You love reading. Books are your world. You can’t wait to get back to the amazing book you’re currently reading. You embody the “Sorry, I’m booked” slogan. The only thing that comes close to your love for books? Sharing your love of books.
One of the best ways to do this is a book club. Each month, you’re excited to meet with like-minded people to discuss your latest read. But you’ve discovered a pattern: often, the conversation turns … literary. … Terms like “motif” and “archetype” get bandied about. While you love reading and gushing about what you’re reading, you can’t help but feel a little confused when the conversation takes an analytical or academic turn.
Even worse, you feel unsure of yourself. You begin to wonder if your contributions to the conversation are valuable or interesting.
Book Club Discussion Basics
First, let me start by saying, we’ve all been there — stuck in a confusing conversation with no end in sight. Speaking as former English major, I’m all too familiar with this feeling.
Book clubs have a tendency of getting in the weeds of a work, which can be intimidating. Also, tbh, we bookish types like to flex. You know it’s true! Perhaps we want to be appreciated for our flashy vocabulary and vast knowledge of literature, much like the writers we admire. It’s very much up for debate.
Just know that deep down, bookish people and the book clubs they inhabit love stories even more than they love showcasing their intellect. At the end of the day, we bookish folks are big softies with a mild god complex.
Second, I am happy to report that there are tricks to the trade! And they’re pretty easy to master. You can learn the lingo of literary analysis, and you can cultivate the confidence of a bookish person. Check out my insider hacks!
The Keys to Successful Book Club Discussions
If you keep the following front of mind at your next book club meeting, you’ll be well on your way elevating your book club experience. All you need is three simple ingredients:
- A Love of Stories: If you value stories and their significance, then you belong at a book club.
- Observations: Ultimately, if you noticed any one thing about a book, then you belong at a book club. So much of a book discussion boils down to what people have observed from their unique perspectives.
- Curiosity: If you’re eager to learn more about a book, then you belong at a book club. No one person catches everything. Analyzing sections, sharing thoughts and healthy debate are where further discoveries are made.
Insider Tip: Bring your enthusiasm, at least one observation and a question, and you can consider yourself well-equipped for your discussion.
The Core Building Blocks of Any Book
These terms may look very familiar, especially if you imagine them on a whiteboard in a very hot classroom. Let’s review the basics to strengthen your literary analysis foundation.
- Plot: The storyline of the book — more or less, what happens. There are a handful of common plots: comedy, tragedy, quest and defeating a monster, to name just a few. These plots can unfold in different ways: a linear timeline, multiple POVs, a framing device, dual timelines, etc.
- Character Development: The people who carry out the action of the plot. You might note static characters (those who remain the same from beginning to end) and dynamic characters (those who change in some way). Round characters are those who are more fleshed out and interesting while flat characters are more one-dimensional and play smaller roles.
- Theme: A message or topic a writer explores via multiple elements of a story that's meant to add to the overall meaning of the book. Themes are typically implied rather than explicit. Examples of enduring themes include friendship, found family, coming of age, love and sacrifice.
- Conflict: The friction within a story. Conflict keeps the characters from getting what they want at the outset. Conflict creates the tension that we as readers live for. Some types of conflict are as follows: man vs. man, woman vs. nature, woman vs. supernatural, man vs. society, good vs. evil, etc.
- Symbolism: A literary device in which an object, action, character, etc. can represent itself concretely but as something more, as well. For example weather or colors can represent a character’s emotional state.
Insider Tip: Jot down notes and bring them. It can only earn you brownie points amongst your book club members. I’m a notetaker and a margin writer which helps me have something to add to a conversation.
A Mini Literary Vocabulary Checklist
If you want to go a step further, here are some additional components to keep an eye out for when reading your book club book.
- Motif: An element, such as a symbol, word or image, that recurs throughout the story to reinforce a theme, message or tone.
- Foreshadowing: When the author subtly signals via dialogue, symbolism or an event something that occurs later in the story.
- Archetype: A recognizable plot pattern, symbol, or character type that recurs so frequently and across cultures in literature that it perpetuates a standard category. It’s more foundational than a trope or cliché. An example of character archetypes would be the heroine and the mentor.
- Tone: The author’s attitude towards the various elements of their narrative or the narrative overall. An author’s tone might be critical, curious or anything in between.
- Subtext: Underlying meaning within the various passages of a story.
- Narrative Structure: The primary framework of the story. The standard narrative structure is rising action, climax, falling action and resolution/denouement. Several variations exist, of course.
- Protagonist vs. Antagonist: The narrative centers on the protagonist who drives the overarching action of the story. Readers will typically empathize more with the protagonist. The antagonist works against the protagonist and the goals he/she is trying to accomplish.
- Unreliable Narrator: A narrator who recounts the details of the story but in a way that suggests she/he is untrustworthy. The reliability of the narrator is worth questioning because bias always effects POV.
- Omniscience: Writers may also use omniscient narrators. These third-party narrators have an all-knowing, god-like understanding of each character's thoughts, emotions and desires.
Why Classics Get Referenced So Often
Classics like To Kill a Mockingbird, A Tale of Two Cities and Pride and Prejudice are referenced often because they are masterpieces. When classics become canon, they are widely taught and studied. This makes them great sources of inspiration for writers and book lovers. In short, classics are influential and iconic!
Insider Tip: Next time you’re reading for your book club, see if the book reminds you of any of the classics. It’s usually fairly easy to find some threads of a classic in any given book. Bring up your observation in your discussion and see if anyone else picked up on those classic threads as well!
How to Contribute More Confidently
First and foremost, be authentic. Avoid trying to make comments like the know-it-all chick who acts like she has a Ph.D. in literary theory. She seems impressive, but I can guarantee that she’s annoying people. Offer your own unique observations. Someone is likely to find them helpful and interesting.
- Highlight 2–3 passages that are interesting to you while you're reading.
- Bring a couple of questions to book club.
- Compare or contrast the book with another title.
- Notice patterns in language, tone or setting.
- Identify one strong emotional reaction you had, and explore the “why” behind it.
Insider Tip: Try to contribute one thought to each meeting. Your voice deserves to be heard! Don’t feel like you have to lead the discussion or talk for a certain amount of time. I’ve found that those who interject every now and then and speak fewer words often have some of the most profound things to say.
Educational Resources for Literary Analysis
If you’re discovering your love of literature and want to know even more, check out these excellent starting points for more in-depth study.
How to Read Literature Like a Professor: A Lively and Entertaining Guide to Reading Between the Lines (Revised)
by Thomas C Foster
Thoroughly revised and expanded for a new generation of readers, this classic guide to enjoying literature to its fullest teaches you how to make your everyday reading experience richer and more rewarding.
This frothy read makes literature study accessible and fun.
The Seven Basic Plots: Why We Tell Stories
by Christopher Booker - Nick Booker
This remarkable book at last provides a comprehensive answer to the age-old riddle of whether there are only a small number of “basic stories” in the world. Drawing on a vast array of examples, from Proust to detective stories, Booker then leads us through the extraordinary changes in the nature of storytelling over the past 200 years.
An Introduction to Literature, Criticism and Theory
by Andrew Bennett - Nicholas Royle
Lively, original and highly readable, this is the essential guide to literary studies. A breath of fresh air in a field that can often seem dry and dauntingly theoretical, this book will open the reader’s eyes to the exhilarating possibilities of reading and studying literature.
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