Why the Study of English Literature Matters
- English literature helps readers develop strong critical thinking and analytical skills.
- Literature builds empathy by allowing readers to experience different identities, emotions, and life situations.
- Studying English literature strengthens communication skills useful in many careers.
- Literature influences society by challenging norms, inspiring social change, and shaping collective values.
People all over the world have turned to English literature to understand the world, explore identity, and make sense of human experience. Whether through poetry, a period novel, or a compelling piece of creative writing, literature offers insight into who we are and how we live.
But why is English literature important today? In a world saturated with information, literature helps people to think critically, build empathy, and connect across cultures. Reading also has many benefits we can take advantage of, from mental stimulation to the stress reduction it can provide.
Ultimately, the importance of English literature in human life lies in its ability to teach us how to reflect, communicate, and imagine. This article is all about why a study of English literature matters: keep reading to find out why reading is so important in today's modern world!
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Understanding English Literature
Definition and Scope
While most people think of the plays of Shakespeare or the long novels of Charles Dickens when they think of English literature, the reality is that its scope is far more vast. English literature refers to all written works produced in the English language, regardless of where the author comes from. Furthermore, various forms of English literature exist, including:
- Poetry
- Prose
- Novels
- Short stories
- Drama
- Essays
- Creative writing
- Literary criticism
What makes English literature unique is the breadth and richness of its voices. Works from England, the United States, Canada, India, Nigeria, and many other regions contribute to a body of writing that captures global experiences through the shared medium of language.
Use this Guide to Analyzing English Literature to better understand themes, characters, and literary techniques.
Historical Evolution
The history of English literature spans over 1,500 years and reflects shifting cultures, values, and artistic forms. Understanding this evolution shows why studying literature helps us understand social progress.
Key periods include:
c. 450-1066 CE
Anglo-Saxon Period
Epic poems like Beowulf explored heroism, community, and survival.
1066–1500 CE
Middle English
Following the Norman Conquest, English absorbs French influences. Writers experiment with allegory, religion, and social satire. Key writer: Geoffrey Chaucer (The Canterbury Tales, c. 1387).
1500–1660
The English Renaissance
A flourishing of art, creative writing, and drama. Themes include humanism, identity, and political power. Key writer: William Shakespeare (1564–1616), shaping English drama and poetry.
1660–1780
The Enlightenment (Neoclassical Period)
Writers emphasize reason, logic, and social critique. Rise of essays, political commentary, satire, and the foundations of the modern novel. Key writers: Jonathan Swift, Alexander Pope.
1780–1837
Romantic Period
A shift toward emotion, nature, imagination, and individual experience. Poetry becomes the dominant literary form. Key writers: Wordsworth, Coleridge, Byron, Keats, Shelley.
1837–1901
Victorian Period
Named after Queen Victoria. Literature focuses on industrialization, morality, class struggle, and social change. Serialized novels become widely popular. Key writers: Charles Dickens, the Brontë sisters, Thomas Hardy.
1901–1945
Modernist Period
Radical experimentation in form, structure, and language. Writers respond to world wars, technology, and shifting identity. Key writers: Virginia Woolf, James Joyce, T.S. Eliot.
1945–Present
Postmodern & Contemporary Literature
Writers embrace fragmentation, metafiction, global perspectives, and identity exploration. Growing representation from formerly colonized nations transforms English literature into a global medium. Key writers include: Margaret Atwood, Salman Rushdie, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, Zadie Smith, Richard Powers.
Each period shows how language and storytelling change over time, and how society and literature constantly reshape each other.
Learning how to structure an essay is an essential skill for writing clear and effective literary analysis.
Why Study English Literature?
Enhancing Critical Thinking and Analytical Skills
There are so many reasons English Literature is one of the most important areas of study. In fact, most universities in Canada require that applicants take one senior level English literature course in high school as a prerequisite for entry.
One of the major reasons why English literature is important lies in the discipline's focus on developing critical thinking and analytical skills.
When we read and analyze texts, we learn to:
- Interpret multiple layers of meaning
- Analyze how structure, symbolism, and language influence interpretation
- Question assumptions about people and ideas
- Identify biases in writing and in ourselves
- Understand complex social or moral dilemmas
By studying English literature, students benefit from is the ability to see different viewpoints. It allows us to develop empathy for the characters we read about based on their plot lines. It improves our self-development skills through reflection and drawing connections to our own lived experiences.
These analytical skills are essential not only in academic life but also in workplaces where communication, reasoning, and problem-solving matter. They can also be applied to other areas of study, like the social sciences or the arts.
