How does How To Read Literature Like A Professor applies to every piece of literature? This novel is written by Thomas Foster and he gives the better understanding on many things, including patterns, symbols, and other literary devices. He helps the reader to gain knowledge on how to recognize each small detail of the story. This novel makes the connection with The Scarlet Letter and makes it easier to comprehend. The Scarlet Letter is written by Nathaniel Hawthorne; this novel is about Hester Prynne, who is a young and beautiful woman and committed adultery with town’s minister, Reverend Dimmesdale.
Reading may seem like an run of the mill thing where you laugh at the funny jokes, glare into the abyss when the text possess a provocative quote. To Mike Bunn the author of “How to Read Like A Writer,” has a different interpretation of what reading should be. Mike Bunn emphasizes that reading should be more than just context, he argues that you need to question the authors’ choice of words, literary devices, sentence placement, in order to be able to become better readers and writers ourselfs. He presents it to the audience in a manner that is very interactive. He begins by explaining what he means to “Read Like a Writer”(Bunn, How to Read Like A Writer), followed by questions that should be asked about the text and writing style, and techniques that should be done to become a more proficient writer.
By reading “How to Read Literature like a Professor” and “The Kite Runner”, the reader is aided in his or her ability to understand the true meanings behind the text. One is able to decipher how the act of coming together to eat can mean anything from a simple meal with family, to an uncomfortable situation that leads to anger or stress in an individual character. The reader is able to understand the use of rain or other weather in a novel to transform the mood and tone of scene, or understand the cleansing or destructive qualities that weather may have on the overall plot of the story. The use of illness can be transformed, as it can lead to the reader discovering veiled means behind tuberculosis, cholera, a simple cold, or even cancers such
In the cautionary dystopian tale, 1984, George Orwell warns against the dangers of a totalitarian regime and describes the eerily scary society surrounding the main character Winston Smith. Orwell allows for this book to be seen as any other novel with his use of elements such as geography, weather, sex, and quests pictured vividly in How to Read Literature Like a Professor by Thomas C. Foster. Foster explains in How to Read Literature Like a Professor that the most significant element of setting is the location. Authors consistently choose regions that symbolize the overarching theme; Orwell chose to have the story unveil in London, a good fit for this story of isolation, as England is located on the British Isles, an island isolated from
Thomas Foster, a professor at the University of Michigan, taught literature and writing. He was born in West Cornfield, Ohio, and living in such a small town caused him to become very associated with books. In 2003, Foster published a book, How to Read Literature like a Professor, written in second person. The book is written as a guide for readers to know the parts of nonfiction books. It teaches young readers how to include important elements into their stories.
“Frankenstein” written by Mary Shelley is a book that everyone should read since it's a great book that many recommend . This book is recommended because the plot is interesting since the main character named Victor had done experiments by trying to create a living organism that looked like a human. The thing he did not know was this living organism that he created was something he was going regret since it came back to haunt him and kill many persons he loved. The reason for this was that the living organisms did not like who he was since he was hideous and wanted a companion because he was not accepted in society. Also another book that is recommended is “How to Read Literature Like a Professor” by Thomas Foster.
In Thomas C. Foster's How To Read Literature Like a Professor, he describes the setup of the adventure of the protagonist, dividing it into five parts: Our quester, a place to go, a stated reason to there, challenges and trials, and the real reason to go. A protagonist must experience all of these things in order to accomplish their goals and learn their lessons. In The Secret Life of Bees, Lily Owens, the main character, must encounter these things in order to unlock the mystery of what really happened to her mother the night she was killed, in addition to learning about the passion of writing and telling stories, the dangers and foolishness of racism, and female power. Our quester, Lily, is a fourteen year old girl with a passion for writing.
Frances Ellen Watkins Harper, born on September 24, 1825, was a leading African American poet, author, teacher and political activist. Although she was born to “free” parents in Baltimore, Maryland, she still experienced her share of hardships. She lost her mother at the tender age of three, was raised by her aunt and uncle, and fully employed by thirteen. Though all odds seemed against her, she triumphed over her obstacles, publishing her first book of poetry at the of age twenty and her first novel at the age of sixty-seven. Outside of writing books, she was a civil rights leader and a public speaker in the Anti-Slavery Society.
“[Writing] always – or almost always – is” (Foster 123). What Foster is describing is the fact that writing, if one looks hard enough, can find some political undertone to most works of literature. Writers are often observant, inquisitive, and passionate about the world, and when they write, it would be improbable for the social and political issues of the day not to influence that which the author is working on. Foster states that political writing can be considered a success when it “engages the realities of the world” (117). These realities – war, poverty, hunger, complex social issues – lend themselves easily to “good political writing.”
In chapter 9 of “How to Read Literature Like a Professor,” Foster explains that a myth is a body of story that matters, and can be Shakespearean, biblical, and/or folk and fairytales. Foster says, “…we’re chiefly concerned with how that story functions as material for literary creators, the way in which it can inform a story or poem, and how it is perceived by the reader,” (39). All three of these mythologies work as sources of material, of correspondences, depth for the modern writer, and provided they’re recognizable to the reader, they enrich and enhance the reading experience. The biblical myth covers the greatest range of human situations, covering all ages of life including the next life, all relationships whether personal or governmental,
What foster is trying to tell us in this chapter is that most book have some kind of political reference. Its related to something political but not too much because the book will be messed up. It can engage on real world problems and how some humans suffer. This also includes how some political stands and leaderships are wrong.
In How to Read Literature Like a Professor, Thomas C. Foster teaches readers the meanings behind commonly used symbols, themes, and motifs. Many readers of all ages use this book as a guide to understanding messages and deeper meanings hidden in novels. The deeper literary meanings of various symbols in Margaret Atwood’s The Handmaid’s Tale are explained in How to Read Literature Like a Professor. By using Foster’s book, readers can better understand the symbols in The Handmaid’s Tale.
As Stated by the author of How to Read Literature Like a Professor For Kids, by Thomas Foster, authors use certain varieties of weather conditions in order to set a mood in the story that’s relevant to the scenario present. Foster explains this action as saying, “But an author doesn't have a quick shower of rain, or a flurry or snow, or a flood or a blizzard, for no reason at all (Foster, 59).” What the author is trying to remark is that authors don't put unnecessary weather unless it contributes to the plot or the mood, sometimes even using it as means of ivory. One example of weather being used in the movie clip from Toy Story is rain. The rain didn't start until Sid was just about the release a rocket outside with Buzz attached, which
Behind each movie lies the meaningful aspects and significant features worth noticing. All movies and books can be carefully examined and interpreted. Thomas C. Foster’s How to Read Literature Like a Professor provides a new view on interpreting literature. In the novel, Foster identifies and analyzes common patterns, themes, and motifs found in literature, many of which are also present in Disney’s film, Maleficent. This movie showcases several of his ideas, including quests, flight, geography, and symbolism.
Joseph L. Blotner makes it very specific by adding that ‘...a political novel is ... a book which directly describes, interprets or analyses political phenomenon.’ But from Irving Howe point of view, political novel means: ‘...a novel in which political ideas play a leading role or in which the political environment is the dominant setting.’ He further goes on to add that it may be so in the mind of the major characters: ‘...so that there is to ‘be observed in their behavior, and they are themselves aware of, some consistent political loyalty or ideological association. They now think in terms of supporting or opposing society as such; they rally to one or another tormented segment of society; and they do so in the name of, and under prompting
