How to read literature like a professor

No cover — Thomas C. Foster: How to read literature like a professor (2014, Harper Perennial)

336 pages

English language

Published Sept. 11, 2014 by Harper Perennial.

ISBN:: 978-0-606-35509-4
OCLC Number:: 857966704

(1 review)

What does it mean when a fictional hero takes a journey? Shares a meal? Get drenched in a sudden rain shower? Often, there is much more going on in a novel or poem than is readily visible on the surface -- a symbol, maybe, that remains elusive, or an unexpected twist on a character - and there's that sneaking suspicion that the deeper meaning of a literary text keeps escaping you. In this practical and amusing guide to literature, Thomas C. Foster shows how easy and gratifying it is to unlock those hidden truths, and to discover a world where a road leads to a quest a shared meal may signify a communion and rain, whether cleansing or destructive, is never just rain. Ranging from major themes to literary models, narrative devices, and form, How to Read Literature Like a Professor is the perfect companion for making your reading experience …

What does it mean when a fictional hero takes a journey? Shares a meal? Get drenched in a sudden rain shower? Often, there is much more going on in a novel or poem than is readily visible on the surface -- a symbol, maybe, that remains elusive, or an unexpected twist on a character - and there's that sneaking suspicion that the deeper meaning of a literary text keeps escaping you. In this practical and amusing guide to literature, Thomas C. Foster shows how easy and gratifying it is to unlock those hidden truths, and to discover a world where a road leads to a quest a shared meal may signify a communion and rain, whether cleansing or destructive, is never just rain. Ranging from major themes to literary models, narrative devices, and form, How to Read Literature Like a Professor is the perfect companion for making your reading experience more enriching, satisfying, and fun.

5 editions

The Weaver Reads reviewed How to Read Literature Like a Professor by Thomas C. Foster

Goodreads Review of How to Read Literature Like a Professor

4 stars

Foster's book is a classic. I remember chapters of it being assigned in high school, but I never made my way through the entire thing. He has an excellent sense of humor and makes understanding symbols comprehensible. I love that he never once imposes a reading of a text; instead, he opts to suggest possibilities about what things may mean given their prior use in the human Ur-story. Intertextuality gets plenty of coverage here as well.

A lot of stories mentioned here were familiar to me, and a lot were not, which allowed me to fill out my "to-read" list a bit more, while thinking about some stories that I want to go back to.

Nothing here should be too ground-breaking to heavy readers, but Foster's book is worth going back to from time to time.

Subjects

Books and reading
Criticism
Literature
History and criticism