How to Read Literature Like a Professor-892018 PDF

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How to Read Literature Like a Professor: Summary

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Chapter 1: “Every Trip is a Quest (Except When it’s Not)” o Just about any story can be a quest. o A quest consists of 5 things:  a. a quester  b. a place to go  c. a stated reason to go there  d. challenges and trials  e. a real reason to go there o The real reason for a quest is never the stated reason, because the point of the quest is to fulfill the quester’s self-knowledge. o In The Crying of Lot 49, the quester Oedipa cares less and less about the will (stated goal) and more about the fact that she can rely on herself (real reason).

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Chapter 2: Nice to Eat With You: Acts of Communion o In literature, sometimes a meal is just a meal; however, most of the time there is more to it than that. o Generally, sharing a meal with others means that you enjoy their company and you like them, which in and of itself can be symbolic. o In the story “Cathedral,” a very prejudiced man learns to befriend a blind man after they share a meal and do some drugs together, a form of communion in its own right. o Not sharing a meal with someone is an obvious sign of bad feelings between two or more people. o In “The Dead,” James Joyce describes the people in the story by describing the food: sentries, squads, sashes. o When characters in literature share a meal, we share it with them.

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Chapter 3 Nice to Eat You: Acts of Vampires o Vampires = rapists in real life? (Leave their “mark” like the fang bite marks. o Literary ghosts have a purpose:  Hamlet’s father—points out wrongs  Marley—teaches Scrooge ethics  Hyde—everyone has a dark side o Vampires aren’t always literally vampires. In Victorian literature, vampires were a way to say things that were normally taboo. Vampires are evil, older, attractive

“men” that take advantage of young “women” to continue their life. In the end, the women are stripped of their youth and die. o In “Daisy Miller,” the “vampire” is the European society that sucks the life out of Daisy, mainly Winterbourne, who ignores her despite her advances. 

Chapter 4—If It’s a Square, It’s a Sonnet o According to the author, the sonnet is the only form of poetry the general reader needs to know. o Sonnets are easy to recognize: they’re “square.” o Sonnets connect ideas between 2 lines and then shifts them. o Poems often use repetition to convey meaning. o Reference to Narcissus: the 2 lovers in the given poem cannot look at each other, but they look at their reflections. o 10 syllables/line

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Chapter 5—Now, Where Have I Seen Her Before? o When you read more and more literature, it becomes easier to recognize the patterns and symbols. o There’s no such thing as a wholly original work of literature. Often you will find pieces of other stories, history, and imagination. o A lot of times, the author’s past and subconscious play a large role in literature. o “The only way to get out of the hole is to fall back up” ~from Going After Caciato~ reference to Alice in Wonderland. o Sarkin Aung WanSacajawea o There is only one story—all stories ever created are intertwined and connected somehow. o Aha! factorLike when you realize that something in literature reminds you of a Greek myth. o Intertextuality—the ongoing interaction between poems or stories. o New texts “speak to” the old ones. o Characters have to work as themselves. You can’t just create a story from other stories in a wild, cut-and-paste fashion. o The literary professor helps you find your “mushrooms.

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Chapter 6—When in Doubt, It’s From Shakespeare… o Many plays, TV shows, and newer literary works are based on Shakespearean theater. o Examples: West Side Story, an episode of Gilligan’s Island, A Thousand Acres, etc. o Frequently heard quotations from Shakespeare:  To thine own self be true

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 Good night, sweet prince. And flights of angels sing thee to thy rest!  Double, double, toil and trouble… When pioneers travelled west, the schools generally taught from two books: the Bible and Shakespeare. Shakespeare is almost a universal language. Many writers after Shakespeare use his works as a template of sorts for theirs.  Confers authority  Part of our cultural context Basing a character in a literary work on a well-known Shakespearian character can describe them in a sentence rather than several pages. Few writers “copy” Shakespeare; most have a “conversation” with him and his works. “Master Harold…” and the boys:  Instead of using a Shakespearian play in which race plays a big role, Fugard uses Henry IV, a story of a young man who needs to sober up and become a leader.  Fugard’s question: “What does it mean though, to become a worthy successor in an unworthy enterprise?”

