Reading To Have Read Summary

Regardless of personal beliefs or opinions, it is nearly impossible to imagine the existence of modern English literature without the influence of religion. Since the dawn of recorded history, religion has played a vital, recurring role in works of fact and fiction, alike. In his book How to Read Literature Like a Professor, author Thomas Foster asserts several points about this relationship between religion and literature, especially in relation to the image of Christ, and states, “Culture is so influenced by its dominant religious systems that whether a writer adheres to the beliefs or not, the values and principles of those religions will inevitably inform the literary work” (125).

-We have to carefully compare and contrast all parts of the sonnet in order to see the deeper meaning that all sonnets hold.

Analysis: Compare chapter 20 :How to Read Literature Like a Professor-“…So Does Season” to part four (chapter 1) of The Fountainhead.

This Side of Paradise by F. Scott Fitzgerald is an extremely renowned coming of age novel. It portrays life in the roaring 20’s, following the life of a young Amory Blaine. Amory faces obstacles from devastation by wealthy women to fighting in World War I and losing some of his closest friends. Reading How to Read Literature Like a Professor by Thomas C. Foster emphasized the main ideas throughout Amory’s life. The two main ideas that stood out in Fitzgerald’s book, was the quest taken by Amory Blaine and what Foster calls “baptisms” throughout the story.

In Thomas Foster’s book, How to Read Literature Like a Professor, it is written that there are five aspects of a quest: “the quester; a place to go; a stated reason to go there; challenges and trials en route; a real reason to go there” (Foster 3). In the book The Poisonwood Bible, the Price family were the questers going to the Congo to bring Christianity to the villagers. During their stay at the Congo, they faced hate, disease, violence, and even the death of Ruth May. Although the whole family was attempting to bring Christianity to the villagers, Nathan Price’s real goal was to baptize all the villagers.

The first chapter of How to Read Literature Like a Professor by Thomas Foster is about the hero’s quest. Foster starts the chapter with a fictious example of a story with a protagonist called Kip that although on the surface seems like a search for bread, is actually an example of a knight’s encounter with nemesis, a quest. He then goes on to discuss the five components of a quest and how the parts often vary and are hidden in different forms. One of the primary take-aways from the chapter however is how the real reason for a quest is never the one stated but rather self-knowledge, the idea that the purpose for the quest is ultimately not the stated reason but rather a quest of education. Foster argues that the stated reason is more of an excuse for embarking on the quest, rather than the end goal and discusses

In Chapter One of How to Read Literature Like a Professor, Foster begins with an example of a situation that a boy, Kip, encounters. He goes to the local A&P in order to pick up bread for his mother, however comes in contact with several obstacles. Although this seems like just a trip to the store, Kip in reality was on a quest. Foster then goes on to explain the five parts of a quest—a quester, a place to go, a stated reason to go there, challenges and trials en route, and a real reason to go there. When a person goes on a quest, they often discover something different than what was intended. In the story about Kip, Kip’s quest was to pick up white bread. On the way, he encounters a German shepherd and then spots the girl of his dreams in

Our Quester: A young boy who isn’t happy with his life living at home with his large family.

In most novels and stories, the author often writes literature with the literary structure that consists of style and tone suited to the plot. This style and tone enable the author to include archetypal symbols and allusions as well. This is mainly how authors teach us about life-lessons and comparisons with real-life.

HTR Chapters 5 and 6 The work of William Shakespeare is widely known and respected, I think it is safe to assume that many authors may draw an inspiration from his writing. Chapter 5 of How to Read Literature Like a Professor deals with authors using Shakespearean text to create their own work, allowing them to say more while at the same time using fewer words. Like Mr.Foster states, “He’s everywhere, in every literary form you can think of. And he’s never the same:every age and every writer reinvents its own Shakespeare.”

Jose de Alvare AP LIT Dr. Busse 08/14/17 How to Read Literature Like a Professor: by Thomas C. Foster Chapter 1-- Every Trip Is a Quest (Except When It's Not) The five parts of a QUEST are The five aspects of the quest are: (a) a quester, (b) a place to go, (c) a stated reason to go there, (d) challenges and trials en route, (e) a real reason to go there. a quester - Percy Jackson a place to go - the underworld and mount olympus The stated reason to go there - to retrieve the stolen lightning bolt from Hades in the underworld for Zeus and to save his mother Challenges and trials en route - On his way to the underworld he has to face Medusa in New York , the Hydra and the Lotus Eaters in a Las Vegas casino. He also has to face Luke attempting to steal the lightning bolt and attempting to kill him.

Analysis: Compare chapter 23:How to Read Literature Like a professor-“it’s never just heart disease to part one chapter 15 of The fountainhead.

Patterns are everywhere. A pattern is a "repeated decorative design." Whether in a constructed environment or a natural environment, patterns are made and set into stone with an intended idea or form and are repeated. As Thomas Foster shows us in How to Read Literature Like a Professor, there are patterns in Literature. In The History of Rasselas: Prince of Abissinia by Samuel Johnson, we are shown how the different patterns explained by Foster are put into place to form the story. Johnson uses the same techniques Foster presents in How to Read Literature Like a Professor.

How To Read Literature Like a Professor by Thomas C. Foster has definitely made me look back at how I analyzed all the books and other types of literature I’ve read and made me think how less-than-mediocre my analyzing skills were. I never thought that a boy running an errand for his mother could be a quest. When I started reading How to Read Literature Like a Professor, it vaguely reminded me of something I would find on the English tag of Tumblr.

I chose my passage from How To Read Literature Like A Professor: A Lively And Entertaining Guide To Reading Between The Lines. In chapter fourteen, page one hundred and twenty-five, Foster states, "Okay, so not everyone is a Christian around these parts, nor do those who would say there are necessarily have more than and nodding familiarity with the New Testament... Okay, so it's not the most profound insight ever, but it matters." When I started reading this chapter I felt offended. I thought who are you to tell me to put my religious beliefs behind me while reading?" As I read further into the chapter, I caught on to what Foster was really saying. This passage is my favorite because, it shows the reader that the author does not discriminate