How to Read Literature Like a Professor Short Summary

Thomas C. Foster gives a guide on how to deal with literature. The piece identifies specific convention that guides the preparation and understanding of literary pieces. People need to understand these concepts in their interaction with literature. To become a professional in the analysis of pieces of literature, you need to know how to read pieces analytically.

Foster only picks on a few literary elements out of the many that are available. The ones picked are those that are most crucial. It focuses on specific literary texts and describes the literary elements they contain. For example, chapter 4 is about monsters. Whenever these monsters are used, the authors intend to communicate the taboo message of sex. The author explains the various symbols that are used in literature.

He goes on to talk about Shakespeare and the description of the works. His main focus is the way conversations are used in Shakespeare’s pieces. He draws the similarities in the works of Shakespeare and the Bible.

Chapter 7 is about children literature. In these pieces, the authors draw the elements of fairytale that is also seen in the Bible. Myths are explained in chapter 8 as stories that explain the various elements of human existence. The stories connect human beings since most of them are similar though they originate from different cultures.

The symbols use in different pieces are explained in chapter 9. The author goes onto explaining to the readers that literature and the literary devices do not come by chance. The writers always think and connect their ideas in an organized fashion. He illustrates how these symbols are used to communicate political and religious messages.

From chapter 18, the author focuses on the meanings of being drowned in water. It can mean that one is being baptized to a representation of good fortune. The other elements that the author picks and explains their significance in the works of art include the physical settings, the depiction of weather, and how organizations are structured. Themes such as visual impairment issues, supernatural creatures, and the use of irony are also discussed. These are the important aspects that lovers of literature always come across.

The various questions concerning literature are also answered. They include the specific definition of various literary pieces, how people react to messages in the literary pieces, and why people read in the first place. By the end, you gain more understanding of the literature.