Description
These Notes present a clear discussion of the action and thought of the work under consideration and a concise interpretation of its artistic merits and its significance.
They are intended as a supplementary aid to the serious student. They serve to free the student from interminable and distracting note-taking in class so that he may listen intelligently to what the instructor is saying, or to the class discussion, making selective notes on these, secure in the knowledge that he has the basic understanding. They are also helpful in preparing for an examination, saving not merely the burden but the confusion of trying to re-read the full text under pressure, and disentangling from a mass of often illegible-notes that which is of central importance.
THE NOTES ARE NOT A SUBSTITUTE FOR THE TEXT ITSELF OR FOR THE CLASSROOM DISCUSSION OF THE TEXT, AND THE STUDENT WHO SO ATTEMPTS TO USE THEM IS DENYING HIMSELF THE VERY EDUCATION THAT HE IS PRESUMABLY GIVING HIS MOST VITAL YEARS TO ACHIEVE.
The critical evaluations have been prepared by experts with special knowledge of the individual texts who have usually had some years' experience in teaching the works. They are, however, not incontrovertible. No literary judgment is. Of any great work of literature there are many interpretations, and even conflicting views have value for the student (and the teacher), since the aim is not for the student to accept unquestioningly any one interpretation but to make his own.
