/lit/ - Literature

[Anonymous No.1347075]

Did anyone here do English Literature at university? What's it like? Do you have any tips for people just starting?

[e-reader_convert !!KTHty7DRMBH No.1347086]

English Lit - some boring old white dude/lady makes you read western canon and everybody pretends to know more about English than they really do, tension is high

Creative Writing - same as English Lit, but with the occasional circle jerk and a lot of shitty fanfic or kids writing thinly-veiled autobiographies or inserting themselves into their stories because they think people will care nobody does

There is no reason to go into either of these unless you plan on becoming to a teach so you can teach the same useless shit.

[OUTRAGEOUS No.1347085]

Do English Literature? Do you mean major in it? Don't do it unless you're going to teach. Be prepared to read and write nonstop for a few years.

[Anonymous No.1347091]

Read everything at least twice. Including huge books. Find out what your books are for your classes as early as you can and get reading. Email teachers.

Norton Critical editions are the best editions.

Go to office hours and talk to your professors about shit.

Pirate the TTC lecture on the history of the world and the history of literature so you have a vague idea about were everything you read fits. Read something on the history of philosophy too if you're up to it. I recommended Coplestone's multi-volume history if you have time, if not, Robert Solomon's is a great short work, good for reference.

[Anonymous No.1347095]

>>1347085
I think major is an American term, nobody I know uses it anyway (I live in England).

I'm not entirely sure I want to teach, but it is the only subject I'm really interested in.

[Anonymous No.1347102]

Poster of >>1347091 here. I also recommended Harold Bloom's work. He has a few good surveys of the western canon and notable literary figures that will give you a nice idea of the who's who.

Also: The bible, classical mythology, and Shakespeare. If you put your time into these you will get it back in all the fucking allusions everyone makes to them.

[Anonymous No.1347104]

>>1347091
Thanks a lot!

Any books you recommend I look at before going? Just to boost my overall literary knowledge.

[Anonymous No.1347108]

>>1347102
This is great advice!

[Anonymous No.1347119]

Two great books:

Jacques Barzun's "House of Intellect"
Page Smith's "Killing the Spirit"

[Anonymous No.1347138]

>>1347086
>>1347085
You can also become a librarian. You should look into that if you're not excited about teaching, OP. The last thing we need is more luke-warm teachers.

[Anonymous No.1347141]

>>1347119
Thanks

[Anonymous No.1347151]

A Short Introduction to Logic is a good book for a pre-english major.

[Anonymous No.1347156]

>>1347138
If I were to become a teacher I'd hate to think I was "luke-warm", so I promise I won't become one of them.

[Anonymous No.1347161]

>>1347156
you get accustomed to being lukewarm surprisingly fast

[Anonymous No.1347170]

>>1347161

[Anonymous No.1347171]

>>1347075


OP, if you have the genuine desire to explore the components of literature, language and communication, then you should pursue the major.

These Anons are correct to warn you of the difficulties that you will face in both peers and career choices in the English major, but do not take their sarcastic advice as discouragement. It is merely the bitterness that suffering fools will imbue into your soul after so many semesters at uni.

You have to decide for yourself OP.

Plus, you could always cop out and be a finance major. I understand that capitalism is a very interesting field to waste four plus years of life on.

[Anonymous No.1347180]

>>1347091
This is good stuff. Kind of makes me wish I'd done a lot of that myself. The TTC stuff, or anything which helps you fit your texts into a rough narrative of literary history would be really helpful.

In truth, I went to college as little as possible and did my work (which I DID do) under my own steam, generally without having much to do with the other people on my course. I rendered unto the course what was due, but pretty much followed my own learning pattern alongside it. I was specifically interested in poetry, and the technical aspects of poetry, which weren't taught in sufficient depth on my course. Wouldn't say that was for everyone, and I sailed fairly close to the wind at times, but it might work for some people. As soon as I feel like I'm on some educational treadmill I go into self-destruct, so the freedom was just heaven.

In terms of books to read:
One thing students have less and less of is that well of classical and religious imagery to draw upon, and use, when studying, say, a Shakespeare text. Having a familiarity with those would really mark you out. Reading a couple of Arden Shakespeare's and following the notes, looking up the classical references would probably help set you apart from the herd today. Arden's are always good!
Maybe get some, you know, Who’s Who in classical mythology, tales from Greece or the Iliad. Things like that, because a lot of works you'll be studying will probably draw from the same pool whether it's explicitly or otherwise.

