Aesthetic Appreciation of a Novel: An Exploratory Study of Contributing Factors
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.17507/tpls.1511.34Keywords:
aesthetic appreciation, language acquisition, language style, novelAbstract
Aesthetic appreciation portrays one’s ability to perceive the beauty of a creative product, such as a novel, a poem, and so on. Prerequisites for aesthetic appreciation include, amongst others, knowledge, awareness, and recognition of the features that would make a product not only uniquely meaningful but also pleasing and appealing. Concerned specifically with the novel as a creative literary product, aesthetic appreciation of the novel entails valuing and admiring the qualities that would make the novel uniquely impressive. This study explores the main factors which would contribute to fostering a sense of aesthetic appreciation on the part of a novel’s reader. To realise the study’s aims, the author used a mixed-methods research design employing two study instruments: a ten-item questionnaire and a two-question interview. The study sample encompassed two categories: university instructors and passionate readers. The findings indicated that acquiring a repertoire of vocabulary, enhancing reading comprehension skills, developing critical reading skills, augmenting writing skills, and promoting communication skills could play a significant role in fostering aesthetic appreciation of the novel. Additionally, the study identified several factors which would contribute to developing a sense of aesthetic appreciation, such as using standard language, figures of speech, effective plot construction, and constructive character building. Based on the study findings, the paper proposes a framework for aesthetic appreciation of the novel, highlighting main factors and requirements.
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