
- Squiggly underline: figurative language (metaphor, simile, personification)
Marginalia (varied depending on theme, instructional goals):
- FS: foreshadowing
- Picture of an eye
- Male/female symbol: gender issues
- Hammer/sickle: class issues
You get the idea--change/adjust for the text's theme, focus of the paper, etc. Marking these sorts of things up as you go will help you participate in class discussions more effectively and will also make it easier to write your papers!
And nthing the writing centers & office hour suggestions. Despite doing very well on my AP English exam, I never broke a B on a college essay until I sat down with my awesome, amazing, and wonderful Analysis prof for an hour and reworked a page of my latest essay draft. Changed. My. World. And my grades--All A's after that!
posted by smirkette at 6:58 PM on December 6, 2010 [11 favorites]
Take this question to your professor. Most professors I had were happy to give personal feedback in detail, so if you said 'I want to be an A student, what do I need to work on?' then they should be able to give you some specific tips.
In general though, I found it helped to read a text with an essay question in mind - even one as vague as 'discuss the character relationships'. If you're actively interrogating the book as you read it - why did that character do that? How have they changed? What is the significance of this event? - then you'll have a much more nuanced understanding of it than someone who just read it passively, who will only recall it as a series of plot points, rather than a complex arrangement of interwoven characters, themes, and events.
posted by twirlypen at 6:59 PM on December 6, 2010 [1 favorite]
In general though, I found it helped to read a text with an essay question in mind - even one as vague as 'discuss the character relationships'. If you're actively interrogating the book as you read it - why did that character do that? How have they changed? What is the significance of this event? - then you'll have a much more nuanced understanding of it than someone who just read it passively, who will only recall it as a series of plot points, rather than a complex arrangement of interwoven characters, themes, and events.
posted by twirlypen at 6:59 PM on December 6, 2010 [1 favorite]
Best answer: Read stuff ABOUT the texts you are assigned (not (just) cliff notes). I.e. actual academic papers/analysis, books. Read biographies of the authors. Read comparisons with other works. Read general books about the period during which the authors wrote, or the genre in which they are writing. All of this background will help you spot important themes/symbols/stylistic features of the texts.
The more you read academic prose in English, the better your own will get. I also studied literature in my second language (postgrad) after doing undergrad in my first language, and after undergrad papers that always got As, I dropped to B-s until I had read a LOT of academic papers and improved my prose style.
As for improving your analysis (although maybe you don't need to) and studying for exams, I always liked creating different visualisations of the texts we had read. Drawing character charts, diagrams of how plots and characters interacted, plotting the occurrence of repeated symbolisms or motifs on graphs/timelines. Drawing network diagrams of the relationships between the different texts we had read. Making lists of random things (passages in which color words are used in the description, or characters with strange surnames). If you have access to electronic versions of the texts, you can do some fun searches - look up religious terms and see how often they are used; find an author's favourite word; see how often the various characters' names occur and which collocations they occur in. Playing with a text this way will get you super familiar with it so that you are able to spot and remember the features that are relevant to the course or exam.
posted by lollusc at 7:03 PM on December 6, 2010
The more you read academic prose in English, the better your own will get. I also studied literature in my second language (postgrad) after doing undergrad in my first language, and after undergrad papers that always got As, I dropped to B-s until I had read a LOT of academic papers and improved my prose style.
As for improving your analysis (although maybe you don't need to) and studying for exams, I always liked creating different visualisations of the texts we had read. Drawing character charts, diagrams of how plots and characters interacted, plotting the occurrence of repeated symbolisms or motifs on graphs/timelines. Drawing network diagrams of the relationships between the different texts we had read. Making lists of random things (passages in which color words are used in the description, or characters with strange surnames). If you have access to electronic versions of the texts, you can do some fun searches - look up religious terms and see how often they are used; find an author's favourite word; see how often the various characters' names occur and which collocations they occur in. Playing with a text this way will get you super familiar with it so that you are able to spot and remember the features that are relevant to the course or exam.
posted by lollusc at 7:03 PM on December 6, 2010
Best answer: PS: With regard to your question about high achievers who don't take notes: I never took many notes in my literature classes, compared to my other courses. This is because literature lectures often consist of the prof showing you how analysis is done rather than telling you stuff to remember. Notes are therefore only essential if the act of taking them helps you focus, or when you need to write down stuff to follow up on: references to read, homework to do, passages to reread, etc. The exception to this is in the first lecture on a new text - then there is often a lot of background that you should write down - dates of author's birth, death, and the text's composition; related works; how it was received at the time, etc.
