I don’t see anything wrong with Cliffs Notes. Of course I’d do the assigned reading, but I also read other sources especially critiques. Cliffs Notes are just part of the package and are sometimes useful for really tough reads. Another publication that proved useful when I was in school was the Schaum’s Outline series. Got me through some challenging math classes.
Dickens was supposedly paid by the word when he was writing it as a serial novel.
Ahhh. Well, that explains it.
Interesting. I’d heard that too, but my English teacher last year flat-out denied it, and I have never found him to be wrong. Of course, there’s a first time for everything.