Introductory post

Hello everyone my name is Vibha Jayaprakash, I am a third-year student studying Psychology, and this class is one of two literature-related courses I am taking this term. I partly took this course to fulfill my literature requirement, however, I am also an avid reader and enjoy almost all genres from fantasy to classical literature. At the moment my favourite books are A Picture of Dorian Gray, Pride and Prejudice, Jane Eyre, and A Silent Patient. I have recently started reading Frankenstein by Mary Shelley and I am really enjoying it. Though I am very early on I can already see why the book still has such a strong influence on pop culture and the gothic horror genre so many years after it was published. The next two books on my TBR are Wuthering Heights and The Maidens.

 I enjoy analyzing the books I read to a certain extent to help me understand what makes them so engaging to me. Though this class will help me fulfill a degree requirement, I also hope it will help add a new perspective that I can take whilst reading in my spare time to allow for further engagement and enjoyment. If not I am also just excited to explore this new area of written works as I haven't engaged much in the literature that will be brought up within this course. I do not always have a lot of time with work and school to engage in hobbies like reading these days, so I feel a course like this would be perfect for me as I get to read and analyze different works as a part of my academic journey. I am hoping this class will not only teach me to take apart and examine written works in a specific way but also show me how to look at literature in a more general sense. Looking at the introductory lecture it seems that the professor is already taking a more holistic approach, with one of the goals of the class being to look at the commonalities and differences that can be seen throughout our readings. This already has me wondering what common themes can be seen throughout the literature I am reading and how this affects the overall impact of the book. I am also wondering what distinct features can be seen within my favourite books. Why did the author choose to diverge from certain common themes? and How did it serve the plot and message of the book?