SparkNotes – useful app for reading English Literature study guides on the go
by Paul Wilks
Apr 25, 2012 1:35 PM –
Install
SparkNotes is an awesome resource of analysis for student of literature. If you study English Literature either in school or college this is a great heads up for lots of novels, poetry and philosophical works. I personally studied English Literature at University and, while this isn’t uber-academic content-wise, if you need to get a grasp on a particular text, this is ideal.
Price: Free
Tested on: HTC One X
Content Rating: Low Maturity
Pros & Cons:
Pros
- Lots of texts covered!
- User-friendly!
- Downloadable content for offline access!
- Check-in/Share feature!
Cons
- Lacks a few features.
- Very basic design.
Features:
Ever needed to read an entire novel and just haven’t got time? Ever read a book and just didn’t get it? Perhaps you’ve read a book and enjoyed it but perhaps could do with some help understanding some of the things discussed? SparkNotes is a useful and, until now, previously web-only resource for students. After finding its way to mobile devices, it’s now easier than ever to access useful and informative content about a huge selection of novels, poems, plays and essays.
From the sparsely designed main screen you get to choose from: Literature, Shakespeare, Poetry, Philosophy, Drama and Short Stories. Entering each of these gives you a vertical scrolling menu of texts and you can sort them via title or author. When you then select a text (poem, drama, short story, etc.) you get a menu of new options related to that texts analysis. So, for example, with one of my favourite novels Nineteen Eighty-Four by George Orwell, you have a series of headings which include: table of contents, summary and analysis followed by some activities such as study questions and a quiz.
Table of contents typically gives you context (a bit about the author and the time at which they were writing), plot overview (great for getting the gist of a novel in a short space of time), a character list, major character analysis and the highlighting of themes, motifs and symbols. The summary and analysis proceed through each chapter or section, explaining what happens in each and can include an appendix. All in all I’ve always found these summaries great for high school level and entry level college and, while it’s not thorough or analytical enough for graduate work, it still provides a solid overview of all manner of texts.
A great feature with the app is the initial inclusion of some 50 texts. Then you can access and browse any number of others (although the list isn’t exhaustive it’s pretty good and contains most canonical texts). If there is one you want in your library, simply click the heart button and download it. Perfect then for offline access should you need it.
SparkNotes is a useful resource that I’ve used time and time again and would recommend to anyone. I sincerely wish there could be a highlighting feature which would allow you to highlight particular areas of text for deeper analysis. You can do this in book apps, such as Kindle, and such a thing would be a welcome addition to resources such as this.
-
-
SparkNotes – My library
-
-
SparkNotes – Texts context
-
-
SparkNotes – Chapter summaries
-
-
SparkNotes – Character analysis, large font
-
-
SparkNotes – Quotation analysis
-
-
SparkNotes – Normal font
-
-
SparkNotes – Study question and essay topics
-
-
SparkNotes – Text menu
-
-
SparkNotes – Search by title
-
-
SparkNotes – Search by author
-
-
SparkNotes – Search authors
-
-
SparkNotes – Pre-loaded downloads
-
-
SparkNotes – Download for offline reading
Usefulness:
If you’re studying Literature or classic Philosophy this is a great for analysis and study guides, certainly saving you having to carry around critical texts. SparkNotes is ideal for high school students and people who just need a brief overview of a text. Studying English Literature myself, I know it’s not easy to read an entire Dickens novel in a week, so something like this is pretty handy- and keeps you away from less dependable sources like Wikipedia.
Ease of Use:
The app is very simply designed but incredibly easy to use. Everything sits under sub-headings. If you’re part way through a summary, you can even place a bookmark where you got up to, so that’s a nice feature to use if you utilise the app heavily.
Frequently Used:
Term time! Unless you enjoy this kind of research and are perhaps writing essays during holidays, then it’s up to you!
Interface:
I found the design and UI to be a bit simplistic, but once you get stuck into the rich trove of information it doesn’t feel like an issue.
Tags:
Android App,
Android Apps,
AndroidTapp.com App Review,
College,
Education,
English Literature,
Literature,
School,
SparkNotes,
Study
Categorised in: Education
Submit apps for review,
promote apps, get more installs with better
app videos.