Introduction
In the beginning of his book, Thomas Foster discusses the differences in the way that a student would read literature in comparison to an English teacher. Memory, symbol, and pattern are 3 elements that separate professorial reading from that of the pupil. By memory, Foster means the thoughts that come to mind (such as movies and previous books that the reader has read) while reading a piece of literature. Memory is what allows a reader to make connections between the text that is being read and the reader’s prior knowledge. Without memory, the reading experience would be very bland.
Foster also states that professors pay close attention to symbols. Everything that the author writes has a meaning beyond what is stated. For example,
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There are five aspects that make up a quest; a quester, a destination, a reason for going to said place, challenges and trials, and a real reason for going. These 5 aspects of a quest can be found in all pieces of literature as well as in aspects of day to day life.
1.) The quester: A 12 year old, Carley Conners. She has had some pretty tough times as her mom has been a victim of domestic violence for her boyfriend. At the beginning of her endeavor, Carley does not seem like much of a quester, but as her journey continued it was more apparent. Similarly to the example given by the author of how to read literature like a professor, Carley does not know that her journey is a quest, yet it definitely is one.
2.) A destination: Well this one is a little more complicated. Now that she has been taken from her mother and became part of the foster program she definitely needs a home. All though when her journey begins she does not have a definite home in mind, she knows that she wants to find one. I guess a home is a legitimate destination.
3.) A stated reason to their: Her mom is no longer able to take care of her making her in need of a place to live, as simple as
Memory, symbol, and pattern are a big bulk of reading in literature. By reading more and more, you will begin to see patterns in different works. Once you begin to compare and contrast, it will help you understand the bottom line of books.It’s becomes fun and exciting when you make connections.
In this chapter, a quest is defined to consist of five main elements: (a) a quester, (b) a place to go, (c) a stated reason to go there, (d) challenges and trials en route, and (e) a reason and go there. Element (a), the quester, is understood to be embarking on a journey while being with or without the realization that he/she is on a quest. The quester is also often depicted as one of youth because youth is accompanied with inexperience and a lack of self knowledge which allows the ultimate goal of the quest to be fulfilled which is the gating of this knowledge.
How to Read Literature like a Professor by Thomas C Foster is a how to do book that teaches children how to become better readers. The novel was written in second person. The purpose of this novel is to inform readers on details that they wouldn’t usually realize in literature. Students who read Thomas C Foster’s How to Read Literature like a Professor are suppose to gain knowledge of how to identify details of their story that have connections to other literature or have alternative meanings that the author is trying to get across to the reader. Thomas C Foster believes reading his novel can help develop you into a better reader. He believes this because the information that he includes can apply to your reading. When you realize the connections he talks about, it gives you a better understanding of the book you are reading.
Foer recounted of how “training one’s memory was not to become a living book but rather a living concordance” (165). He goes on to list various beings throughout history that have tried to obtain this goal. Peter of Ravenna authored a book, Phoenix, which was about memory training. Now in the fifteenth century, Peter’s book was a hit as Peter himself “bragged of having memorized twenty thousand legal points, a thousand texts by Ovid, seven thousand texts from scripture, along with a host of other classical works” (166). Peter placed reading in a different way in which it is today. He reread and dwelled upon each work he read, this emphasizes the work staying and settling in his mind. Whereas, reading is superficial with a “premium on doing it quickly” (166). Or Camillo who was paid by King Francis I to build a memory palace for him and him alone. Camillo promised that one “can hold in the mind and master all human concepts and all things that are in the entire world” (168). He believed that there was a magical system where memorizing images, one could understand the connections of everything. Now in the case of Schulz, she talks about a famous philosopher Descartes. He brings up the argument that “error does not rise from believing something that isn’t true, but believing on insufficient evidence” (362). Descartes wanted to be an ideal thinker and take in every bit of evidence he possibly could
In Franz Kafka’s The Metamorphosis, symbolism, archetype, and myths are three concepts he uses to compose the unique story. The symbolism in the story stands out vaguely. An archetypical reference occurs at the very beginning of the story that carries on throughout the book. The mythological aspect is sensibly the whole concept the story is about. All three of these notions are openly highlighted throughout the story. They each obtain explanations for multiple subjects. The book, How to Read Literature Like a Professor by Thomas C. Foster helps explain the three concepts in Kafka’s, The Metamorphosis.
