intro to lit

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Recommended: O Henry's experience and his writing style

“Literature is one of the most interesting and significant expressions of humanity.” This is a popular quote by P. T. Barnum (“Barnum”, n.d.). In this quote P. T. Barnum is saying that literature in one of the most important aspects to human kind. Most of the time people read a piece of literature and don’t truly dig deep and feel what the author was intending, like in older pieces of work. First, a person should read a story. Then, they should ask themselves, “How did that make me feel and why did it make me feel that way?” and write it down to help make the thought become clearer; this is called a personal response. Next, they should do a little research on the author’s background. The background information will help give the reader insight into what the author was trying to say; this is usually an author’s biography. Finally, you begin close reading by breaking the story down paragraph- by- paragraph, this is an analysis. When reading older stories, like Hearts and Hands by O. Henry, this is an important process. By using the author’s biography, having a literary analysis, and responding personally the reader can truly connect with and understand what an author is trying to express. Author Biography Imagine a world where you were a famous author in the early 1900’s. You probably were a little popular then, but today you would be famous. Many authors started out like this. William Sydney Porter, also known as O. Henry, was one of these authors. O. Henry has written many famous pieces of work, consisting mostly of short stories. His most famous short story is The Gift of the Magi. Although, William wasn’t always known as O. Henry, there was a lot going on in his life that led up to the penname. William’s life was a series of up... ... middle of paper ... ...of the few that I read that actually left me with a feeling more than just satisfaction. Conclusion By using a personal response, author’s biography, and literature analysis I was able to get the full extent of O. Henry’s meanings. When P.T. Barnum said literature was a significant expression of human kind he was right. Without the literature process most people would look at a story by an older author like O. Henry and feel like they hadn’t gotten the full experience, and maybe even be a little confused. Now that I’ve done this process once, I’m able to carry it with me through my lifetime and use it later when I read more of his stories. This process helps make an author’s meaning clear and lends a hand to the reader by helping them dig deeper into the significance behind the author’s words. This process helps a reader to comprehend an author’s implications.

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