Shmoop, a new online study tool for students, is open in an invite-only beta mode. When you really want to get into history, poetry, or classic literature but find it just too thick or intimidating, never fear, Shmoop is here. Shmoop offers fun summaries, deep analysis, and interactive writing tools to help students do their homework and better relate to history, poetry, and literature. Developed by students and faculty at some of the country’s top universities, Shmoop is revolutionizing the way readers interact with literature. The service is designed to provide students, teachers, and everyday readers with a resource to help them get engaged. Shmoop also aids in finding audio and video resources, and in finding study tips and paper ideas.

The main page includes an alphabetical index of books, whereas the featured titles are also highlighted one by one. Some authors which are featured include William Shakespeare, Joseph Conrad and James Joyce, along with classic Greek writers such as Sophocles and Homer. Upon choosing a specific tome, a comprehensive study guide is produced. This touches upon aspects like “Summary”, “Characters”, “Plot Analysis” and “Themes & Quotes”. Moreover, you can take part of ongoing discussions about that title by following the provided link. Finally, a tag cloud that highlights terms of note as regards that book is also included for browsing convenience.

The service is in open beta at the moment, and Shmoop developers are actively soliciting feedback on how well the service works. Additionally, Shmoop is giving out prizes to users that invite their friends to join the service and participate in its design. The service is designed to be an academic resource, and the analyses and summaries on the various books and poems can be cited directly by students writing research papers.

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Monday, November 3rd, 2008 at 10:38 am | by Kur-nia-one |