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How to Read Literature Like a Professor: A Lively and Entertaining Guide to Reading Between the Lines
by: Thomas C. Foster

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Binding: Paperback
Dewey Decimal Number: 808
EAN: 9780060009427
ISBN: 006000942X
Label: Harper Paperbacks
Manufacturer: Harper Paperbacks
Number Of Items: 1
Number Of Pages: 336
Publication Date: March 01, 2003
Publisher: Harper Paperbacks
Release Date: February 18, 2003
Sales Rank: 3970
Studio: Harper Paperbacks

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Product Description:

What does it mean when a fictional hero takes a journey?. Shares a meal? Gets 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.

Customer Reviews

Average Rating: out of 5 stars

Rating:

- A genious with a sense of humor dances through literary analysis
I absolutely loved this book. I disagree with the professor on some minor points, but overall I thought his work was brilliant.

First he covers the sources of traditional story patterns. The bible, myth, Shakespeare, folk tales, and more. Then he shows how they are played out in more modern works. Third he works through symbols, like water (though he missed that water is a fertility symbol), caves, sharing a meal, and going on a journey. Finally, he pulls it all together with a great short story and shows how it all works together. I'm eager to start reading his next book, How to Read Novels Like a Professor. Sadly, not yet available for the Kindle.

Rating:

- "A broad introduction to the codes and patterns that inform our readings."
Thomas C. Foster's "How to Read Literature Like a Professor" is a joyful romp for those of us who love pondering and discussing well-written poems, stories, and novels. The author's delightful sense of humor and refreshing lack of pomposity make this an entertaining "guide to reading between the lines." In his introduction, Foster immediately grabs our attention by discussing Mr. Lindner, a "milquetoast" sent to tempt the Younger family in Hanberry's "A Raisin in the Sun." The Youngers have made a down-payment on a home in an all-white neighborhood, but Lindner tries to buy out their claim in order to prevent the neighborhood from becoming integrated. For all of his apparent meekness, Foster insists, Lindner is actually the devil in disguise. His offer is a Faustian bargain, a literary concept that goes all the way back to the Elizabethan era and has recurred many times since in many forms.

Lest ... Read More

Rating:

- Elementary way to read professionally
This is indeed a fantastic aid when analyzing literature. In AP literature, one must definitely know how to analyze different works. This work gives simple ways to explain difficult concepts or difficult to find ideas. Sometimes the book does over-state key ideas, this reiteration could be quite bothersome when reading the entire book at once. i would advise that you only look up things as you need them, but the writing is fascinating and can be quite colorful and even enjoyable. This was a great purchase for me!

Rating:

- Well descript and open-minded book
While only just beginning to read this novel I have found some very intriguing remarks just in the first section where the author refers to a teacher teaching a class by reading a passage from another book where a home owner is selling the house and another man is attempting to pay the man and his family to leave the community. The description of the man trying to pay the man who owns the house off to move is stated by the teacher as "The Devil" because of the nature of his proposal. The nature of the proposal was that of integrity, dignity, and self-respect. All were in violation with the proposal and the man was in a bind because after the house was sold, the money ended up missing. Eventually the man came to terms with himself and declined the proposal while maintaining his integrity, dignity, and self-respect. The manner in which the author uses the teacher to describe this understanding is brilliant, insightful, ... Read More

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