More important than taking notes in class (in my opinion) is sitting down as soon after class as you can (preferably in the hour directly following) and making a quick summary of what the point of the lecture was. Not what was said, but what learning outcomes do you think the prof was trying to get you to experience? Was it about improving close reading skills? Was it about spotting and interpreting religious imagery? Was it about constructing a literary argument? These are the things that will be tested in essays and exams, so writing notes on them will help you build up a study plan.
posted by lollusc at 7:10 PM on December 6, 2010 [2 favorites]
More important than taking notes in class (in my opinion) is sitting down as soon after class as you can (preferably in the hour directly following) and making a quick summary of what the point of the lecture was. Not what was said, but what learning outcomes do you think the prof was trying to get you to experience? Was it about improving close reading skills? Was it about spotting and interpreting religious imagery? Was it about constructing a literary argument? These are the things that will be tested in essays and exams, so writing notes on them will help you build up a study plan.
posted by lollusc at 7:10 PM on December 6, 2010 [2 favorites]
Go to all your classes.
posted by pised at 7:10 PM on December 6, 2010 [1 favorite]
posted by pised at 7:10 PM on December 6, 2010 [1 favorite]
Best answer: Some of the answers in this thread are good, but more about generic study skills than literature-specific ones: go to office hours; take good notes as you read; do some reading on historical backgrounds and critical contexts. And some of the literature-specific advice here is terrible, in my opinion: especially the comments that focus on speeding up your reading, reading study guides or plot synopses before reading the work itself, and/or making marginalia that treat reading literature like a scavenger hunt for hidden "themes" and "issues." If strategies like "look, teacher! I found the imagery! and over here I see some class issues!" actually work, it means there's something wrong with the literature classes you're taking — perhaps the professor is dumb, or perhaps they're just so overworked that dumb ways of assessing student work are the only practicable ones. In any case those aren't the skills you're looking for, and in fact there isn't much of a shortcut to mastery here besides the obvious — read a lot more literature, talk about it as much as possible (with friends as well as teachers), and practice writing about it, too, outside class as well as for a grade, whenever you can. One little trick that might help — consider starting to keep a commonplace book, whether as a diary or even a public blog; just pause anytime you encounter a striking passage or turn of phrase or idea in your reading to type it out and write a paragraph about why it seems interesting to you.
Some general ideas: First, you should be getting as much pleasure as you can from the reading, not just trying to speed through it and extract the content that will help you game an A for the class. If you don't actually enjoy taking your time reading most of the material, find a different subject to study. Second, the most important literature-specific skill for any undergraduate student to develop is the skill of close reading: the ability to read in slow-motion is more important than the ability to speed-read, and the microscopic approach is more useful than the big-picture thematic stuff. All college literature classes are at least partly about developing this skill — learning to build an interpretation on the specifics of the text's language rather than generalizing about it — and all of them reward students who have learned to do it. Individual instructors and courses vary, as do the texts themselves, in all the other specifics about which interpretive and argumentative approaches they reward and which they don't, which ideas you have to master and which you don't, but close reading is universally rewarded; it's the bedrock skill of the discipline that every undergrad has to acquire. Practice it in and outside of class, in conversation and in writing; look for the moments in lecture or discussion when the instructor is demonstrating the skill in practice by giving a particular close reading of a passage of the text, and ask them for more detail about how it works until you understand it fully.