Cultural and Historical Awareness
Every piece of literature carries traces of the time and culture in which it was written. Through reading, we can authentically explore historical events (wars, revolutions, social movements), shifts in cultural values, perspectives from marginalized or underrepresented groups, and social structures, class systems, and power dynamics
This cultural literacy helps readers understand populations across countries and periods, whether it is medieval England, colonial India, or contemporary Canada. Understanding literature means understanding how people lived, what they believed, and how they changed.
Some books aim to teach readers everything about English literature, from its origins to contemporary works.
Emotional and Empathetic Development
The importance of English literature in human life is deeply tied to empathy. Through reading, we live someone else’s experience. We feel their losses, hopes, and transformations. Fiction and poetry help readers:
- Develop emotional intelligence
- Deepen self-awareness
- Explore moral choices
- Understand human motivations
- Appreciate perspectives different from their own
In a multicultural world, literature becomes a bridge between identities.
What I love most about reading: It gives you the ability to reach higher ground. And keep climbing.
Oprah Winfrey
The Role of English Literature in Education
Curriculum Integration in Studying English
In schools and universities, studying literature is foundational to understanding how the English language works. At every different level of formal schooling in English-speaking schools, the study of English serves a key purpose. Let's take a look at how English study is integrated at all different grades of the curriculum.
Children build foundational literacy skills through picture books, oral storytelling, and simple poems. The focus is on understanding characters, settings, and basic story structure while developing vocabulary and a love of reading.
Students begin reading longer, more complex texts and exploring themes and basic literary devices. They learn to make text-to-self, text-to-world, and text-to-text connections. Literature becomes a tool for expanding their worldview and developing early analytical thinking.
Learners engage with novels, plays, memoirs, and poetry at a deeper interpretive level, examining symbolism, tone, and cultural context. They begin writing analytical paragraphs and essays supported by textual evidence. Literature helps them explore issues such as identity, justice, and societal change.
Students analyze sophisticated texts, including Shakespeare, global literature, and modern works, through advanced literary concepts. They write structured, thesis-driven essays and are introduced to literary theory and critical lenses. Literature becomes a way to understand complex human experiences and societal issues.
University students study literature through scholarly inquiry, research, and theoretical frameworks such as feminism, postcolonialism, and structuralism. They engage with major historical periods, conduct original research, and participate in academic debates. Literature becomes both a subject of analysis and a discipline of intellectual inquiry.
For English language learners (ELLs), literature introduces authentic language use, idiomatic expressions, and cultural references essential to full participation in English-speaking environments.
Career Opportunities
Many mistakenly assume that an English literature background has zero application in the "real world", and that English majors will struggle to find careers or future academic pathways beyond literary criticism. The truth is that a background in English literature can lead to careers requiring strong communication, analysis, and creativity.
Here are just a handful of careers that English majors are well suited for.
| Career Path | How English Literature Supports This Career |
|---|---|
| Teaching | Develops strong communication skills, deep understanding of texts, and the ability to explain complex ideas clearly, essential for guiding student learning. |
| Journalism | Builds analytical thinking, concise writing skills, and the ability to interpret events and perspectives. |
| Editing and Publishing | Provides understanding of narrative structure, grammar, and style, enabling professionals to evaluate manuscripts and refine written work. |
| Marketing and Communications | Strengthens persuasive writing, audience analysis, and message design, helping professionals craft compelling content for brands and organizations. |
| Creative Writing and Screenwriting | Enhances imagination, narrative craft, and knowledge of literary techniques, enabling writers to create engaging stories and scripts. |
| Library and Information Sciences | Offers familiarity with literary genres, research skills, and cataloging concepts, supporting roles in archives, libraries, and information management. |
| Public Policy and Research | Builds critical reading and analytical skills needed to examine documents, interpret data narratives, and communicate policy recommendations clearly. |
| Law and Professional Writing | Sharpens argumentation, close reading, and precise writing, key skills for drafting legal documents, analyzing cases, and presenting clear arguments. |
English Literature’s Influence on Society
English literature has always been more than entertainment: it is a mirror, a critique, and sometimes a blueprint for societal transformation. Through stories, poems, plays, and essays, writers reflect the values of their time while also challenging readers to question, reimagine, and reshape their beliefs.
Shaping Social Values and Norms
Through early religious texts and groundbreaking contemporary novels, literature has played a central role in defining and shifting collective thinking.
For example, consider the way Margaret Atwood's The Handmaid's Tale confronted issues of bodily autonomy, patriarchy, political control. Though written in 1985, the story still deeply resonates with readers today. A hundred years before Atwood, writers like Charlotte Bronte (Jane Eyre) and Jane Austen (Emma, Sense and Sensibility) pushed readers to reconsider rigid expectations for women in society.
