dear daviant,

first of all i am very happy to see you here in this English literature conversation and then you have described a lot about the aim of studying literature. if you read carefully the above text that has come to me from brightstar so as you have already understood and mentioned in your text that the main aim of telling thim about easy books to get a degree of English Literature. but you can think over it if a student starts reading literature for literature's sake and as you know a student has just two years to clear his exams but as you are going to describe that a man should study literature for literature sake and for pleasure. So, now please tell me can a person clear his degree according your suggestions?
As the matter of fact, if you are studying for degree then first of all you should clear your examinations and then the whole life is there to read various writers by heart and pleasure. when some one finishes his study with the regard of degree so then he can read it more deeply becuase the he knows that he has not to sit in any examinations.
As you have mentioned various characters and their sorrows and happinesses a free student can feel them easily when he carry on his studies in this regard. on the one hand i am totally agree with you but do not agree on the other because when i look farward and see the examination then i have or some other persons have to read the easily topic to win or achieve their goal.
Now, as you mentioned above, i also can feel the miseries and sorrows of Oedipus, helplessness of Desdemona, the cleverness of Iago, the misunderstand and then grief of Othello, the jealousy of Leonard, then innocence of Hermione, the helplessness of Tess, the wickedness and then repent of Arther, the hardships of Clym, the misfortune of Eustasi, the cleverness and tragedy of Wildeve, the magic of Milton, Shakespear, tragedy and sorrows of Hamlet, lot of Willylowman, the image of Hetty, true passion of Adam Bede, reputation of Belinda vs her chastity, fear and terror of Doctor Faustus, brutality of both aristocracy and revolutionaries in Tale of two cities, grief and aching pain of Keats, Nature by the vision of Blake, imagination of Colrigdge and many more....................................
but these all aforementioned activities can possible if you have some kind of ground as master in english literature because this gives you foundation to understand literature and if you understood it then you have lot of time to research and amazement in it.
hope you can understand what i mean to say. but i am very thankful to you because you have aroused my spirits and now i can meditate in this regard keenly. once again thanks dear Deviant

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Winning horse doesn't know why it runs in race,
It runs because of beats and pains.

Life is a race, God is your rider.
So if you are in pain think God wants you to win