posted by RogerB at 8:11 PM on December 6, 2010 [3 favorites]
Some general ideas: First, you should be getting as much pleasure as you can from the reading, not just trying to speed through it and extract the content that will help you game an A for the class. If you don't actually enjoy taking your time reading most of the material, find a different subject to study. Second, the most important literature-specific skill for any undergraduate student to develop is the skill of close reading: the ability to read in slow-motion is more important than the ability to speed-read, and the microscopic approach is more useful than the big-picture thematic stuff. All college literature classes are at least partly about developing this skill — learning to build an interpretation on the specifics of the text's language rather than generalizing about it — and all of them reward students who have learned to do it. Individual instructors and courses vary, as do the texts themselves, in all the other specifics about which interpretive and argumentative approaches they reward and which they don't, which ideas you have to master and which you don't, but close reading is universally rewarded; it's the bedrock skill of the discipline that every undergrad has to acquire. Practice it in and outside of class, in conversation and in writing; look for the moments in lecture or discussion when the instructor is demonstrating the skill in practice by giving a particular close reading of a passage of the text, and ask them for more detail about how it works until you understand it fully.
posted by RogerB at 8:11 PM on December 6, 2010 [3 favorites]
Best answer: I hate to be a bit of a cynic (or maybe just a jerk), but I (English Phd, 8 years teaching at uni) want to point out a few things.
1. Writing centres. You know, they don't always help. When I send students to the writing centre, they don't always come back with improved writing. You can do a lot of practice here, but getting As in English requires a heckuva lot more than perfect writing. In fact, if I were to compare 2 papers, one with a bland argument but no mistakes and one with some mistakes but an interesting argument, I would give the latter an A. The important thing is to learn from your mistakes. If English isn't your first language, the mistakes you make are probably systematic and predictable. Get to know them, force yourself to identify them (find and replace in Word is helpful), and you will get better.
2. The notetaking. I hardly took notes either. I can tell the students in my class who take notes. They write very boring essays. Very boring. Thinking is more important than notetaking.
3. Professorial advice. Not all profs are amenable to this. I would never read a student's paper; I'm not their editor. I will give advice, but that's all. Still, when a student comes to see me, I am predisposed to be generous, so it is a good strategy. The better strategy is to talk to your prof AFTER you get the paper back, so he/she can tell you exactly what all the comments mean, what you could have done differently, etc.
4. People here say to read more fiction. Well, reading fiction probably isn't your problem. If you want to improve your essay writing, you should read more non-fiction. You need to immerse yourself in the art of rhetoric. Read journal articles (thrilling, I know), read essays in Harpers or the New Yorker, etc.
The general advice I give my students is that good writing is 90% good thinking. Yes, identifying and rectifying dangling modifiers is helpful, but if your argument is dull/obvious and your analysis is run-of-the-mill, you won't get straight As. The upside is that improving your critical thinking will help you enormously in any discipline.
posted by oohisay at 9:59 PM on December 6, 2010 [1 favorite]
1. Writing centres. You know, they don't always help. When I send students to the writing centre, they don't always come back with improved writing. You can do a lot of practice here, but getting As in English requires a heckuva lot more than perfect writing. In fact, if I were to compare 2 papers, one with a bland argument but no mistakes and one with some mistakes but an interesting argument, I would give the latter an A. The important thing is to learn from your mistakes. If English isn't your first language, the mistakes you make are probably systematic and predictable. Get to know them, force yourself to identify them (find and replace in Word is helpful), and you will get better.
2. The notetaking. I hardly took notes either. I can tell the students in my class who take notes. They write very boring essays. Very boring. Thinking is more important than notetaking.
3. Professorial advice. Not all profs are amenable to this. I would never read a student's paper; I'm not their editor. I will give advice, but that's all. Still, when a student comes to see me, I am predisposed to be generous, so it is a good strategy. The better strategy is to talk to your prof AFTER you get the paper back, so he/she can tell you exactly what all the comments mean, what you could have done differently, etc.
4. People here say to read more fiction. Well, reading fiction probably isn't your problem. If you want to improve your essay writing, you should read more non-fiction. You need to immerse yourself in the art of rhetoric. Read journal articles (thrilling, I know), read essays in Harpers or the New Yorker, etc.
