Table Of ContentHOWTOSTUDYANOVEL
HOW TO STUDY A NOVEL:
A STUDENTS' GUIDE
John Peck
M
©JohnPeck 1983
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withoutpermission.
Firstpublished1983by
THE MACMILLAN PRESS LTD
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ISBN978-0-333-34868-0 ISBN978-1-349-06718-3(eBook)
DOI 10.1007/978-1-349-06718-3
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Contents
Acknowledgements VI
Preface
Vll
1. Tacklingthe text
Novelsdiscussed: Waverlry, byWalterScott
SonsandLovers, byD.H. Lawrence
2. Constructinga basicanalysis 26
Novelsdiscussed: MansfieldPark,byJaneAusten
JaneEyre, byCharlotteBronte
3. Lookingat aspectsofanovel 40
Novel discussed: ThePortraitofaLady, byHenryJames
4. Copingwithdifferentkinds ofnovel 56
Novelsdiscussed:APortraitoftheArtistasaYoung Man,
byJamesJoyce
MartinChuz:.zlewit, byCharlesDickens
5. Tacklinga long anddifficult novel 76
Novelsdiscussed: Middlemarch, byGeorge Eliot
BleakHouse, byCharlesDickens
6. Writingan essay 91
7. Writinga morecomplicatedessay 105
Furtherreading 1I3
Acknowledgements
THE author and publishers wish to thankJonathan Cape Ltd. (on
behalfofthe Executors oftheJamesJoyce Estate) forpermission to
quoteextractsfrom APortraitoftheArtistasaYoungMan.
ToAlison
Preface
ONEofthe most commonexperiences ofstudentsofEnglish Literature
istoread a novel and thoroughlyenjoyit, buttobeat an almosttotal
loss tosaywhat the book isreallyaboutorwhatthings initare most
worthyofnote.Thenaturaltendencythenistorelyonguidancefrom
teachers or critics, but this is a poor substitute for constructing a
personal response. Developing an individual reading can, however,
seem extraordinarily difficult to the average student, even to the
studentwho is'goodat English'.For itisadifficultywhich isnotdue
toanylackofintelligenceonthepartofthereader,buttoinexperience
ofthe nature ofcriticism. Literary criticism is an activity, like any
other, withits own rules and well-establishedmodes ofconduct. But
theserulesareseldom,ifever, explainedtothenewcomer.Heorsheis
likely to be thrown inat the deepend,and, inaconfused sort ofway,
from the observation ofothers, expected to establish what the rules
are.
What this book attempts to do is to set out some of the rules for
studyinga novel-or, at any rate,oneversion ofthe niles. Itisindeed
the varietyofapproachesandmethods thatexist thatmakes teachers
reluctant to recommend any specific approach. But some general
guidance about how to approach a novel must be better than none,
and itisin this spiritthatthe methodsuggestedhere isoffered.
Ido notclaimthatthis bookwillmake youan expertnovelcritic:if
anything, it can be compared todrivinglessons.Theseteach you the
basics of handling a car, and how to proceed with reasonable
assurance, buteven whenyou have passedyourtest there isstillalot
to learn. This book only attempts toillustratesome basic techniques
of handling a novel, although towards the end I do make some
suggestionsabouthow youcanadvancefurther.
Thecriticismthis book isopentoisthatitattempts tosubstitutea
mechanicalformofstudyforthe enjoyableexperienceofreading.And
it isperfectlytruethatthe best way tofindoutaboutnovelsistoread
as many as possible. But the pressureofstudyingseveralsubjectsat
school, as well as outsidedistractions, means thatvery fewschool or
universitystudents have read as muchas they feelthey shouldhave.
In addition, studying novels for exams is a somewhat different
activityfromreadingnovels forpleasure, and does demanda certain
sortofdisciplinedattentionwhich thegeneral readerisnot obligedto
bring to literature. A more positive defence of the approach recom
mended hereisthatitshouldnot proveconstraining.In some ways it
is no more than a frame, in which it should be possible toarticulate
clearlyagenuine responsetoanynovel.
Awordaboutthe formatofthe first fivechapters: ineach chapterI
discuss individual novels because I think thattoomuchlayingdown
ofabstractprinciplesisunlikely toprovehelpful. Rules only begin to
makesensewhenseeninoperation.Butthismeans,ifyouaregoing to
find thesechaptersatall useful, thatyoumayhave toreadanalysesof
novels that you have not read, and have no immediate intention of
reading. Ineachexample,however,the methodemployedismeantto
be relevant to many novels, not just to the novel at the centre ofthe
discussion; in the first chapter, forinstance,you should find that the
approach adopted with Waver/try and Sons andLovers could easily be
adapted to the novelyou arecurrentlystudying.
