Blog Eight

Stages of Literary Appreciation

            According to Donelson and Nielsen (2001), Literary Appreciation is the ‘ability to gain pleasure and understand literature’ as well as ‘to understand the value and importance of literature’. They continue by stating that ‘to esteem, honour, respect and admire the beauty and complexity of literature’ reflects Literature Appreciation. There are seven stages of literary appreciation. These stages are an approximation of the different levels of ‘how individuals develop personal attitudes and reading, watching, and listening skills that are a necessary part of literary appreciation’ (Donelson et al, 2001). It is important to note that people do not simply go though these seven stages of literary appreciation, but rather continuously add on so that each new level becomes a new way to gain pleasure and understanding of literature. Let us now briefly examine these stages.

            At level one of the stages of literary appreciation, the child is ‘Understanding that Pleasure and Profit Comes from Literature’. This stage is from birth to Kindergarten (ages zero to five). The child enjoys nursery rhymes, folktales, picture books and television programs, which provides the child interaction with literature. The child has favourite read aloud books and memorizes favourite stories for pretend reading later. He ‘reads’ signs and enjoys listening to adults read. The literature experience at this stage is one that is social, as the child gains opportunities for ‘talking stories’ and ‘grand conversations’.

            ‘Learning to Read’ is the second level the child adds on to his stages of Literary Appreciation. At primary grades (ages six to eight), the child learns to decode and develops an attention span. School reading texts, Easy-to-Read books, signs and other real-world messages help to make the development of literacy in the child possible. He takes pride in reading to parents and also enjoys reading alone. The child is considered to be in a stage of ‘unconscious enjoyment’ and may become addicted to one particular book or character.

            The third level in the stages of Literary Appreciation is known as ‘Losing Oneself in a Story’. In the late elementary stages of school (ages nine to eleven), the child becomes fascinated with series books, fantasies, animal stories and just about any literature one can disappear into when reading. The child at this stage reads when engaged in other activities, such as travelling and really enjoys reading from a particular genre or author. It is at this stage that the child uses reading as a means of escaping.

            In Junior High (ages twelve to fourteen), the adolescent adds on level four to his Literary Appreciation. At this stage, the adolescent engages in ‘Finding Oneself in a Story’. He begins to be discriminatory and prefers realistic fiction, contemporary problem novels and wish-fulfilling stories. The adolescent no longer wants to simply know what happened; he wants to know why it happened. He uses reading as an escape from social pressures and wants to find out about himself in the process. In addition, he may also become curious about other sides of life, such as the bizarre and grotesque.

The fifth level in the stages of literary Appreciation is known as ‘Venturing Beyond Self’. At this level, the adolescent is at high school (ages fifteen to eighteen) and enjoys science fiction and social issues fiction. The adolescent goes beyond his egocentrism and looks at the larger circle of society. This stage is more about emotional, intellectual and physical development instead of advanced reading skills. The reading that the adolescent engages in, is beyond school assignments and allows focus on his psychological needs in relation to society.

The sixth and seventh levels that young adults add on to their Literary Appreciation are known as ‘Reading Widely’ and ‘Aesthetic Appreciation’ respectively. At college and beyond (ages eighteen until death), the young adult enjoys best-sellers, acclaimed novels, classics, drama, plays, poems and films as well as talking to their peers about their experiences with literature. The young adult now reads using his developed skills and attitudes necessary to enjoy literary experiences at all the previous levels, and understands the beauty and artistic value of literature enough to read aesthetically.

There are seven stages of Literary Appreciation. The development of Literature Appreciation begins long before one is able to read and continues throughout adulthood until death.

Sources:
www.unc.edu/.../Stages%20of%20Literary%20Appreciation%20-%20Literature%20for%20Today's%20Young%20Adults.pdf