The general advice I give my students is that good writing is 90% good thinking. Yes, identifying and rectifying dangling modifiers is helpful, but if your argument is dull/obvious and your analysis is run-of-the-mill, you won't get straight As. The upside is that improving your critical thinking will help you enormously in any discipline.
posted by oohisay at 9:59 PM on December 6, 2010 [1 favorite]
I agree with RogerB that close reading is important, although since you stated in your question that "My analysis is usually A level" I took it for granted that you had a handle on close reading. I may, however, be making an unjustified assumption that "analysis" = "literary analysis based on close reading." This might be a good question to ask your professors: how would they assess your close reading skills?
In light of RogerB's comment, I want to step in and clarify that I don't think anyone here is suggesting that you should make marginal notes AND THEN STOP THINKING, or read / write a plot summary AND THEN STOP THINKING, or read someone else's analysis AND THEN STOP THINKING. You asked, in part, "How to minimize the time spent on studying and get the maximum result?" and "How to read assigned texts before and after class?" These are good questions, and I think the commenters here are offering suggestions for aids to reading and analysis, not substitutes for reading and analysis. I don't think smirkette is suggesting, for example, that you should use marginal notes to say "look, teacher! I found the imagery!" Rather, you have to notice the imagery in the first place before you can do a close reading of it, and getting in the habit of marking in the margin where you see imagery will help you pick up on especially interesting instances of imagery—passages you may want to mark for closer attention later.
As to whether reading synopses beforehand is a "terrible" idea: many people share that opinion, and you should probably listen to their reasoning as well as mine. My reasoning is that figuring out "x happens then y happens then z happens" (comprehension) is a different intellectual task from analysis, and it is hard to execute both at once. The best solution is to read the whole book twice (or three or four times . . .), but a compromise when you have limited study time is to get help with the comprehension. Not a substitute for your own comprehension—you should never accept someone else's synopsis uncritically, or let it make you lazy about the reading—but help. It's similar to flipping through a chapter in your geology textbook and looking at all the subheads and diagrams before reading the chapter text; it's a way of preparing a loose framework in your mind for the information you are about to fill it with. That said, there can also be a payoff to struggling a bit with the plot or literal meaning of a literary work. Pre-reading a synopsis is not The Best Way to Do It. It's one possible tool in your study toolbox. It might not be the best tool for you. Experiment and use your own judgment.
posted by Orinda at 11:28 PM on December 6, 2010
In light of RogerB's comment, I want to step in and clarify that I don't think anyone here is suggesting that you should make marginal notes AND THEN STOP THINKING, or read / write a plot summary AND THEN STOP THINKING, or read someone else's analysis AND THEN STOP THINKING. You asked, in part, "How to minimize the time spent on studying and get the maximum result?" and "How to read assigned texts before and after class?" These are good questions, and I think the commenters here are offering suggestions for aids to reading and analysis, not substitutes for reading and analysis. I don't think smirkette is suggesting, for example, that you should use marginal notes to say "look, teacher! I found the imagery!" Rather, you have to notice the imagery in the first place before you can do a close reading of it, and getting in the habit of marking in the margin where you see imagery will help you pick up on especially interesting instances of imagery—passages you may want to mark for closer attention later.
As to whether reading synopses beforehand is a "terrible" idea: many people share that opinion, and you should probably listen to their reasoning as well as mine. My reasoning is that figuring out "x happens then y happens then z happens" (comprehension) is a different intellectual task from analysis, and it is hard to execute both at once. The best solution is to read the whole book twice (or three or four times . . .), but a compromise when you have limited study time is to get help with the comprehension. Not a substitute for your own comprehension—you should never accept someone else's synopsis uncritically, or let it make you lazy about the reading—but help. It's similar to flipping through a chapter in your geology textbook and looking at all the subheads and diagrams before reading the chapter text; it's a way of preparing a loose framework in your mind for the information you are about to fill it with. That said, there can also be a payoff to struggling a bit with the plot or literal meaning of a literary work. Pre-reading a synopsis is not The Best Way to Do It. It's one possible tool in your study toolbox. It might not be the best tool for you. Experiment and use your own judgment.
posted by Orinda at 11:28 PM on December 6, 2010
Pay attention to the comments your teacher leaves on your papers.
