Difficulties face by students of BS English in Literary Analysis

Abstract

This research paper investigates the challenges encountered by Bachelor of Science in English (BS English) students in analyzing literature. It focuses on difficulties such as recognizing symbolism, understanding historical context, identifying literary devices, grasping narrative voice, interpreting stage directions, discerning intended meanings, and analyzing plot structure. A mixed-methods approach was employed, involving a comprehensive literature review and qualitative data collection through questionnaire conducted among BS English students. The literature review provided a theoretical framework for understanding the complexities of literary analysis, while the qualitative data collection offered insights into the practical experiences and perceptions of students. The findings reveal several noteworthy trends. Students often struggle to recognize symbolism, frequently misinterpreting or overlooking its significance in literary texts. Understanding the historical context of works proves challenging, with many students failing to connect the socio-political climate of the author’s time with the themes of the text. Based on these findings , recommendations are proposed to investigate how cultural background influence the challenges encountered by BS English students in literature analysis, considering factors such as language proficiency and exposal to diverse literary traditions.