The Quest Side Of Literature Chapter 1 Summary

Chapter 1: In chapter one, Foster discusses the “quest” side of literature. During this, he states that the journey is one of the most important parts of the quest type genre. He tells you that some of the main components of the quest genre includes but is not limited to a dragon, princess, and an evil knight. He then furthers that the reason they go on a quest is due to the challenge of the quest and the reason that the person came. At the end of the chapter, Foster then goes on to state that a journey may have no other significance than just being a simple journey but to however, stay aware of the journey at hand.

Chapter 2: In this chapter, his primary focus is on the communion in literature. He explains that when you share a meal in literature

Foster states “So vampirism isn’t about vampires? Oh, it is. It is. But it’s also about things other than literal vampirism: selfishness, exploitation” (Foster 25). He explains that it is more than just a creature and that it speaks volumes about seduction, sex, and selfishness. He then goes on to explain that ghosts can have the same effect as vampires do.

Chapter 4: During this chapter, Foster discusses that literature can often be recurring. He then goes on to explain a connection that happens halfway through the novel, Going After Cacciato by Tim O’Brien where he makes a reference to Alice in Wonderland. He then goes on and explains that literature repeats itself quite often.

Chapter 5: In this chapter, Foster continues on with the theme of recurring literature by stating shakespeare's plays being reiterated in many forms. Foster states that set a platform for writers to basically use his story and put twists on

Fairy tales are easy to connect to, since they all have a plot and solution, so there is always a way to connect a story to a fairy tale. According to Foster, the fairy tale with the most life like appeal is “Hansel and Gretel.” This story centers around the classic theme of lost children who cannot find their way home and this fairy tale tends to play on cultural anxieties around this issue.

Chapter 8: During chapter 8, Foster talks about myths and how they are related to Greek mythology. There are three types of myths, such as, Shakespearean, Biblical, and fairy tales. Most things are connected to Greece in some way, and many things are named and based off of characters from Greece. For example, some towns and people are named after the greatest heroes in Greek mythology.

Chapter 9: In this chapter, Foster asks why has it become a cliché to begin a story with the phrase “It was a dark and stormy night?” According to Foster, the answer is that “weather is never just weather.” Different types of weather often have significant meaning and it may serve as a plot device. For instance, rain can change the tone of the story and symbolize as a variety of things, such as sadness, mystery or the transformation of a