Seriously, you wouldn't believe how many students simply don't read the red-ink comments and only look at their grade. Then they proceed to do the same stupid things over and over on the next assignment.
Don't be that person.
Also, be active in class. A student who raises her hand and makes a decent comment once in a while during class dicussion is exactly the sort of student to whom I will give an "A-" instead of a "B+" when I'm computing her final grade.
Sure, sure, I gave you all those rules to follow about attendance and papers and tests, but in that last five seconds before I punch your final grade into the computer I will have flash-backs (or not) to a student who at least tried to make an effort in class, or who came by my office to ask a question. Because that shows a lot of effort and most importantly, it shows that you care about your grade. And if you care (without being a suck-up about it) I care also.
I can also be bribed with free coffee. Your other teachers might differ.
posted by bardic at 11:51 PM on December 6, 2010
Seriously, you wouldn't believe how many students simply don't read the red-ink comments and only look at their grade. Then they proceed to do the same stupid things over and over on the next assignment.
Don't be that person.
Also, be active in class. A student who raises her hand and makes a decent comment once in a while during class dicussion is exactly the sort of student to whom I will give an "A-" instead of a "B+" when I'm computing her final grade.
Sure, sure, I gave you all those rules to follow about attendance and papers and tests, but in that last five seconds before I punch your final grade into the computer I will have flash-backs (or not) to a student who at least tried to make an effort in class, or who came by my office to ask a question. Because that shows a lot of effort and most importantly, it shows that you care about your grade. And if you care (without being a suck-up about it) I care also.
I can also be bribed with free coffee. Your other teachers might differ.
posted by bardic at 11:51 PM on December 6, 2010
Best answer: I did pretty well in English at uni, and as a terrible procrastinator, I put this down to being able to write well. My experience definitely was that if you can write well enough, what you're actually saying doesn't matter so much. Obviously you're on a slightly stickier wicket there as a non-native speaker, but since you say your analysis is fine, that's what I'd be working on.
As others have said, make use of the writing centre if there is one. Take a draft and have them go through it with you. Or maybe you can find a partner whose analysis is not so good but whose writing is better and swap drafts for proofing.
I'd also try to become an avid reader again. Particularly I would recommend finding well-written English articles and papers. English (and any other discipline for that matter) has a specific voice - if you can learn to capture that it will put you ahead of the crowd.
With regard to writing well, don't fall into the trap of trying to make everything sound complicated and fancy. By all means use the appropriate vocab etc., but the best writing (to my mind) is clear and easy to understand, even when the content is challenging. I think if you can learn to write this way, your papers will be a breath of fresh air for your professors when sandwiched in between hard-to-digest or poorly written papers.
When working on your writing, remember that there are two factors - one is how elegant your writing itself is, and the other is how clearly you think (and therefore how clearly you structure/organise your writing). Are you making a detailed plan of your papers before you start writing? If not, learn to do this.
This is terribly cynical, but there are many professors who like hearing their opinions bounced back to them in their students' papers. If you can do this subtly, it may well help you get better grades. Less cynically, it also shows you have been paying attention.
I hope this is obvious, but make sure your papers have been proofread thoroughly (preferably by someone other than you). Silly spelling errors and poor referencing (for example) will not do you any favours.
I can't comment on learning how to write under pressure. I always wrote my essays at the last possible minute and I think this stood me in good stead for the pressure of exams. I wouldn't necessarily recommend that in your case.
I took heaps of notes, mainly because I have a terrible memory. I have noticed though people who try and write down exactly what the lecturer is saying (you can tell these people by the fact that they will panic when the lecturer takes a slide away before they've finished copying it all) are often missing the point. Note taking (I think) should be more about on-the-go summarising than word-for-word copying.
posted by Emilyisnow at 5:04 AM on December 7, 2010
As others have said, make use of the writing centre if there is one. Take a draft and have them go through it with you. Or maybe you can find a partner whose analysis is not so good but whose writing is better and swap drafts for proofing.