Thosewhohavehelped me mostin the writingofthis bookaremy
past and present students, who have, without realising it, provided
me, inseminardiscussions,withmuchofthe materialusedhere. Iam
also very grateful to Michael Quinn for his close readingofthe final
draft, and his many suggestions for improvements. My thanks to
Sheila Morganand SallyJoryfortheirtyping. And, finally, a special
thank you to my wife, Alison, and children, Rachel, Matthew and
Tom, for all the obviousreasons.
JOHNPECK
UniversityCollege,
Cardiff
1
Tacklingthe text
Novelsdiscussed:
Waverley,bySir WalterScott,published 1814
SonsandLovers,byD.H.Lawrence,published 1913
I
IAMastudent,atschool,collegeoruniversity,andhave beentoldthat
the next bookwearegoing tolookat isWaverley,bySirWalterScott. I
haveheardofScott,although theonly thingIknowabouthim isthat
he was Scottish, but I have never heard of Waverley. But, being a
conscientious student, I decide to read the novel before the classes
begin,and, moreover, I hope to work out myown viewofwhatit is
about. Reading the book, I discover that it features a young man
calledWaverleywho fallsinwithagroupofScottishrebels. At times
itisvery exciting,and movesalongveryquickly,butatothertimesit
seems awfully wordy and slow. I enjoyed it, and think it might be
about . . .
However, it is at this stage that I become very uncertain what to
say,as Icannotdecidewhataspectsofthebookaremostimportant.I
lack any sort of confidence that the judgements I make can be
accurateor worthwhile.And Ifeelparticularlydepressedasthisdoes
seem a relatively straightforward novel. I have tried my best, but I
now decide to wait for lectures, when my teacher will guide me
through the novel.
Obviously this is unsatisfactory. I should be able to produce my
own responsewithoutimmediatelyhavingtorelyonhelpfromanother
person. But I lack anysortofmethod thatwillenableme todevelop
my own view: I havelotsofhalf-definedideas about the novel, but I
can'tmarshalthemintoany sortofpattern.Partoftheproblemisthat
the novel issolong thatIam overwhelmedbysheerbulk. Ijustdonot
know where to begin. But this is where I can start to establish a
method.
2 HOWTOSTUDYA NOVEL
As lengthis a problem, it may help ifI decide to concentrateon a
fewshort passages in the novel, and try towork outfrom these toan
impression ofthe work as a whole. No doubt thereare limitations to
suchanapproach,and itisgoingtohave novalue at allunless Ihave
read the book beforehand, but it does seem a way of making a
systematicstartoncomingtotermswith the text. Furtherideas about
a criticalmethodcandevelopas Igoalong.
Havingdecided totry this approach, myfirsttask istoselect useful
passages. The logical thing to do would seem to be to start at the
beginning,perhapswith alookat thefirst pageofthe novel,and then
let my response to the openingdetermine my choiceofwhere tolook
next. My hope, ofcourse, is that the opening will introduce themes
and ideas which will provecentral to the work. So; I turn to the first
pageofWaverley. There,however,Iencounteran immediateproblem:
the first chapteris entitled 'Introductory', and the openingdoes not
seem very illuminating. But this a problem that may often occur,
particularly when the novel does not start with characters: in their
absence it can prove difficult to find anything to hang on to. The
answer is to turn on a few pages, until I find a passage that does
present one or more ofthe leading figures. I can now formulate my
first rule:
Step1:Afterreadingtheworkasawhole,takeacloselookattheopeningpage
ofthenovel, or; ifthisproves unilluminating, atapassagefairly nearthe
beginningfeaturingoneormoreoftheprincipalcharacters
Following this procedure, I discover that, after his introductory
chapter, Scottmoves on quicklytoEdwardWaverley, the hero ofthe
novel, and I could choose anyofagreat numberofpassagesdescrib
ingthis youngman.TheextractIselectisjustunderapageinlength:
thatis,longenoughtosaysomethingsubstantial,butshortenoughto
allowme toexploreitinsome detail:
His powers ofapprehension were so uncommonly quick, as almost to resemble
intuition, and the chiefcare ofhis preceptorwas toprevent him, asa sportsman
would phraseit,fromoverrunninghisgame,thatis,fromacquiringhisknowledgein
a slight, flimsy, and inadequate manner. And here the instructor had to combat
anotherpropensitytoooftenunitedwith brilliancy offancyand vivacityoftalent,
that indolence, namely, ofdisposition,which can only bestirred bysome strong
motiveofgratification,and which renouncesstudyassoonascuriosityisgratified,
thepleasureofconqueringthefirstdifficultiesexhausted,and thenoveltyofpursuit
at an end. Edward would throw himselfwith spirit upon any classical authorof
whichhispreceptorproposedtheperusal,makehimselfmasterofthestylesofarasto
