On the Art of Reading · Chapter
Lecture V: On Reading for Examinations explained
The lecturer addresses the tension between literature and examinations, arguing that while exams test knowledge, true understanding of literature requires a deeper engagement with 'What Is' rather than mere facts.
What happens
The lecturer addresses the tension between literature and examinations, arguing that while exams test knowledge, true understanding of literature requires a deeper engagement with 'What Is' rather than mere facts. He defends the necessity of prescribed reading lists as a guide for students, and offers comfort that even within examination constraints, the highest literary experiences arise from moments of high excitement and disciplined practice.
Themes in this chapter
Education vs. Examination
The central theme of the lecture, contrasting the deep understanding fostered by literature with the superficial knowledge tested by exams.
Value of the Classics
Implied through the discussion of prescribed reading lists that include canonical authors like Chaucer and Shakespeare.
Reading and Life
The lecturer argues that reading should cultivate 'being' (What Is) rather than mere knowledge, linking literature to life's deeper meaning.
Characters to notice
- Unknown Narrator
The lecturer, speaking to students about the challenges of reading for examinations.
- Shelley
Quoted for a stanza from 'Adonais' to illustrate the difficulty of examining poetry.
- Shakespeare
Referenced through Hamlet, emphasizing the importance of 'being' Hamlet over knowing facts about the play.
- St. Paul
Cited for the glorious passage from 1 Corinthians 15, as an example of prose rising from argument to high emotion.
- Napoleon
Mentioned in the context of military genius and the sudden flash of inspiration, paralleling literary creation.
- Homer
Referenced in the phrase 'Nine days, according to Homer, Leto travailed with Apollo' to illustrate the labor behind inspiration.
- Apollo
Mentioned as the god of song, born after nine days of labor, symbolizing the need for sustained effort.
- Chaucer
Listed as an author whose works are prescribed for examination, e.g., 'The Parlement of Fowls' and 'The Canterbury Tales'.
Key passages
“Examination in Literature, being by its very nature so closely tied down to be a test of Knowledge, can hardly, save when used by genius, with care, be any final test of that which is better than Knowledge, of that which is the crown of all scholarship, of understanding.”
Exams in literature are inherently limited to testing knowledge, and only a truly skilled examiner can assess the deeper understanding that is the true goal of scholarship.
The lecturer critiques the examination system for failing to measure genuine literary comprehension.
“I most potently believe that the very best writing, in verse or in prose, can only be produced in moments of high excitement, or rather (as I should put it) in those moments of still and solemn awe into which a noble excitement lifts a man.”
The finest writing arises from intense emotional states, specifically a calm reverence that follows profound excitement.
The lecturer connects literary creation to moments of heightened emotion and discipline.
“These crests only rise on the back of constant labour. Nine days, according to Homer, Leto travailed with Apollo: but he was Apollo, lord of Song.”
Great literary achievements are built on persistent effort, just as the god Apollo was born after a long labor.
The lecturer emphasizes the necessity of daily practice, even for genius.
