Is studying an English Degree an easy option?

During the last three years upon mentioning I am studying an English degree, the response has generally been ‘English? How hard is it to read a few books?’ delivered in a sneering tone; leaving me feeling that people perceive this subject as being an easy, or ‘soft option’. The literal answer to this question is that it is not hard to read a book; but that is not the reason I have spent my time and money studying an English degree. I was already able to read; indeed I have read extensively throughout my life so far. I wanted, instead, to be able to see past what is written to what is meant in a text, something that is a lot harder than reading. I returned to education after a long break and although reading has always been my favourite pastime, being called ‘bookish’ in school reports, automatically given library duties as a prefect and amassing a collection of over 1300 books, the standards needed at degree level took me by complete surprise. Studying this ‘easy’ degree has changed so much more than my reading, including the way I think and even the way I watch TV (not that there is any time for such a frivolous activity!) Gone are the lazy days of believing the word on the page or images on the screen, replaced instead by an inquisitiveness to understand deeper meanings, a quality that has been painstakingly cultivated through lectures and seminars, exercising my mind in a way similar to that of athletes training for competitions and no one says that is easy!

When I began the degree course, I was a voracious reader, reading a novel within a day or two; taking at face value the words written on the page - easy reading in other words, and although I still read widely, the way I do this has changed dramatically. Now, instead of greedily consuming a text and moving on to the next one, I read slowly, which allows the words to sink into my head and to understand better what is being said, which I don’t always want to do, especially if I am reading something that does not stand much analysis, like the ‘formulaic’ and ‘generic’ adventure fiction of Clive Cussler. Evenings filled with playing on the Xbox, or taking long leisurely baths seem like a distant memory, replaced by a necessity for (as it is known in the trade) close reading. I find that I need to read some books two or even three times through, each time discovering a new motif which needs careful consideration. So much for easy reading!

One of the things I was unprepared for when I began studying was the amount of other disciplines I would need get to grips with in order to gain a full understanding of a piece of literature, as with the poetry of Seamus Heaney which I studied in the first year. During the first lecture on the Irish poet I listened incredulously as I was told this poem directly correlated to the Troubles in Northern Ireland; I felt my heart sink and wondered how on earth I would manage to graduate if I did not even understand this obviously basic interpretation of poetry. However, perseverance, the study of Irish history and an open mind enabled me to understand his writing, and also led me to appreciate how important the context and the background around a piece of literature are when trying to understand it. This degree also required a sound grasp of sociology, which like history I had never significantly considered before; but it was quickly evident that it was essential to the successful study of English Literature, resulting in long nights revisiting my partner’s A-level sociology notes and textbooks in order to know what is meant by the terms ‘post-modernism’ or ‘Marxism’.

As a ‘mature’ student, I had to make a large number of changes in my life as a result of studying; I have, in effect, put life on hold in order to complete this degree. I have missed friend’s birthdays and my children’s school plays in order to be at lectures; I have spent evenings at home, when others have been out carousing and having a good time, so I can have an essay finished early - although I have saved a fortune in babysitting costs! Joking aside though, this degree has not been an easy option by any means; apart from the studying itself, there have been times when I have thought the cost too great, that I have neglected aspects of life that are important, like school events and friends. So to those people who consider that an English degree to be a soft option let me say this.

Studying an English degree is more than reading; it is learning to understand the words written by another person and knowing what they are saying, over the span of centuries in some cases. It is being able to articulate what that author is saying underneath the words, even when the author does not realise it. Being an English student is regretfully looking at the pile of Christmas present novels sitting in the corner and knowing that they will not be read, because the pile next to the bed are needed for the next essay that is due in and then there will be the one after that; it is having to get to grips with a theoretical perspective such as Marxism or Feminism so that you can discuss it in the next seminar and know what you are talking about. An English degree is about studying history and sociology as well as English literature and giving up leisure time to understand what is being studied by re-reading things over and over again; But, studying an English degree is also about learning to understand the world around you in a new way, listening to the opinions of other people, and accepting their interpretations; it is also about personal development and learning to ask for advice rather than struggling on and accepting that I am not superwoman who can do everything alone. So, while it may be easy to read a book there is so much more to an English degree that that, and while I have sometimes struggled and had to push myself to finish a piece of work, it has been worth every late night and unread Christmas present; I can now not only read that book, but I can understand it too!