Chapter Summaries (1 Viewer)

[DraconisV]

Im in yr 11 and in ext eng we are doign Jane Eyre and the Eyre Affair as novels this term, and in total there is about 1000 pages.

So one of my mates in my class said he read both books in one hour by just reading the chapter summaries, i feel this will limit his understanding of the novel am i right in that or should i jsut read the summaries and bludge my way out of it ?

any help will be greatly appreciated

 

[glitterfairy]

It's really up to you and your conscience.

Yes, you can just read the chapter summaries... yes, you can probably pass, and even get pretty darn good marks by reading chapter summaries and study guides. You won't actually learn all that much, but it's an easy ticket to a guarenteed pass, at leastish.

On the other hand, you can actually read the books... make your own notes, come to your own conclusions, decide whether you want to read any study guides or not to supplement your own understanding of the novel, and do lots of practice questions to refine the way you answer hsc-style questions. Even with enough work and running around on your behalf, there is no guarentee of a good mark... however if you do work really hard, the potential is there to get top marks

But wait, there's more! Sometimes they will ask uber-dodgey questions (particularly in ee1) where you will really be required to understand both your texts, your module, and come up with your own argument. Boy oh boy oh boy oh boy is this easier when you actually do the work. Study guides do *not* come with the magic answer to every essay question ever written.

Not only that, but from actively trying in the english courses - reading the books and actually working - you have actually *learnt* something from doing english, and can apply these skills to the rest of your life. Corny, yes, but I can't just *read* anymore... I analyse