Analysis Of How To Read Literature Like A Professor Thomas Foster

In his book “How to Read Literature Like a Professor,” Thomas C. Foster provides a list of attributes that a fictional character may have if they are a symbolic Christ Figure in their story. The list consists of characteristics such as “very forgiving” and “came to redeem an unworthy world.” In Gabriel Garcia Marquez’s “A Very Old Man with Enormous Wings,” although the Old Man is thought to be an angel by the awe struck people around him, it is possible to claim that he is a Christ Figure. While the Old Man doesn’t turn water into wine, he seems to have something with the odd “miracles” occurring in the town. The Old Man’s ragged appearance is also an attribute that should be accounted for. Foster explains that “he’s dirty and unkempt and bug-ridden,

In the twelfth chapter of Thomas C. Foster’s How to Read Literature Like a Professor, Foster provides various information on how to identify symbols throughout literature. The chapter stressed the individuality of identifying symbols, Foster mentions multiple times that “every reader’s experience of every work is unique, largely because each person will emphasize various elements to different degrees” (110). After learning this and also having read Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close by Jonathan Safran Foer, one thing that stood out was that the main character, Oskar, only has and only wears white clothes. Not only does Oskar often reference his various white clothes, including the white scarf that Grandma knitted

1. In chapter eleven of his book How to Read Literature Like a Professor, Thomas Foster examines violence in literature, and particularly the way violence functions on multiple levels. Foster identifies two different kinds of violence in literature, and discusses how those two different kinds create different literal and literary meanings. By examining Foster's categories of violence in more detail, one can see how violence in literature serves as an important link between the internal events of a story and the story itself.

In “How to Read Literature Like a Professor” by Thomas C. Foster there are three new concepts I took and analyzed at a deeper level when reading “Crime and Punishment” by Fyodor Dostoyevsky. Foster tells us that in stories drownings or deaths that take place in water is serving a purpose whether it is to help the theme development, failure, guilt, or plot complication. In Crime and Punishment after Raskolnikov has committed the murder of his land lady. He begins to have suicidal thoughts of jumping off the bridge into the river. However, this idea does die quickly when a women standing right next to him decides to jump off the bridge. As he sees what has taken place he quickly snaps out of his guilt driven thoughts and the matter never comes up again. The water represents baptism. If ,Rasolnikov would've thrown himself into the river it would symbolize as a baptism to cleanse all his

In the book “How To Read Literature Like A Professor” by Thomas C. Foster, many elements are brought to the reader’s attention. Three of these elements, happen to connect with the novel, “the curious incident of the dog in the night-time” written by Mark Haddon.

Think of a work of literature that reflects a fairy tale. Discuss the parallels. How does it create irony or deepen appreciation?

In the novel How to Read Literature Like a Professor, Thomas C. Foster discloses to the readers the significance of the communion of food, which can be applied to the journey Pi experiences in the novel Life of Pi. Foster manages to portray the significance of the communion of food by explaining that “whenever people eat or drink together, it’s communion” (Foster 8). Communion can not only be religious, but it can also be an act of understanding a character’s relationship with other characters.

nterludes: • “Does He Mean That?”- I am confused with this interlude. Foster seems to skip from thing to thing without any real point or plan going on. He is first talking about how authors intentionally incorporate all the work they allude to and all the symbols they use. He then goes on to talk about how writers write for their intended audience; how they parallel something the reader is already familiar with. Next, mid-paragraph, he begins explaining the time he’s spent writing these few pages, he tells the readers of his stumbling over writing this piece. To finish off the chapter he discusses lateral thinking and how it can only be acquired with time and practice.

In the skillful novel, "How To Read Literature Like A Professor" by Thomas C. Foster, there is neither a protagonist nor antagonist. As a whole, the novel gives insights on how to pick up signs of symbolism, irony, and many other hidden details that are buried within the words of literature. Foster refers to many classis novels by classic authors to demonstrate the use of logic in writing. The novel is extremely educational, leaving many insightful questions and interpretations to the reader's opinion.

In chapter one of How To Read Literature Like A Professor Foster speaks all about the quest, which is very important in every well written story. Every character, in every novel, nevertheless of genre has a objective, something they are looking to fulfill. Foster addresses the many encounters that come with the quest in chapter one, which consist of: the quester, a place to go, a stated reason to go there, challenges and trails en route, and a real reason to go there. He later on discussed that true reason for a quest is self- knowledge,and that every trip is not always a quest. But when a trip becomes a quest Foster explains to stay attentive because some interesting things may be abroad!

“The Hobbit” and “How to Read Literature Like a Professor” are both very interesting books. These books have many similar and different concepts. Eating with others, eating others, quests, and geography are all concepts that are in both books.

When Nick is describing Gatsby he uses this bold comparison between Gatsby and Jesus Christ to illuminate what Gatsby has created himself to be. Jesus is described to be “faithful to his self-created dream but scornful of the factual truth that finally crushes him and his dream”—an appropriate description of Gatsby. Though the comparison between Gatsby and Jesus is not an important event in The Great Gatsby, it is nonetheless a suggestive comparison, as Gatsby transforms himself into the image that he envisioned for himself as a youngster and remains committed to that idea, despite the obstacles that society presents to the

-Flight is freedom. When a character has the ability to fly they are free from the burdens of everyday life.

This essay will be about the analyzing of literary devices that are discussed in this book. The professor in the book thoroughly describes these devices and the allusions and symbols that are involved in literature over the centuries. I will be discussing the specifics of the allusions and symbols of the bible and the Christ like figures in literature.

The vast majority of readers tend to overlook certain symbols that aren’t blatantly obvious. Most times, a reader will think that if a symbol does not conclude to one sole thing, then it is not a symbol. The key to defining a symbol is to see the many possibilities behind one central idea. A complex thinking style, and a focus on the author’s writing techniques is how uncovering the many layers to one particular symbol can aid in the better understanding of any literary work.