2008 Woodie Awards
CliffNotes help to explain novels
GUIDES: CliffsNotes are now available for free on the internet and help many students to understand the text.
By: Jeff Todd
Issue date: 10/7/04 Section: Features
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In what some students may consider a gift from the gods, CliffsNotes has now posted all of its guides on the Internet for free.
The guides, which were previously only available in stores, may now be read for free on the internet or downloaded and printed out for $5.99, the same price as in stores.
The company finally decided to post the guides in order to bring in more customers to the web site.
The debate is whether this will change the way students research texts on the Internet, because many students have already found other ways to find guides on the Internet.
"Sparknotes is free and has more detail and analysis than CliffsNotes," Carly Welch, an English and art major, said.
With so many literature guides on the internet, Monarch notes such as Spark notes, PinkMonkey.com and Gradesaver.com just to name a few, CliffsNotes may not send the shock wave that it sought.
Many professors and students said they believe that CliffsNotes is not the premier literature guide on the market.
"I always design quizzes around the notes, whether it is Monarch notes, CliffsNotes, or Spark notes," English professor Brent Isaacs said.
Some students think CliffsNotes is not as in-depth as other guides.
"Cliffsnotes is just an explanation, not a different point-of-view," Welch said.
Many students and professors on campus think that Cliffs Notes are only good as a referrence after the original text is read.
"Teachers like to use parts of the story that aren't in CliffsNotes," English major Diana Girgis said. "But if there is something missing from the reading, then I'll read CliffsNotes."
Most students choose to read both the guide and the actual text in order to understand various interpretations.
"Guides are good to have because you have a different point of view," Welch said.
Isaacs agrees that guides are good in addition to reading the text.
"I think guides are a good thing, because older texts are hard (to understand) and it can give students background," Isaacs said.
The guides, which were previously only available in stores, may now be read for free on the internet or downloaded and printed out for $5.99, the same price as in stores.
The company finally decided to post the guides in order to bring in more customers to the web site.
The debate is whether this will change the way students research texts on the Internet, because many students have already found other ways to find guides on the Internet.
"Sparknotes is free and has more detail and analysis than CliffsNotes," Carly Welch, an English and art major, said.
With so many literature guides on the internet, Monarch notes such as Spark notes, PinkMonkey.com and Gradesaver.com just to name a few, CliffsNotes may not send the shock wave that it sought.
Many professors and students said they believe that CliffsNotes is not the premier literature guide on the market.
"I always design quizzes around the notes, whether it is Monarch notes, CliffsNotes, or Spark notes," English professor Brent Isaacs said.
Some students think CliffsNotes is not as in-depth as other guides.
"Cliffsnotes is just an explanation, not a different point-of-view," Welch said.
Many students and professors on campus think that Cliffs Notes are only good as a referrence after the original text is read.
"Teachers like to use parts of the story that aren't in CliffsNotes," English major Diana Girgis said. "But if there is something missing from the reading, then I'll read CliffsNotes."
Most students choose to read both the guide and the actual text in order to understand various interpretations.
"Guides are good to have because you have a different point of view," Welch said.
Isaacs agrees that guides are good in addition to reading the text.
"I think guides are a good thing, because older texts are hard (to understand) and it can give students background," Isaacs said.