George Orwell's Animal House continues to be a choice text in English literature classrooms for sparking discussions about privacy and government power. On a similar note, Antigone by Sophocles (widely studied in English translation) explores civil disobedience, law, and moral duty, and The Trial by Franz Kafka surreally depicts bureaucratic and the impossibility of justice.
Perhaps some of the most notable English literary texts have taken on the issue of race, identity, and migration. Beloved, by Toni Morrison examines the trauma of slavery and its generational impact.
The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas explores police violence, activism, and the Black Lives Matter movement. Americanah by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie tells a story of migration race, and identity across Nigeria, the U.S., and the UK.
Promoting Social Change
Throughout history, English literature has acted as a catalyst for social change by giving voice to injustice, challenging dominant ideologies, and inspiring readers to imagine alternatives to the status quo.
Many influential works have shifted public opinion and fueled social movements, including:
- Harriet Beecher Stowe’s Uncle Tom’s Cabin: galvanized anti-slavery activism and humanized the experiences of enslaved people.
- Postcolonial works such as Things Fall Apart (Chinua Achebe) and Wide Sargasso Sea (Jean Rhys): challenged Eurocentric narratives and redefined how readers understand empire, identity, and history.
- Indigenous authors like Richard Wagamese and Lee Maracle: advanced truth-telling, cultural reclamation, and reconciliation efforts in Canada.
These examples demonstrate the ways in which literature mobilizes empathy, sparks debate, and empowers readers to push for justice and collective action.
Knowing how to study English literature can make reading complex novels and poems much more enjoyable and meaningful.
Engaging with English Literature Today
Modern Platforms and Accessibility
In today's hyperactive, digitally saturated modern world, it should come as no surprise that literature has gone multimodal with so many ways to consume stories beyond the traditional book. Digital technology has expanded access to literature through:
- Social media book communities (#BookTok, #Bookstagram)
- Audiobooks
- eBooks
- Online libraries
Listening to a great work of fiction on your daily commute or exploring critical takes on new works through a podcast are just a couple ways you can engage in literary studies. This accessibility allows literature to reach global audiences instantly.
Encouraging Lifelong Reading Habits
Engaging regularly with literature for pleasure helps nurture creativity, offering readers new ideas, imaginative possibilities, and fresh ways of thinking about the world. It also builds emotional resilience, allowing individuals to explore complex feelings, find comfort in characters’ experiences, and develop a deeper understanding of themselves.
There are many ways to stay connected to literature, such as joining book clubs, exploring authors from different cultures, trying new genres, attending literary festivals, or keeping a reading journal. Ultimately, reading is both a personal refuge and a powerful tool for intellectual growth.
Teachers frequently introduce popular texts in English literature to help students explore different genres and historical periods.
Here are some benefits of reading:
Stress Release - We all have stressful events that happen, and we need to limit the stressors. Reading can be a great way to deal with the stress in your life. As soon as you pick up that book, you start to feel your stress melt away.
Mental Stimulation - Reading is excellent for our brain. Like any other muscle in the body, the brain needs exercise. Reading is a perfect way to stimulate the mind, which has been linked to helping prevent Alzheimer's and dementia. You are building up the neuropathways in your brain that strengthen connections.
Knowledge - Anything you want to learn, there is a book about it. Books are an excellent way to learn and study anything you want. It's easy to check out your local library and start finding something that interests you.
Vocabulary - By reading more, your learning new words, which is expanding your vocabulary. Having a better vocabulary allows you to articulate yourself better. In addition, you can use better words to speak with people, whether at work or for personal reasons.
These are just some of the great benefits to read. Everyone can find the time to read every day or even every other day. Creating a schedule can be a great way to stick to reading. Often we can't find the time. At the beginning of the week, pick days and times to read. This way, you stick with reading and enjoy the benefits. Finding a quiet area with no distractions is also going to be beneficial.
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Finding an English Literature Tutor
English literature studies can be challenging, as you may often find yourself in the role of literary critic, connecting themes and ideas in the books to political and philosophical theories. Even writing your first essay can be daunting - and this is why tutors can be a great source of help!
English tutors can help you answer any questions you may find around literature. Superprof has 100s of tutors all across Canada that are ready to work with you. They have the experience and knowledge to teach you everything you need to know. Superprof also offers lessons online and in-person, giving you the freedom and flexibility to learn when you want to learn.
References
- Nussbaum, Martha C. Not for Profit: Why Democracy Needs the Humanities. Princeton University Press, 2010.
- Oxford Research Encyclopedias. “Why Literature Matters.” Oxford University Press, 2020, oxfordre.com.
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