It is not uncommon to think that literature is all about reading poetry, short stories and delving into the magical world of fantasy, mystery, thrillers and historical romance. Or, if you are an english literature student like I am, you are most likely familiar with a feeling that reading all those books for your modules is completely useless.
Of course, this perception is not totally wrong as many people do love a good read. However, there is a lot more to literature than what most of us think. Not only does it help to upskill your command of the spoken language, it also helps to strengthen your writing skills, stimulate your intellectual curiosity, enhance your memory and encourage you to be critical, all of which are important skills for any career.
6 top reasons why literacy skills are essential:
Critical analysis
This skill is highly developed through commenting, interpreting and suggesting various opinions and views of someones’ work. This automatically allows you to write and use extensive vocabulary to express your views. You are further required to analyse written structures, ideas, themes and characters building persuasive techniques of writing to convince your own reader of your analytical viewpoint.
Develop you intellectual curiosity
By ‘reading through the lines’ to decipher meaning, intent and the message of the author you extend your thinking to new ideas and possibilities. You also learn more about history, society and cultures through the reading of different eras. This historical insight and glimpse of the past might stimulate your curiosity to research more or delve into further reading within that genre or era. You also gain more knowledge the more you read, giving you a foundation of knowledge to participate in smart conversations with peers.
Strenghten your writing abilities
Literature not only expands your vocabulary; it also helps you to write articulately and coherently. This means you will be able to write in clear sentences that flow well and are easily understood using correct paragraph structures and grammar. You can write in sophisticated sentences and adjust your writing for different readers such as those in the workplace and those outside of the workplace. You will learn how to be concise in your message and present ideas and arguments in a meaningful way. These skills help to strengthen your communication skills, both written and verbal for all future job prospects.
Mental stimulation
Concentrating on words and storylines stimulate your brain and keep it active and alert. It also helps to broaden your thinking as you analyse themes, interpret messages and discover new words. Research has also shown that learning a brand new language can reduce the onset of Alzheimers and dementia.
Improve your memory and focus
During your literary endeavors, you will recall and remember sequences of events and historical periods, helping to enhance your memory. Not only will you pick up new words too you will also maintain concentration levels and be more attentive. As some written materials will be highly interesting to you as an individual, you will naturally be drawn to reading on and hence gain a better focus.
Stretch your imagination
You will be forced to think outside of the box and to reach areas of your imagination you may not have thought possible. This will expand your thinking, encourage you to generate new ideas and indulge in creative conclusions. The creative industry is the fastest-growing sector in the economy, giving us a higher chance to propel into a career that requires such skills. Creativity is highly sought after by employers in all sectors to help improve products, services and processes and something that cannot be automated by robots.
So, if you are an english literature or just a student, never underrate the importance of reading. It helps to develop various valuable skills. So whether you have to read a book for one of your modules, or just think about reading a random book you saw in a store, just go for it!