Just follwo up every footnote you can, you know?

Enjoy it.x

[Anonymous No.1347183]

>>1347171
I do, I do have the genuine desire to study English.

[Anonymous No.1347185]

>>1347180
*Ardens are always good!

[Anonymous No.1347187]

>>1347180
You've made me all the more excited and eager to do it now :')

[Anonymous No.1347194]

>>1347187
sorry about my apostrophes, I should check what I type. But, yeah, get that broad narrative of English history into your head as soon as possible, then you can start picking holes in it.

[Anonymous No.1347199]

>>1347187
Realize that you're going to get from your degree what you put into your degree. If you do the bare minimum you're going to get the bare minimum. Even if you are getting A's in all of your classes, you can be doing poorly as far as the development of your intellect goes. The requirements for getting the degree are only one dimension of what you're doing there. The other dimension is you as an individual, as a scholar. For that you have the university library, access to your professors, and the ability to take courses that are NOT required, to read things that are OPTIONAL.

[Anonymous No.1347208]

>>1347199
Yeah, I guess it's not so much getting high grades as furthering my knowledge at the end of the day. I've got to do all I can to earn all I can.

[Anonymous No.1347232]

Likelihood of employment aside, English departments are the pits these days. At least in the 70s, 80s, and even 90s, there were exciting debates to be had, arguments to win, and so on, but nowadays English has sunk into theoretical eclecticism where nobody takes themselves seriously enough or cares about what they think/teach/write to challenge anyone else.

That said, if you have something genuinely interesting and mildly original (original as in it hasn't been said for 30+ years) to say, like I do, then your professors will lavish praise on you, but the sad thing is that they won't help you develop into a scholar, because frankly, they wouldn't know where to start. They'll say that you're "very interesting" or that you "have fascinating things to say" or that you "clearly have a command of the material," but they usually won't be able to help you beyond that. And be very weary of the professors who do want to mentor you -- they just want someone with them when they sink into oblivion. That said, I'm lucky to have a small group of intellectual mentors, because one can't become a genius/scholar on their own, but they are all professors/students at other schools.

Also, if you want to be a successful English student, you need to realize that your coursework is only a tiny fraction of your intellectual development as a literary scholar. You need to be consistently doing reading on your own, especially in theory/philosophy/history, but also in literary texts. Your assigned reading should be no more than one-quarter of the total reading that you are doing. You can skirt by without doing this, and get all A's, but you'll never be a successful, intelligent literary scholar.

[Anonymous No.1347251]

>>1347232
I'll be keeping everything you've said in mind, so thank you.

[Anonymous No.1347835]

>>1347091
>TTC

what is TTC?

[Anonymous No.1347863]

>>1347232
>English student thinks he can read philosophy
>mfw

[Anonymous No.1347879]

>>1347102
Different poster, but I'm putting strong emphasis on the classical mythology part, specifically Plato. Plato gets brought up damn near all the time. I strongly suggest buying a copy of Plato's Complete works (they go for something like $40 - $50 bucks on amazon) and reading it through at least once to get an understanding, but also reading at a slow rate, to, like I said, GET AN UNDERSTANDING. The Bible and Shakespeare is definitely important, but depending on where you go, Plato is as important, and sometimes, even more important than those two.

You'll realize hopefully sooner than later that a huge body of the work of literature are just footnotes of Plato's in the form of novels and books. Many ideas you think are modern are derived from him and knowing his companions, such as Socrates and Aristotle would definitely help as well.

[Anonymous No.1347886]

>>1347879
>Aristotle, Plato's companion

Ugh. This is what I'm fucking talk about.

[Anonymous No.1347888]

Have to post, because it's the goddamned gloamglozer.

[Anonymous No.1347895]

>>1347886
>>1347886
Student, whatever, they were generally in the same intellectual community.

[Anonymous No.1347899]

>>1347879
not sure if troll or just stupid

[Anonymous No.1348713]

keeping it alive.

[Anonymous No.1348714]

Yeah. If you enjoy reading - don't take it.