The arguments for and against the importance of reading and studying English. Gerald Graff argues that the importance of literature lies within the critical discussions that arise from it in “Disliking Books at an Early Age.” He says that it was when he was faced with a debate about the literature he was reading that he began to enjoy reading. While I agree that critical discussion surrounding texts is one important aspect of really engaging and beginning to enjoy literature, I argue that this discussion does not always have to be held between multiple people for it to be beneficial or enjoyable. I argue that the conversations between the literature and the reader alone are extremely important to the enjoyment and the understanding of a piece.
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He explains, “What was unclear to me was what I was supposed to say about literary works, and why” (38). Essentially, what he is describing is the divide that he felt between himself and the texts; he would do the reading, but he never felt or saw a connection between the literature he was reading and his own life or experiences. While I do empathize with Graff on this point, as I too have had a lack of connection to any sort of reading since I was very young, I think that there is a key point that he overlooks in his essay. As a young man, he didn’t know how to engage with the text and thus reading was very boring to him. Therefore, an extremely important aspect to being able to understand and enjoy literature comes from being able to engage with it, or knowing how and why to talk about it. Graff finds that this conversation between himself and the literature he was reading comes from debating literary theory. I argue, however, that this conversation should start at the very beginning of the relationship between a reader and the piece that he or she is reading, the moment when a reader first picks up a …show more content…
He is basically saying that when he was left alone to read texts that he was to engage in an academic setting, he felt as though he has been sent into the wilderness without any supplies; he knew what he needed to do, but he didn’t feel he had the tools to do it. I also empathize with this feeling of bewilderment when first approaching the study of literature. We are not all born with the vocabulary that most English majors today have; it is hard to go from enjoying Dr. Seuss to searching for a deeper message in To Kill a Mockingbird or analyzing the language used in Romeo and Juliet. I don’t think, however, that the way to solve this problem is to create a setting in which students are guided through studying literature from the moment they begin reading. I think that the answer to the problem is to knock the idea of literary criticism down a few pegs. Instead of making students think that the only way to engage with a text is to use some formal language that has been created by people who studied literature hundreds or maybe thousands of years ago, we should teach them that they should be having a conversation with the texts that can be as simple and informal as the everyday conversations that they have with their friends.
He explains, “What was unclear to me was what I was supposed to say about literary works, and why” (38). Essentially, what he is describing is the divide that he felt between himself and the texts; he would do the reading, but he never felt or saw a connection between the literature he was reading and his own life or experiences. While I do empathize with Graff on this point, as I too have had a lack of connection to any sort of reading since I was very young, I think that there is a key point that he overlooks in his essay. As a young man, he didn’t know how to engage with the text and thus reading was very boring to him. Therefore, an extremely important aspect to being able to understand and enjoy literature comes from being able to engage with it, or knowing how and why to talk about it. Graff finds that this conversation between himself and the literature he was reading comes from debating literary theory. I argue, however, that this conversation should start at the very beginning of the relationship between a reader and the piece that he or she is reading, the moment when a reader first picks up a …show more content…
He is basically saying that when he was left alone to read texts that he was to engage in an academic setting, he felt as though he has been sent into the wilderness without any supplies; he knew what he needed to do, but he didn’t feel he had the tools to do it. I also empathize with this feeling of bewilderment when first approaching the study of literature. We are not all born with the vocabulary that most English majors today have; it is hard to go from enjoying Dr. Seuss to searching for a deeper message in To Kill a Mockingbird or analyzing the language used in Romeo and Juliet. I don’t think, however, that the way to solve this problem is to create a setting in which students are guided through studying literature from the moment they begin reading. I think that the answer to the problem is to knock the idea of literary criticism down a few pegs. Instead of making students think that the only way to engage with a text is to use some formal language that has been created by people who studied literature hundreds or maybe thousands of years ago, we should teach them that they should be having a conversation with the texts that can be as simple and informal as the everyday conversations that they have with their friends.