How to Read a Book Like an English Teacher

Have you ever wondered how English teachers can take a book and find so many interesting things to say about it? It takes years of training to learn how to take apart a text but here are a few of the tricks of the trade for the average reader. These tips work for novels, poetry and even films but for our purposes here we will look at a novel.

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderately Challenging

Things You’ll Need:

• Any novel
• Pen and paper
• Highlighter
• Sticky notes

1. Locate the hero of the novel first. There is always a hero of some sort and that hero is usually the main character.
2. Search for the journey (also commonly called the quest). Whether you are reading the Bible or a horror story, there will be a journey to somewhere. The journey can be to a physical place or it can happen in the hero’s mind. Think Wizard of Oz or Star Wars.
3. Keep an eye out for the familiar. These are called allusions and simply mean that the author is directly or indirectly referring to a past novel, poem or text. Allusions make the reader feel at home and connected with the text because they are reading something that is vaguely familiar to them.
4. Watch for patterns. Are clocks mentioned over and over again? Do you notice that the author keeps bringing in a certain color? These patterns have a meaning and it is your job to decide what they might mean. Everything almost always means something. Darkness, the weather, the seasons, colors and objects symbolize different elements of emotion.
5. Consider the time, place and political climate that the author wrote the novel. The patterns, symbols and allusions can take on entirely new meanings when placed within the context of the author’s time period.

Tips & Warnings

• Use a highlighter to keep track of your findings while reading.
• Consider using different colors of highlighting for different elements. (Blue for patterns, Yellow for allusions, etc.)
• Use sticky notes to mark important passages.
• Don’t insist that your interpretation is the only correct one. Literature is open to interpretation and everyone brings his or her own experience to reading.