B: Margaret Huntley
As a writer, I need to know how to analyze texts. I have to be able to analyze my own works so that I can improve them, and I also need to know how to analyze other author’s works so I can understand and learn from them.
Analyzing written pieces is a pretty important skill for everyone, not just writers, which is why you learn it in English class in public school. I remember being one of the few people in my class who enjoyed exploring all of the context and nuance behind each text to extract meaningful themes and theses. Now that I am in university, all I ever do is analyze. I analyze everything from renaissance poems, to 18th-century novels, to modern philosophical articles. I even analyze literary critic’s analyses of other texts.
River Street writer, Margaret Huntley.
It’s easy to get sick of analyzing things, especially when you have to do it all the time, whether that be for school or for your work as a writer (or both). But when you really stop and think about why it’s important to analyze the written word, you’ll find yourself exercising your analytical skills more freely. Here are some of the reasons why it’s’ so crucial to analyze texts:
Provides Knowledge and Insight: Critical analysis goes beyond just reading what is on the page. It asks hard-hitting questions about why the author might have written what they did, what the text says about the world at large and the relevance of such themes. The more you know about a text, the better experience you have when reading it because you appreciate it more. And through comprehending all elements of a text, you understand the world better, which brings me to my next point.
Affects Your Worldview: Good literary analysis requires one to deeply assess their own beliefs. You may or may not agree with what the text is saying. And you may or may not change your beliefs after an extensive analysis of the work. Regardless of just how the text affects your worldview, the reality is that you had to consider your beliefs in relation to others.
Encourages Artistic Expression: Engaging with the art of the written word is fun! You get to appreciate the art for what it is and what effect it has. Through your analysis of the art, you may become inspired to create your own. And your work may inspire another person to create and so on.
Intellectual Exercise: If nothing else, critical analysis of texts is an intellectual exercise that benefits your overall mind intelligence. Our brains were made to be used and examining anything written is a great way to exercise them. But as it’s an exercise, it can also be tiring. So make sure to take breaks when necessary.
Those are just some of the reasons I think that analyzing literature is so great. I’d love to hear your thoughts, so feel free to comment below.