English literature is a subject that can persuade, illuminate and inspire a reader. Any work of English literature probably brings up as many questions as it answers. The key is to look at essential questions of English literature to find answers that can help form the backbone of literary critiques. These answers should help you as a reader to better understand the work and leave you more able to come up with your own personal opinion of a poem, short story or novel.
Biographical Information
Ask who wrote the novel and research his life. Perhaps the work is drawn from a piece of the writer's own life experiences in which case learning more about his life could give you insight into the novel. Alternatively, the work may be completely fabricated from the imagination or a mix of both. The time the novel was written is also important. Ask how this shaped the novel. Even if it is a science fiction novel written about a different time completely from the imagination you may still find the time of writing affects the story. Brave New World by Aldous Huxley was written at a time when the boundaries of science were starting to concern society, for example.
Literary Forms
Ask whether the work is a poem, short story or novel. The answer shapes the entire work. There are many different types of poems. An epic poem tells a story on a grand scale and uses universal themes, while a dramatic poem includes the voices of different characters. A descriptive poem describes a scene in a certain way and draws conclusions from the description. A short story is a form of prose that is more compact than a novel. Often a strong running theme leads to a surprise ending. There are many techniques to a short story like foreshadowing, a way of hinting and what will take place next in the story. A novel is a long prose form that tries to involve the reader in a story and can use the same techniques used in a short story along with other techniques like a greater developing sense of dramatic irony.
Use of Language
Ask how the writer uses language to support her theme or the action of the story. There are many ways to change language according to a type of meaning that you want to convey. There are the obvious techniques like alliteration, where the sound of the same sounds or letters will reinforce a type of meaning. Onomatopoeia depicts the meaning of a word in sound. Repetition can help to draw attention to a certain kind of language. The tone and style of the language may be dependent on the time the piece was written in and the voice the author wishes to convey.
Literary Movements
Is the work representative of a particular literary movement? Romanticism developed in the 19th century, for example, focused on the imagination and sentiments of the individual. Modernism, by contrast, came about in the early part of the 20th century and dealt with the identity of the individual battling against social expectations and forces. These movements influenced the works that were created at the time. French realism influenced the writing of Madame Bovary, for example. Madame Bovary as the typical Romantic is overwhelmed by her unmet feelings and over-active imagination, and this proves to be her downfall.
