Thomas Foster's 'Going After Cacciato'

In Chapter Five of How to Read Like a Professor, Thomas Foster’s purpose is to note how all stories ultimately relate with one another. Recurrences and patterns may be hard to notice at first, but once the reader has given the book enough thought and analyzing process, then these similarities are easier to spot. One example Foster brings up is Going After Cacciato written in 1978. Because the author, Tim O’Brien, is aware of his references to different authors, he uses shifting narrative forms to differentiate the reference to the actual plotline (Foster). In the novel, the protagonist’s mind often flashes back to also signal the narrative change. Although there is different chronological order than the real war the novel reflects upon, the similarities are still easily differentiated and related to outside sources. Examples of references from the novel are the love interest and when the main characters fall through the hole. The references reflect Sacagawea and Alice in the Wonderland respectively. Foster provides these conclusions from this novel to show different techniques an author had used in O’Brien’s work so readers can easily differentiate some on their own. By providing direct examples from the novel itself, Foster’s

If their works were referenced to another modern work such as how Foster uses Rocky and Bullwinkle for example. The connotation behind the two references brings about a different feeling towards the work. Saying when a work is related to Shakespeare gives off a sophisticated tone and is much more respected then saying a work is referenced to a silly name like Rocky and Bullwinkle. In other words, the significance of detecting references to Shakespeare’s works brings about sophistication and a deeper knowledge of the character. The author references Shakespeare due to being universally known and having a highly respected