Leilani Wilkinson
Mrs. Mary Smith
AP Literature
20 September 2017
Analysis Essay In “How to Read Literature Like a Professor” the author, Thomas C. Foster, refers to and analyzes many classic novels so that he can reveal the finer, concealed details that are embedded in the text. Classic authors were also scrutinize by Foster on their writing style, the books they wrote, the impact it left in literature, and what was the significance of the texts they wrote. Foster showed that everything you have read may or may not resemble only what it refers to be but it may also hold a deeper meaning that helps give structure and reason to the novel at hand. Throughout the book Foster revealed the literary devices classical authors had used in their …show more content…
J. K. Rowling is a famous author known for the Harry Potter series, and not only that her main character, Harry Potter, is known by everyone by his scar as a shape of a lightning bolt on his forehead. Not only was the scar a result of a failed murder attempt by Lord Voldemort, the scar also resembled the psychic link between Harry Potter and Lord Voldemort. Just like Harry’s scar, if someone is blind in a novel they are never just blind there’s always a reason behind it. Another work of literature Foster references is “Oedipus Rex” by Sophocles, in the play it mainly revolves around two characters, “…(one that) is blind but sees the real story, and Oedipus (who) is blind to the truth and eventually blinds himself” (Foster 139). Throughout the play the chorus contained references to sight like everything had to do be about being able to see or not. Although the characters are complete opposites it showed that when you’re blind you are more open to and more alert to the events around you, unlike when you are able to see you become oblivious to the miniscule things and tend to look things over. Foster had included a question about blindness we should ask ourselves, “If it’s there all the time, what’s the point of introducing it specifically into some stories?” (Foster 140). Foster had made a good point there, if an author writes about blindness in the most subtle way possible, what’s the point of it to be in a …show more content…
Allusions that are used in stories should not be over-complicated and new to readers if the author wants to write a successful novel. Foster made it clear that the best kind of allusions in novels are myths, references to the bible, other classic novels, “kiddie” literature, and Shakespeare. Each of those subjects have something in common and that is we should all have knowledge or at least heard of those things. So that if an author makes an indirect reference to Shakespeare, or any of the other topics previously mentioned, the reader is able to comprehend and know what is happening. “Kiddie” literature refers to child books we have read as kids and any story that we were taught as kids, it is one of the greatest allusions an author could use because of the majority of the population would have been told those stories growing up. As Foster stated, “We may not know Shylock, but we all know Sam I Am” (Foster 47), the reason is because Dr. Seus was taught to us as kids and anyone that has had a basic education have read one of his books. Foster had use Hansel and Gretel as his favorite “kiddie” lit because the “story of children lost and far from home has a universal appeal” (Foster 47). There is a story called “The Gingerbread House” that uses the allusion of Hansel and Gretel without the children being name “Hansel and Gretel” instead in this story everything held a deeper meaning but one
Mrs. Mary Smith
AP Literature
20 September 2017
Analysis Essay In “How to Read Literature Like a Professor” the author, Thomas C. Foster, refers to and analyzes many classic novels so that he can reveal the finer, concealed details that are embedded in the text. Classic authors were also scrutinize by Foster on their writing style, the books they wrote, the impact it left in literature, and what was the significance of the texts they wrote. Foster showed that everything you have read may or may not resemble only what it refers to be but it may also hold a deeper meaning that helps give structure and reason to the novel at hand. Throughout the book Foster revealed the literary devices classical authors had used in their …show more content…
J. K. Rowling is a famous author known for the Harry Potter series, and not only that her main character, Harry Potter, is known by everyone by his scar as a shape of a lightning bolt on his forehead. Not only was the scar a result of a failed murder attempt by Lord Voldemort, the scar also resembled the psychic link between Harry Potter and Lord Voldemort. Just like Harry’s scar, if someone is blind in a novel they are never just blind there’s always a reason behind it. Another work of literature Foster references is “Oedipus Rex” by Sophocles, in the play it mainly revolves around two characters, “…(one that) is blind but sees the real story, and Oedipus (who) is blind to the truth and eventually blinds himself” (Foster 139). Throughout the play the chorus contained references to sight like everything had to do be about being able to see or not. Although the characters are complete opposites it showed that when you’re blind you are more open to and more alert to the events around you, unlike when you are able to see you become oblivious to the miniscule things and tend to look things over. Foster had included a question about blindness we should ask ourselves, “If it’s there all the time, what’s the point of introducing it specifically into some stories?” (Foster 140). Foster had made a good point there, if an author writes about blindness in the most subtle way possible, what’s the point of it to be in a …show more content…
Allusions that are used in stories should not be over-complicated and new to readers if the author wants to write a successful novel. Foster made it clear that the best kind of allusions in novels are myths, references to the bible, other classic novels, “kiddie” literature, and Shakespeare. Each of those subjects have something in common and that is we should all have knowledge or at least heard of those things. So that if an author makes an indirect reference to Shakespeare, or any of the other topics previously mentioned, the reader is able to comprehend and know what is happening. “Kiddie” literature refers to child books we have read as kids and any story that we were taught as kids, it is one of the greatest allusions an author could use because of the majority of the population would have been told those stories growing up. As Foster stated, “We may not know Shylock, but we all know Sam I Am” (Foster 47), the reason is because Dr. Seus was taught to us as kids and anyone that has had a basic education have read one of his books. Foster had use Hansel and Gretel as his favorite “kiddie” lit because the “story of children lost and far from home has a universal appeal” (Foster 47). There is a story called “The Gingerbread House” that uses the allusion of Hansel and Gretel without the children being name “Hansel and Gretel” instead in this story everything held a deeper meaning but one