In the introduction of Thomas C. Foster’s How to Read Literature Like a Professor, Foster sets the scene for the upcoming chapters by pointing out crucial literary devices. Through several references, it is further explained how memories, symbols and patterns help to create broader understandings throughout literary texts. Foster continues by stating that the usage of these devices establishes the advanced readers from “the rest of the crowd” (xxvii).
In conclusion, the brilliant novel “How To Read Literature Like A Professor” by Thomas C. Foster is a fantastic novel that helps grasp the basic ideas and structure that makes up a work of literature. Foster’s laid-back attitude made a major contribution to the great tone of the novel, and made it easier to understand. Many connections were included in the novel, along with some great quotes. After reading this novel, I have a better idea of what to look for when reading a novel.
Since the earliest literature, many of the world’s greatest stories have been built around a quest. According to Thomas Foster, “when a character hits the road, we should start to pay attention” (Foster 3). Throughout Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close by Jonathan Foer, Oskar Schell, a young who boy who lost his father in the tragic events of September 11th, experiences a quest of his own. The journey he embarks on seemingly appears to follow the structure of the quest archetype set up by Foster in his novel, How to Read Literature Like a Professor, as it consist of the required elements of a quest being: a quester, a place to go and reason to go there, and challenges and trials along the way. These elements eventually culminate in the event
Over the summer, after taking a break from reading a novel just for entertainment, I sat down to read How to Read Literature like a Professor and it was the exact novel to refresh and supplement my dusty analysis skills. After reading and applying Foster’s novel, How to Read Literature like a Professor, towards The Bonesetter’s Daughter I found a previously elusive and individualized insight towards literature. Although, The Bonesetter’s Daughter is full of cryptic messages and a theme that is universal, I was able to implement an individual perspective on comprehending the novel’s universal literary devices, and coming upon the unique inference that Precious Auntie is the main protagonist of the novel.
Thomas C. Foster’s novel How to Read Literature Like a Professor, helps the reader understand the beginnings of a quest by breaking down the task into five steps. A quest will always consist of 1) a quester, 2) a place to go, 3) a stated reason to go there, 4) challenges and trials en route, and 5) a real reason to go there. A quester, the protagonist, typically is not aware that they are partaking in a quest. Step two and three are thought of together usually because the protagonist is told to go somewhere to do something. However, the stated reason to go to their destination is not the real reason they go there. As Foster explains, “In fact, more often than not, the quester fails at
Foster, Thomas C. How to Read Literature like a Professor: a Lively and Entertaining Guide to
Showing her options: Showing her resources, to help her provide for her family, finding her a safe place live, obtaining a job and going to back to school
His mind starts to drift away from the texts and he’s not really understanding the material that is right in front of him. He believes that if you don’t exercise your memory, then you can become more forgetful. Carr also believes this to be true because we are using the internet to look up answers for ourselves and not doing the research to find it ourselves. We’re not relying on our memory to remember what we read, we’re just looking for the answers.
Memory, symbol, and pattern affect the reading of literature in many different ways. In a sense, memory affects the reading of literature because it allows you to make connections between different pieces of text and recognize patterns that may occur as you read. As for patterns, they can stem out and allow you to reveal meanings that were hidden within the text. If something is repeatedly stated, it becomes clear that it is of vital importance in fully understanding what is happening in the text or a piece that is being read. Without this, reading literature can become very complicated in that we would not be able to realize the actual meaning of the text and what the author is trying to tell us as readers. Without patterns, the author would
The first issue that needs to be addressed however is what exactly is memory? “ Without memory we would be servants of the moment, with nothing but our innate reflexes to help us deal with the world. There would be no language, no art, no science, no culture. Civilization itself is the distillation of human memory” (Blakemore 1988). The simple interpretation of Blakemore’s theory on what memory is that a person’s memory is at least one of the most important things in their life and without it civilization itself could not exist.