In his book “Journey into literature”, Clugston provides an engaging and informative outlook on varied aspects of the process of reading. Clugston shows reading as an interesting and inspiring journey into the world of human wisdom. In the following paper, I aim to address particular concepts from Clugston’s text to support my statements regarding the value of the book under consideration. Overall, reading chapters 1, 2, 3, and 16 in Clugston’s “Journey into literature” made an impression of acquiring a precious gift because it offered many practical recommendations on how to get more benefits from my personal ‘journey into literature’ including allowing reading to unlock my imagination, striving to benefit from non-commercial literature, and explaining the real meaning behind literary criticism.
First of all, speaking about the value of material in the given reading, it should be stated that it presents an involving introduction into literary discourse. It is true that nowadays, in the era of IT technologies and gadgets, people continue losing their interest in reading. They even see it as something useless, and simply as a boring way to lose one’s time. With regards to the above-mentioned fact, Clugston’s approach becomes remarkable because he describes a strategy that may help any person in developing an interest in reading literature. One of his practical pieces of advice that especially arrested my attention was the following, “when you allow reading to unlock your imagination, your connection sets the stage for intellectual engagement” (Clugston, 2010, p. 2).
Next, addressing the other points in the book that captured my interest, it is important to note that its value to me is seen in the fact that it explains how helpful can be reading experiences of non-commercial literature. Clugston states that “there are broader ventures and more challenging explorations beyond the popular literature horizon, in which mental engagement becomes not only more complex but more demanding” (2010, p. 21). In chapter 2, he explains how exactly a reading experience of non-commercial literature benefits an individual. Clugston says that:
- it “restores the past”;
- it “stimulates the imagination”;
- it “glorifies the commonplace”;
- it “evokes emotions and links feeling to thinking”;
- it “upholds a vision of the ideal”;
- it “explores significant human questions and reveals human nature” (Clugston, 2010, pp. 22-28).
Further, I especially took note of the reflecting strategy offered by the author in chapter 3, and its elements including connecting, considering, and concluding. Also, I would make an emphasis on the easy and lucid explanation of literary criticism, and its main aspects in chapter 16. By saying that literary criticism is an informed response to the read piece of literature, the author solves a complicated issue for numerous students, who tried to master the skill of offering literary critic on a certain book or novel. Another practical piece of advice that seems to be very beneficial to me is in the following: “the task in literary criticism requires you to move beyond your personal feelings and examine the work itself to discover its significance” (Clugston, 2010, p. 412). Definitely, numerous students, who were asked to offer literary criticism on a certain piece of literature, made the mistake of being overly concerned by their evaluations, but real literary criticism goes beyond this and is mainly connected with literary theory.
In addition, in chapter 16 of the given reading, the author provides a detailed description of analytical approaches including “the reader-response approach, the formalist approach, the biographical/historical approach, and the archetypal approach” (Clugston, 2010, p. 413). I especially concentrated on Clugston’s description of the reader-response approach, the main point of which was the importance to provide a personal link with the given reading. To do so, the author offers the following questions for personal evaluation:
- What captured my imagination?
- Was it a feeling, an emotion, a curiosity, or an aspiration?
- Did it involve a desire to escape a past or present association?
- What motivation or change did my connection with this piece of literature create in my thinking? In my relationships?
- What connections can I make between this piece of literature and others that I’ve read?
- Did my “connection” reinforce things I knew or add new insights? (Clugston, 2010, p. 414).
To practice the reader-response approach from a Marxist perspective, a reader should assess a literary work from the point of view of its political correctness (Holcombe, 2012). Evaluating Clugston’s book from the point of view of the reader-response approach, it is important to note that it is an aspiring piece on the literary critique that adds new insights into making one’s reading experiences valuable. This book has many connections with the other works, addressing different aspects of literary critique, including the article “Literary criticism” by Holcombe.
In conclusion, the offered class reading presents an exciting outlook on the approach to literature that may benefit an individual in the best way. After reading the offered chapters, an impression that I have acquired something especially valuable, when I read Clugston’s recommendations regarding allowing reading to unlock my imagination, striving to benefit from non-commercial literature, and explaining the real meaning behind literary criticism, came on me.
References
Clugston, R. (2010). Journey into literature. San Diego: Bridgepoint Education, Inc.
Holcombe, J. (2012). Literary criticism. Web.