Taking your first college literature course can be rather intimidating, especially if you attended a high school that didn’t fully prepare you for such a class. Many students take it for granted that their high school has done everything possible to prepare them for a college literature course. Unfortunately, this isn’t always true. While you may have read some of the novels that your instructor expects you to have already read, there’s a good chance that you’re not where you should be. In the fall of 2006, I took my first college literature course and even though it was Introduction to Literature, I found out that I was extremely behind on the novels that I should have already read. While I was behind, I still managed to finish the course with an “A”. I also had a chance to sit down with my wonderful instructor, Mr. Allan Grant, and ask him what he thought students should do to prepare themselves for their first college literature course.
How to Prepare for College Literature Courses #1: Read The Odyssey
The first thing Mr. Grant told me was that students should read The Odyssey. While The Odyssey may have been a choice on many reading lists, very few high school students have actually read it. Take time before your college literature course starts to read this classic. If you can’t get it read before the course starts, at least read it during the semester. It wouldn’t hurt to let your instructor see you reading it and to ask questions. This shows your instructor that you are interested in doing the best you can in the class.
How to Prepare for College Literature Courses #2: Read a Play by Shakespeare
My instructor also mentioned that students should read at least one play by Shakespeare before taking a college literature course. It doesn’t really matter which play you read. This means that you can take your time and choose something that truly interests you.
How to Prepare for College Literature Courses #3: Read a Substantial Novel
You should also consider reading a substantial novel before beginning your college literature course. Mr. Grant suggested that students should pick a novel by Hemingway or Faulkner. These novels really will prepare you for what you will be reading in your college literature course. As you read one of these novels, try to think about the meaning behind it. In your college literature course, you will be expected to write about every aspect of a story. It’s best to be as prepared as possible for you college literature course.
How to Prepare for College Literature Courses #4: Read a Few Other Classics
The last piece of advice I can give you is to read several more classics before you begin your college literature course. There is a list available that tells the top 100 novels students should have read before leaving high school. Here are just a few of the novels from that list:
Beowulf by Unknown Author
Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen
To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee
Selected Tales by Edgar Allan Poe
Inferno by Dante
Crime and Punishment by Fyodor Dostoyevsky
The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne
The Last of the Mohicans by James Fenimore Cooper