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Chapter 7--…Or the Bible o Writers quote Scripture all the time. o “Beloved…”  4 white men = 4 horsemen  Sethe sees the 4 horsemen coming, and reacts as if the Apocalypse is upon her and her family. o The Fall in literature = loss of innocence o When innocence is lost, there is no going back. o Paradise Lost, Paradise Regained, Samson Agonizes. o Grendel, from Beowulf, is descended from Cain as the story represents the coming of Christianity into Germanic society. o In modern literature, many Christ figures are the opposite of Christ. o “Why I Live at the P.O.” Prodigal Sister o Names often symbolic of Biblical texts—Rebekah, Mary, Abraham, etc. o “Resonance Test:” when a phrase or part of literature seems to have a bigger meaning than just the words. When this occurs, there is usually an older text one can refer to, to learn the meaning.  Greater impact  Pathos

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Chapter 8—Hanseldee and Greteldum

o The “literary canon”—all of the “greatest works.” o Many people have already borrowed from the “great writers,” and even if the writer chooses to do that, not every reader may understand. So what to draw upon for analogies, references, etc.? o Metonymy: the rhetorical device in which a part is made to stand for the whole.  Example: witch in Hansel and Gretelblack rags  Same theme, different story:  Hansel and Gretel [2 kids, candy house]  Modern twist [Couple, crackhouse] 

Chapter 9—It’s Greek to Me o Myth is a body of story that matters o Meaning: The ability of a story to explain ourselves to ourselves in ways that physics, philosophy, math and chemistry can’t. They are deeply ingrained in our culture. They shape our culture and we, in turn, are shaped by them. (Values of a certain group).

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Chapter 10—It’s More Than Just Rain or Snow o Weather is symbolic. o Water can inspire fear in humans: cold and wet, drowning, etc. o Rain and fog are mysterious. How do many horror films start? “It’s raining and storming, we need a place to stay. How about that creepy old house?” Brings unlikely characters together. o Rain washes away “stains.” o Noah’s Ark—rain brings new beginnings (rainbows). o Fog = clouded judgement and confusion. o Snow can represent cleanliness or filthiness, death or life, happiness or sadness. o Plot device, atmospheric.  Interlude: Does He Mean That?  Whether the writer intends for all their symbols and allusions depends on the writer.  Most “intentionalists” are from the modernist period.  Readers often forget how much time and effort goes into writing a book.  Lateral thinking—the way writers can keep their eye on the target and at the same time bring in related material.

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Chapter 11—More Than It’s Gonna Hurt You: Concerning Violence o Violence in real life is just violence, but violence in literature is often symbolic. o “Out, Out”—

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This poem by Robert Frost is a story of a boy who is killed by a buzz saw that he is working with. At first glance it appears to be a cautionary tale. But if you look deeper it can mean many other things: the coldness and inhumanity of machinery, etc. Narrative violence: The specific injury that authors characters to visit on one another.

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Chapter 12: Is That a Symbol? o Symbols can mean different things to different people. o When a “symbol” stands for only one clear-cut thing, it’s not considered a symbol: it’s allegory. o To decipher what a symbol means, one must use questions, experience, and preexisting knowledge. o Take notes, read earlier works, brainstorm.

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Chapter 13—It’s All Political o Scrooge = theory by Thomas Malthus that helping poor people would increase the number of poor people. o Writers often criticize people in power, or praise people who do the right thing with their power, in their writing. o Some writers could be punished for writing their political opinions, so they use symbols to convey their meaning.

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Chapter 14—Yes, She’s a Christ Figure Too o When reading literature, knowledge of all religions is essential. o Christ figures in literature resemble Christ, but not in every way.

