Oswego State held its annual Quest day Wednesday, showcasing students’ work and hosting discussions on a variety of topics, including the importance of books in modern society in the session, “Books: What are They Good For?”

More than 50 students and staff gathered in a classroom in Marano Campus Center to listen to members of the English and creative writing departments speak about how literature presents the idea of identity and the ways books effect how society copes with social issues.

Sage Chase, an English major, presented his theory on “Femininity and Monstrosity in Robert Browning’s ‘Caliban upon Setebos’.” In this presentation, one of the presented arguements was that the formation of identity is tied to expression and style.

“The English major and humanities are a huge part of society,” Chase. “Everyone is human, everyone reads, everyone speaks.”

Freshman Ajaneé Fryar also spoke of identity in her presentation “The Fluidity in Identity.” Fryar used literary examples to illustrate how identities can be changed based on evolving circumstances.

“I wanted to speak about identity because it is such a hard topic right now with different genders, racial identities, economic and financial identities,” Fryar said. “It was something that needed to be discussed.”

Following the two students’ presentations, a group of student respondents individually spoke in reply to the theories of Chase and Fryar. Each respondent gave an example of a literary piece that exemplified important themes in books and life itself and what they believe books are good for.

Emily Rundle, an English and biology major, commented on the state of modern literature.

“Identity is one of the most important parts of the way we read literature,” Rundle said. “When you read a book, it might mean something completely different to you than it does to somebody else, but you still get something out of it that makes an impression on you for the rest of your life.”

At the end of the session, several students from the English, creative writing and theater departments delivered declarations of why they believe books better address prominent social issues. Many agreed that books convey a greater sense of relatability compared to other forms of media.

Karol Cooper, a professor in English literature, advocated for studying with an English major, breaking the stigma against the field’s perceived indifference. Rundle also responded to back the benefit of studying English no matter what field one decides to enter.

“There’s so much more to English than just looking at a book,” Rundle said. “It’s everything you learn about yourself when you read.”

Every year, students and staff collaborate to brainstorm, construct and execute presentations on an array of topics for Quest. Chase, Fryar and Rundle agreed that Quest is beneficial to students because of the diverse topics available for discussion.

“I’m really glad people are coming around to hear what students have to say and what students are participating in,” Chase said.