I'd also try to become an avid reader again. Particularly I would recommend finding well-written English articles and papers. English (and any other discipline for that matter) has a specific voice - if you can learn to capture that it will put you ahead of the crowd.
With regard to writing well, don't fall into the trap of trying to make everything sound complicated and fancy. By all means use the appropriate vocab etc., but the best writing (to my mind) is clear and easy to understand, even when the content is challenging. I think if you can learn to write this way, your papers will be a breath of fresh air for your professors when sandwiched in between hard-to-digest or poorly written papers.
When working on your writing, remember that there are two factors - one is how elegant your writing itself is, and the other is how clearly you think (and therefore how clearly you structure/organise your writing). Are you making a detailed plan of your papers before you start writing? If not, learn to do this.
This is terribly cynical, but there are many professors who like hearing their opinions bounced back to them in their students' papers. If you can do this subtly, it may well help you get better grades. Less cynically, it also shows you have been paying attention.
I hope this is obvious, but make sure your papers have been proofread thoroughly (preferably by someone other than you). Silly spelling errors and poor referencing (for example) will not do you any favours.
I can't comment on learning how to write under pressure. I always wrote my essays at the last possible minute and I think this stood me in good stead for the pressure of exams. I wouldn't necessarily recommend that in your case.
I took heaps of notes, mainly because I have a terrible memory. I have noticed though people who try and write down exactly what the lecturer is saying (you can tell these people by the fact that they will panic when the lecturer takes a slide away before they've finished copying it all) are often missing the point. Note taking (I think) should be more about on-the-go summarising than word-for-word copying.
posted by Emilyisnow at 5:04 AM on December 7, 2010
Best answer: As to taking notes, my own strategy is to take detailed enough notes to be able to reproduce the lecturer's argument, or some of the discussion in class. This is useful to me because I don't always understand everything first time around -- even when I might've had the impression that I did -- and reading over notes a week later, or before the next class can be very useful.
Personally, I'm a bit skeptical of the jot-down-reminders method, because maybe at the time you haven't understood the complexity of the thoughts being presented, and if you jot down only reminders you might not be able to recover it.
Because I've practiced, I can do this while paying proper attention to the class. @oohisay says people that take notes write boring essays; there were problems with my literature essays, but boring wasn't one of them.
But mainly you need to find what works best for you, and worry less about how your the "high-achievers" in your class do things.
(I've limited myself to comments on note-taking; there's some good advice above and I sympathised most with @RogerB's answer, but these things depend on what your literature course and teachers are like, because that will determine what they see as literary analysis.)
Good luck.
posted by squishles at 6:37 AM on December 7, 2010 [1 favorite]
Personally, I'm a bit skeptical of the jot-down-reminders method, because maybe at the time you haven't understood the complexity of the thoughts being presented, and if you jot down only reminders you might not be able to recover it.
Because I've practiced, I can do this while paying proper attention to the class. @oohisay says people that take notes write boring essays; there were problems with my literature essays, but boring wasn't one of them.
But mainly you need to find what works best for you, and worry less about how your the "high-achievers" in your class do things.
(I've limited myself to comments on note-taking; there's some good advice above and I sympathised most with @RogerB's answer, but these things depend on what your literature course and teachers are like, because that will determine what they see as literary analysis.)
Good luck.
posted by squishles at 6:37 AM on December 7, 2010 [1 favorite]
I'm going to have to disagree with k8t's advice on visiting the professor or TA weekly in office hours 'just to chat.' Coming in to office hours to talk to the TA or professor is fine if you have questions, but don't stop by just to stop by-- that smacks of wasting people's time and/or apple-polishing. As a student part of your task is to learn and accomplish things independently. That said, more face time is not a bad thing: the more you see each other, the better you get to know each other and the more familiar you feel. That adds up to stronger rapport in the end.
posted by ms.codex at 9:28 PM on December 7, 2010
posted by ms.codex at 9:28 PM on December 7, 2010
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posted by k8t at 5:35 PM on December 6, 2010 [4 favorites]