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Chapter 15—Flights of Fancy o In literature, flight can be heavily symbolic. o Icarus o Freedom, breaking the rules. o A character’s soul can soar or fall.

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Chapter 16—It’s All About Sex o Freud may have been a quack, but his symbols can be used in literature by writers with dirty minds.

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Chapter 17—Except Sex o When writers write about sex, they usually mean something else: if not, it’s just porn.

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Chapter 18—If She Comes Up, It’s Baptism o Whether a character drowns or not has deep meaning in a story. o It can mean: wish fulfillment, exorcism of primal fear, or exploration of the possible. o How the character gets out can be symbolic.  Ex: driftwood = luck, coincidence, divine assistance… o Rebirth, new start.

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Chapter 19—Geography Matters o Every writer has to ask: where is this taking place and why? o …so we have to ask why as well. o Much history has to do with geography. o Geography can set the mood: happy, creepy, anxious, etc. o Leaving the familiar geography of “home” can set the stage for rebirth. o When writers send characters south, it’s so they can run amok (they’re having direct encounters with the subconscious).

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Chapter 20: So Does Season o Seasons can represent age, emotions, etc. o Spring: youth, childhood o Summer: warmth and passion, adulthood, romance, fulfillment. o Fall: Aging, harvest o Winter: Death, old age, resentment.  Interlude: One Story  Archetype: pattern, or something a pattern is based on. You can’t locate the original myth.

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Chapter 21—Marked for Greatness o In literature, physical characteristics may tell something of a character’s personality. Example: hero is born with a mark that sets him apart from the rest. o Quasimodo—differentiation—something that sets a character apart from other characters.

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Chapter 22—He’s Blind For a Reason, You Know o When a blind character is introduced to a story, oftentimes the author wants to put emphasis on something that people can’t see with their eyes. o “Indiana Jones Principle:” if you want your audience to know something important about your character, introduce it early!

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Chapter 23—It’s Never Just Heart Disease

o The heart has always been the center of human emotion.  Heart ailments shorthand for—character social metaphor. 

Chapter 24--…And Rarely Just Illness o In literature, sickness is almost never just sickness. o Ex: paralyzed priest = strict church o Before the 21st century, cholera was as common as TB, but it was rarely used in literature because it just wasn’t pretty. o Literary diseases should be “picturesque,” mysterious, and have strong symbolic possibilities. (AIDS nowadays).

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Chapter 25—Don’t Read With Your Eyes o To get the most out of a reading, read through the eyes of the characters. o Versimilitude: faithfulness to the world we know. o Read in the intended context! Don’t read from your fixed position—sympathize with the times!

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Chapter 26—Is He Serious? And Other Ironies o Irony trumps everything o “Ironic mode”—characters who possess a lower degree of autonomy, selfdetermination, or free will than ourselves. o Multivocal nature of irony: readers who are inclined to univocal utterances just won’t understand.

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Chapter 27—A Test Case o Garden Partybut not very garden oriented? o No one cares about the dead man except for Laura. o Garden-party: family is celebrating life when their neighbor has died. o Laura realizes that life is beautiful, and you don’t need fancy things and parties to make it that way. o Envoi: little stanza at the end of a poem.

Important Vocabulary: o o o o o o o o o o o o o

Apocryphal: of doubtful authorship or authenticity Portends: to signify, or to foreshadow. Succubus: A female demon. Sagacity: soundness of judgement Myriad: a great number of people or things. Nonsectarian: Not limited to a specific religious organization. Ambiguity: Uncertainty of meaning or intention. Metonymically: the use of a related concept to describe a word. Tenuous: lacking a sound basis. o Ex: a tenuous argument Simulacrum: an effigy or representation Verisimilitude: the appearance of truth Analogues: something having analogy to something else Glib: easy or unconstrained, as actions or manners....