Hey all I’m back for this week’s Bookish Wednesday with a topic I’ve mentioned many times in the past and I’m finally getting around to covering. It’s all about Literary Analysis!

Literary Analysis?: So I’ve mentioned that I hate literary analysis many times. There’s a reason for it, and that is because to me, a story should be enjoyed for what happens in the story rather than searching for a deeper meaning. Sometimes those deeper meanings might be as blunt as a sledgehammer to a face, but one shouldn’t judge stories for the deeper meanings that may or may not be what the author intended. I hate the fact that literary analysis is so heavily emphasized in school in America. It takes the joy out of reading stories, and that turns many people off reading entirely for the rest of their lives.

Do I do literary analysis for my work? Of course, but I try to keep out of it as much as possible, because for me doing that takes the enjoyment of any story and turns it into a debate waiting to happen. Stories to me should be enjoyed, or not enjoyed, for what happens in the story itself. A story shouldn’t have to be mandatory reading material for whatever deeper meaning people might pull out of it, and that’s where the main problem I have with literary analysis is. Reading a novel is an activity to get away from the world, not to dredge up deeper meaning to have a scholarly debate.

That’s it for this week’s Bookish Wednesday!