Thomas C Foster Chapter 1 Analysis

In Chapter 1, “Every Trip Is a Quest (Except When It’s Not),” of How to Read Literature Like a Professor, author Thomas C. Foster claims that a quest can be defined structurally using 5 elements: (1) a quester, (2) a place to go, (3) a stated reason to go there, (4) challenges and trials en route, and (5) a real reason to go there (Paragraph 1.8). Foster’s claim allows me to view literature with a new perspective, thus improving my understanding of various works. I can assume that improving his readers’ grasp on literature was Foster’s purpose, because he ends the chapter with the statement: “Once you figure out quests, the rest is easy.” With the knowledge that even trips to the grocery store can be considered quests, as exemplified, though hypothetically, in paragraphs 1-6 of the chapter, I can predict what will occur in a story without any sort of blatant foreshadowing by applying the structural elements of a quest. Foster’s hypothetical example, which was stated earlier, follows a sixteen-year-old named Kip to the store for a loaf of bread. On the surface, it is merely a trip to the store for a loaf of bread; however, when applying those structural elements, it is, in fact, quest. Kip (a quester) goes to the store (a place to go) …show more content…
However, Foster says that “communion” has various interpretations, evident in Henry Fielding’s Tom Jones, which uses the meal as a gateway to sex. Despite its lack of holiness, the scene portrays a shared experience where desire, rather than food, is being consumed. Foster’s example serves to indicate a significant point: “communion doesn’t need to be holy. Or even decent” (Paragraph