Stages of Literary Appreciation

Did my teacher really understand the stages of literary appreciation?

Literary appreciation is the process by which the reader enters the world of the writer with the intention of examining its beauty. The stages of literary appreciation entails the different levels at which individuals develop attitudes, writing, listening skills that is necessary for individual to develop specific skills. Each stage is characterized by age, literary materials and activities. There are five stages of literary appreciation.

In studying a novel “  A Separate Peace” I remember the teacher had to force not only me but my classmates as well to read the text. What made it even more difficult for us is that the teacher was enthusiastic about teaching the text. The students just could not understand why and the teacher was confused that we did not like the text. She was furious when we said that the novel did not interest us at all.

Although students were not motivated to read the text the teacher did not attempt to use any other strategy to cater to the interest of students. In an attempt to get students to understand the text the teacher read some of the chapters in class and try to get them to discuss, but no one had much to say. The teacher did not seem to take into consideration that in order for students to enjoy the text they must respect the story. The fact that students did not value the text made it difficult for them to engage and construct their own meaning. The teacher did not understand that student uses literature to make sense of their experiences. This affected her whole approach to teaching the novel because she had the mindset that students would enjoy reading this text because she enjoyed it herself.

Furthermore, the teacher selected a text which she liked and just could not understand why students had such negative feeling toward the text. She did not seem to have the knowledge that at stage four of the literary appreciation students are more discriminating. They will question the characters motives and may reject the text based on their own objectives. The teacher therefore, should have helped students develop an appreciation to text which they perceive to be boring in order to get them to enjoy the writer’s craft.

An understanding of the stages of literary appreciation help teachers recognize the importance of selecting text that is authentic and that students can relate their experience to. Experiencing pleasure is crucial in appreciating literature. The teacher must therefore, take into consideration these factors when teaching literature.