5 Things You Need To Know If You Are A Literature Student

Being a literature student is not, in any way, easy but it surely is interesting. Our world has developed and still is developing on the uncountable volumes of literature from every corner of the world, and it is the basic responsibility of a literature student to explore all these aspects. However, you cannot be a master of your trade if you do not know its fundamentals. Likewise, anyone who is a student of literature should know certain realities about their course—and I am going to give an insight into a few of them.

I need a few minutes of your quarantined life to give you an idea about the world of these students. Whether or not you are a literature student, this would be fun. So, here are 5 things a literature student knows or should know:

1. Writing, Writing, Writing
   The day you decide to become a literature student you decide to master keystrokes on the computer. You will become a wizard or witch of “how to write down anything fast and clean”. This is natural, after all: you are expected to write a ton as a literature student. Initially, it may be a bit tedious but eventually, you will get the hang of it. A paper of 1000-2000 words would be a piece of cake for you. In case you have just started as a literature student and find writing so much difficult, hang in there—you might get a kick out of it once you develop pace.
2. Literature References will be a part of your vocab
   I guess this is true for every course. I have studied law for more than half a decade of my life (and am still learning, of course) and it is natural for me to casually throw in legal maxims or legalese whenever convenient. Sometimes, it does make me sound like an intellectual, but there are times when I find myself awkwardly explaining references—because I have many friends without a legal background. Similarly, a literature student would often throw in references people might not understand. But, hey, what you learn will reflect somewhere in your life. So, can’t help it!
3. Critical Analysis is your most powerful tool in your mental arsenal
   Literature students are required to analyze writings of people they don’t usually personally know. Many of these authors might even be dead. You are expected to dig deep into what the author had in her mind, what her personality traits were, what her circumstances could have been to have written what she did, and whatnot. Many times, you are supposed to make analyses keeping in mind the contemporary circumstances. Your involvement in cognitively challenging exercises will make you a detailed thinker. You can read between the lines, point out problems with anything even remotely associated with literature, and have a rather broad view of the world.
4. There is no limit to how much you can read
   As a literature student, you will inevitably resign yourself to texts. Sky is the limit, but for literature students, there is none. You can read a hundred books on your topic yet it will be insufficient. Literature is not just about reading and writing; it is a course about understanding everything about what you read: from its history to psychological impact, you can find any angle to your study. Humankind has thrived on literature since time immemorial, and there is no human with the potential to read all of them. Yet, literature students are expected to break through and read as much as they can.
5. Pretty much knowledgeable in almost everything under the sun
   Literature has so many genres that it can practically cover everything that exists under the sun. From music to artificial intelligence, there is everything under the umbrella of literature. So, when you join a literature course, you will read so much that you might end up gaining a fair idea about pretty much everything. An acquaintance of mine who is enrolled in a Literature course says that she has read so much on psychology that she can practically provide therapy sessions. Of course, this feat is only possible if and only if you take your course seriously. Otherwise, you will be just a big show-off without any real knowledge.

Written by Ayushi Kushwaha. Have you read?

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