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In his article “You’ve Read the Novels (Now Read the Footnotes),” William Grimes discusses the importance of annotated texts and whether or not footnotes are essential to the understanding of a story.  He starts off by telling of his misinterpretation of the plant furze, evident in Thomas Hardy’s “Return of the Native.”  Though his understanding of furze did not alter his understanding of the piece, it also did not enable him to create the picture that Hardy envisioned him to.

Grime believes that footnotes are important because they help to put the reader into the time and culture in which the piece was written.  For example, he talks about Austen novels, which were written during the 18th and 19th centuries.  If a person were to read them and not understand the minute details, he would probably be able to understand the novel.  However, to be able to truly grasp the meaning and put himself in the mindset of Austen and the setting of the novel, he should know what all social elements mentioned in the text mean.

…reanimating the details does enrich one’s reading.  They can illuminate and sometimes enlighten.  Most facts are merely dated equivalents of present-day realities – one form of currency for another – but others help explain character and motivation.

While Grime believes that some annotation may be burdensome and even take away from the enjoyment of a text, he also firmly believes that footnotes can greatly improve one’s reading experience.

You may be wondering how this article fits into my topic of YA versus classic literature or into our class.  However, I believe that there is a clear connection.  Some critics argue that classic literature should not be taught because the language as well as the cultural elements are unclear to students.  For example they would say that an Austen novel is over 200 years old and has no connection with students today.  However, introducing annotated copies of works into a secondary English classroom could greatly improve students’ understanding of a work.

Earlier this semester I read Jane Austen’s Persuasion for a British Literature course, and I relied on footnotes to help me through the text.  It allowed me to understand elements that normally would have gone right over my head.  I truly believe that if students reading classic literature had footnotes to clear up certain issues, they would have a better time understanding.  They may not necessarily enjoy reading any better, but at least they would grasp better social norms of the time and perhaps even draw comparisons between life in the 18th or 19th centuries and life in the 21st century.

“You’ve Read the Novels (Now Read the Footnotes)”

William Grime: 16 March 2007

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