How do you learn to understand and appreciate literature?

La’Sarah: How do you learn to understand and appreciate literature?
For example, how do you know when you read a dense novel like “War and Peace” or “Swann’s Way” that you are actually understanding it, and all the finer points and connections? How old do you think someone has to be to understand some of the tougher literature? Do you think it’s necessary to read novels like “War and Peace” twice?
Can anyone understand good literature with practice?

Answers and Views:

Answer by feroluce
You have to learn to read them.
A sure sign of a good book is one where you find something new each time you read it.
Start with a genre you like to read and work your way up.
David Gemmell books got me interested in literature (plain english prose, they read like a movie), I moved on from there and now I always have a book on the go.
Take breaks between chapters to process the information.
It helps to read them in bed, your brain has all night to process the information.

Think of them like you think of a movie, you get more from the movie after you’ve left the cinema and it’s rattling round in your head for a while.

Answer by Solveig [adores common sense]
Hi there,

Usually, I read complicate novels several times when I really like them. That way, I can grasp a new shade of meaning every time I go through the text. Sometimes I mark parts that particularly struck me, and then compare them. For example, I’ve read “Pride and Prejudice” about fifteen times, wrote a paper on it for university, and now I believe that I comprehend the largest part of it. Macbeth, for instance, needed around twenty reads, immense note-taking, a dictionary, and several stagings to really get the point.

I do not believe that literature is necessarily an age thing. Some of my students (aged 16/17/18) have a good grasp of literature, and can draw from many different mental resources to understand literary material. Others are unable to even understand so much as the general plot, much less the finer word plays and connections. However, you need to be well-read to understand literature – just think of all the intertextuality features! You cannot understand “Brave New World” properly if you are not very familiar with Shakespeare, for example. So a certain amount of practice and experience is indispensable to understand some of the tougher pieces, but that does not necessarily pertain to age.

Cheers
S

Edit: Poe, you were going to mention me? 😀

Edit2: I do not know if anyone can understand everything. For example, “Faust II” and “War and Peace” are absolutely beyond my comprehension, and I do not really make an effort to read these two again 🙂 But I think everyone has the potential to read a great deal, and understand much of it – at least once you get your things together and get away from trivial literature and the latest craze, and into the good stuff.

Answer by Poe: Fast zombies is cheating!
I’m having this dilema too. I always wonder if there should be more emphasis on enjoying the book, or if the joy is in fully understanding it.

I think when you understand the finer points you get a deeper sense of appreciation, and it could take a lifetime to take it all in. You never know, you could read a book a dozen times and still miss things. This is why I love reading study guides, and going to groups; it helps give you some insight and a different perspective.

You can be any age and appreciate literature, although I think ever rereading brings a fresh view of the book. I read the Arabian Nights when I was 11, some old copy translated by Richard Burton. I love it just as much now as I did then, and it’s well worth reading again. If you practice reading tough literature at a young age, I think it sinks in easier than when you’re older. There’s a language barrier for most people, so it’s best to overcome that obstacle while you’re young and flexible.

There’s nothing wrong with picking up notes and reviews and criticisms if it helps you understand your book better. Enotes, Sparknotes, Cliffnotes, LibraryThing, and Bookrags are all really good sources of information. I suggest joining an online forum to get a group discussion going.

Good luck 🙂

Edit – Lol, I was actually going to mention Solveig. She read my mind 🙂