No, You Don’t Need a Degree in Literature…

Most people seem to think that you require a degree in literature of some sort in order to have a valid and more worthy opinion on which books we should be reading and how we should be reading them. We, in the world of the arts, tend to listen to scholars and academic hierarchies etc. which only means that we have lost our way when it comes to literature. Literature should be about the emotions of the masses. I mean, how many children have an opinion about Harry Potter who can also read about eight years above their own age? Pretty much none of them. Do their opinions therefore matter if they have not studied literature? Yes. In fact, it matters more because the book series in aimed at the children, not at the scholars. Books are hardly ever published with a target audience of scholars. So, this is an article about why you do not need a literature degree to have a valid, important opinion on novels and poetry. It will not only show you why you don’t need a literature degree to do this stuff, but it will also show why you possibly would want to get a degree in literature and guess what - it has nothing to do with validating your opinion on books.

Question: why is a literature degree not a requirement?

Many people like writing book reviews and as someone who has a Bachelor’s Degree in Literature, Film and Writing and a Master’s Degree in Film and Writing, I am here to tell you that I would rather read a review from someone who does not have a literature degree than one who does. This is because I like authenticity. When someone with degrees like mine reads a book, we cannot seem to get the analytical academic side out of our brains. It is not a fault, but we seem to have studied it for so long that it has free rent-space in our brains. Someone who has not studied these has a more authentic voice on their own opinion and focuses more on how the book makes them feel as opposed to the linguistic quality of this, that and the other. This is not degree-bashing. This is me stating that the person without a literature degree has not been brainwashed by academia and does not have it stuck in their brains. If you’re a child reading a children’s book then your opinion on that book would be far more valid than someone who has studied for fifteen years after they graduated. If you are a middle-aged woman then your opinion on books aimed at your group would be more valid than the scholars’ opinion. I truly believe that the opinion of the mass readers to which the book is targeted is more valid and more honest than that of a scholarly article on the same book.

Question: then, why do you need a literature degree?

A literature degree or a degree based in literature is normally a requirement if you want to go into a subject or job that needs you to be able to do these things. For example: Christopher Nolan has a degree in film, Andy Samberg has a degree in the performing arts etc. A literature degree is normally required if someone does want to go into academia, many wanting to be teachers and many wanting to go into academic journal writing jobs. It is not a requirement in order to make your opinion valid and it is definitely not required in order to understand a piece of literature ‘to the fullness’. If the book you are reading is enjoyable to you or if it is not, then your opinion about that book is personal, authentic and honest. A literature degree or a literature based degree may also be required if you want to go into a content writing job, a lecturing job at university, a writing for theatre job or these sort of things. You may also want to do a literature degree because you are just interested in literature or things around the subject. I have seen many people who do a college diploma or even a degree in literature because they are interested and I think that to get through a literature degree at all, you need to be very invested in the subject. But, if you’re reading this and you are very invested in books, I have no doubt that you will be able to do it.

Conclusion

To conclude, there is no real requirement for a literature degree in order to have a valid opinion on literature. Everyone is entitled to their opinion of things that are created for the enjoyment of the masses. Whatever you read, however you read it, whether it takes you one day or one year just remember - you are reading this book and your opinion is definitely and completely valid.