In my previous post I looked at strategies for reading when
it comes to approaching a new novel for study, discussing note taking, note
reading, pace of progression, reference to additional resources and using introductions
as afterwords. In this post I look at the next steps for studying a text – looking
at what happens when you start dipping your toe into the scary world of
criticism and identifying the best places to start:
Introductions: Here’s where I left off last time. Reading
the intro before finishing the text leads to boredom, bias and spoilers, but
reading it straight after finishing can be incredibly helpful. A well-written introduction
references the key critical ideas when it comes to a text and can point you to
some good pieces of criticism from which to start. But beware. That bargain
fifth-hand copy you bought on Ebay may not be up to date when it comes to
critical reception. And your teachers, tutors or lecturers are going to want to
see analysis from you which goes beyond that provided in the most commonly read
copy.
Companions: The Cambridge
Companions can be a great place to start when it comes to approaching a new
author, genre or period. Each Companion
is comprised of essays by prominent scholars in the field, covering a range of
important issues affecting the topic. e.g. the Companion to George Eliot has essays dealing with her life,
politics in her novels, and the representation of gender in her work (among
others). What’s great about the Companions
is that they serve as a general introduction when read cover to cover without
being dumbed down because of the calibre in contributors. Alternatively, they
are useful as reference books. The chapter on gender will cite multiple other
critics who have dealt with this topic, meaning it can act as a handy guide to
their arguments, if this is an area you are also looking at.
Contemporary reviews: You can find collections of these for major
authors and you can also usually find them online. They are important for
understanding context and can act as good starting points for your own essays –
especially if you use one which is less well known.
Journals: Students are often under time pressures and all
too often you are quite far into a critical work before you realise it’s not
going to be helpful to you - journal articles help solve this problem as they are
quicker to read and often state in the first paragraph what their argument will
be. Some authors even have whole journals dedicated to them (e.g. The Wellsian on H.G. Wells) which means
you can use their catalogues as an index for identifying critics and arguments
you want to pursue.
Do you have any other tips when it comes to starting your
critical reading? Let me know – here, on Facebook or by tweeting
@SVictorianist!
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