With the school year settling in, students are all beginning to face the normal pace of the classes. This also comes with students reading their classic novels required for English class. This can be a daunting task for most, especially in honors classes where 200 pages of archaic vocabulary in a classic novel may not be very easily understood. Many students are turning to summary sites, such as SparkNotes, as a substitute for reading the material.

The problem from solely using summary sites as a substitute for reading the novel arises from the point of reading the archaic novels in the first place: to gather a better understanding of the vocabulary and become more proficient at writing creatively. Sure, a student might just be able to pass a few assignments using these sites, but the assignments, quizzes, and tests are far less important than gathering a lifelong understanding of these novels and their components.

Sites like SparkNotes give people the summary of the chapter in a watered-down point of view from another person, not benefiting them with the various rooted elements of the actual novel itself. For example, if a student must analyze quotes in a novel and decide to use SparkNotes to glimpse through the quote summaries, he or she will not gain as much understanding as a student that reads through the context of the quotes, dialogue, or narration that lie between the quotes.

One LTHS sophomore student in an honors English class, Olivia Moore, believes that summary sites can be beneficial for small tasks, but not as a full substitute.

“Summary sites provide a basic knowledge of information we need to know for quizzes and tests,” she says. “I like to read the chapter and annotate then read a summary site, especially if the book includes difficult language and vocabulary. I like to view these websites as a tool rather than a crutch to replace actually reading the book.”

Another LTHS sophomore student, Sophia Palumbo, commented that summary sites can be helpful to students.

“Summary sites can be useful in some cases,” she replied, “If I am confused on something within the chapter, I will read SparkNotes to clear it up.”

However, the greatest skill gained by reading the novel thoroughly is a sympathy and newfound understanding for the quality of life these authors had during their lifetime. Summaries do not fully explain the hardships and suffering that some authors faced during their life and how they put these experiences on paper.

Summaries cannot provide what the author felt about situations in their own writing. We owe it to these authors of classic novels to fully read their work.