Derek's CS training at Harvard might seem far from literary analysis, but his coursework across 16 AP subjects — including heavy reading and essay writing — built the kind of rigorous interpretive thinking that literature demands. He teaches students to treat a text's recurring motifs and narrative choices as evidence for an argument, turning vague thematic observations into precise, defensible claims.

Reading a novel closely means more than tracking plot — it means noticing how imagery, narrative structure, and point of view shape meaning on every page. Michelle pursues a possible literature minor at Duke alongside her neuroscience degree, and she brings that dual analytical lens to poetry explication, close reading, and thematic essay writing.

Reading a novel closely means learning to track how an author builds meaning through imagery, dialogue, and structure — not just summarizing what happened. Caitlin's coursework in Asian and Middle Eastern Studies at Duke involves heavy literary analysis across cultures, which gives her practice connecting themes, historical context, and narrative technique in ways that translate directly to literature courses.

Reading literature across three languages — English, Spanish, and French — gives Manuela an unusual lens for unpacking themes like identity, colonialism, and cultural memory that surface in everything from García Márquez to Camus. She teaches close-reading techniques that go beyond plot summary, showing students how to trace motifs, analyze narrative structure, and build arguments grounded in textual evidence. Rated 5.0 by students.

An engineering major who reads closely might sound unusual, but Nicolas approaches literary analysis the way he approaches physics problems — by identifying structure, tension, and the logic holding an argument together. He teaches students to move past surface-level summaries and build interpretations grounded in textual evidence, whether they're unpacking a Shakespeare soliloquy or a Toni Morrison novel.

Reading a novel and analyzing a novel are different skills, and the gap between them trips up more students than any single text does. Dalila walks through close-reading techniques — tracking motifs, unpacking figurative language, building an argument about theme — that transfer across genres and time periods.

Literary analysis is fundamentally about building an argument from evidence, and Apoorva's analytical training in engineering gives her a surprisingly effective lens for breaking down texts. She teaches students to identify how authors use structure, imagery, and narrative voice to develop themes — then translate those observations into clear, well-supported essays.

Reading a novel for class and actually analyzing it are two different skills — Andrew bridges that gap by teaching students to identify literary devices like unreliable narration, symbolic imagery, and structural choices as they read, not after. His Writing minor means he approaches texts from a craft perspective, asking why an author made a specific choice and what effect it creates. That lens turns vague class discussions into concrete, evidence-driven arguments.

Reading a novel for plot is easy; reading it for how structure, voice, and figurative language create meaning is the skill that literature courses actually demand. Adriana tackles close reading as a learnable craft, teaching students to annotate for rhetorical moves and build interpretive arguments grounded in textual evidence. Her history training at Rice sharpened her ability to place literary works in their cultural and political contexts.

Someone who reads novels, historical texts, and cultural studies for fun brings a different energy to literature instruction. Conor teaches students to dig into themes, narrative structure, and authorial intent — skills he sharpened through his anthropology training at UCLA, where analyzing texts across cultures was a daily practice.

An avid reader with wide-ranging interests in books, writing, and art, Lance approaches literature through close textual analysis — examining how an author's diction, structure, and imagery build meaning. He teaches students to move from surface-level plot summary to crafting interpretive arguments that hold up under scrutiny in essays and class discussion.

Reading a novel is one thing — knowing how to pull apart its use of symbolism, unreliable narration, or structural choices is another skill entirely. Robert's English Literature degree trained him to do exactly that across genres and periods, from Victorian poetry to contemporary fiction. He teaches close-reading techniques that turn vague impressions into precise, arguable interpretations.