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How To Read Literature Like A Professor For Kids Sparknotes

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Recommended: Chapter 11 how to read literature like a professor

The purpose of How to Read Literature Like a Professor: For Kids by Thomas C. Foster is to gain a deeper understanding of fiction books by analyzing subtle literary devices hidden in the text and being able to discover these subtle secrets, readers can notice patterns, foreshadows, symbolism, and the author’s true purpose for the piece of literature. Foster’s lessons can be seen in The House of the Seven Gables, by Nathaniel Hawthorne. The mansion with seven gables is cursed by Mathew Maule who was wrongfully accused of witchcraft by Colonel Pyncheon. This curse plagues future generations with poverty, bad luck, and violence within the house. As Phoebe Pyncheon goes to live with her cousins, Hepzibah and Clifford, she learns of dark secrets …show more content…

When Foster explains, "...spring has to do with childhood and youth… Autumn is failing health, weakness, and middle age and tiredness…" (Foster 61). In The House of the Seven Gables, chapter five, “May and November”, the youthful and energetic Phoebe Pyncheon is introduced and compared to the feeble and senile Hepzibah Pyncheon. While Hepzibah talks to Phoebe about whether her house suits Phoebe, she describes her company as such, “‘...you see what I am,--a dismal and lonesome old woman…’” (Hawthorne 68). Meanwhile, Hepzibah points out how young and nimble Phoebe is, “...so small as to be childlike, and so elastic that motion seemed as easy or easier to it than the rest…” (Hawthorn 73). This displays Foster's point because May is a month in Spring and November is a month in Autumn. Autumn means failing health and old age while Spring means youth and childhood. May represents the failing health of the old Pyncheon, Hepzibah, and November represents the youth of the new Pyncheon, …show more content…

The chapter states, "Geography can also help us see what’s going on inside a character" (Foster 75). The main setting of The House of the Seven Gables is the house where the Pyncheons reside. Hepzibah and her brother, Clifford, attempt to leave the house for the first time in years to go to church just like their cousin, Phoebe, did. As they approach the door to leave, they deem themselves not fit or beautiful enough for the normal world outside their doors. Their house is a figurative jail, representing the real jail inside their hearts. This can be shown in, “‘We [Clifford and Hepzibah] are ghosts! We have no right among human beings!’...they could not flee; their jailer had but left the door ajar in mockery…what other dungeon is as dark as one’s own heart” (Hawthorne 158). This conveys Foster's point because the setting can symbolize how characters such as Hepzibah and Clifford feel trapped on the inside. This is because of their aged and unsightly countenance. They feel jailed in their hearts so their dismal house becomes their material

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How does How To Read Literature Like A Professor applies to every piece of literature? This novel is written by Thomas Foster and he gives the better understanding on many things, including patterns, symbols, and other literary devices. He helps the reader to gain knowledge on how to recognize each small detail of the story. This novel makes the connection with The Scarlet Letter and makes it easier to comprehend. The Scarlet Letter is written by Nathaniel Hawthorne; this novel is about Hester Prynne, who is a young and beautiful woman and committed adultery with town’s minister, Reverend Dimmesdale.

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1. In the chapter “The Test Case” in How to Read Literature like a Professor by Thomas Foster, Foster presents several different interpretations of the story “The Garden Party”. Foster then shows the readers interpretations of the short story that his college students have articulated. Foster’s interpretation, however, goes much deeper.

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In How to Read Literature like a Professor by Thomas C foster he explains how works of literature are similar and how everyone of them have meaning. In Chapter 12 “Is that a symbol can relate closely to Catch 22. The overall meaning of the novel Catch 22 by Joseph Heller is freedom leads to death.

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Summary Of How To Read Literature Like A Professor By Thomas Foster

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Thomas C. Foster's How to Read Literature Like a Professor is a very well thought out book that would be great for most students to read before taking on a professional and a more eloquent piece of literature. Foster asserts that books are constructed in a meaningful way beyond the plot, and I agree with him to a certain extent. Yes, a majority of books have meanings beyond their plots, however, there are some basic books that were written just to tell a simple and entertaining story, for example, some children's books. Although, any person in the world could take the most simplistic story and digest it so that it has an ulterior meaning than what the author intended. Overall, I do agree with Foster in the assertion that books are constructed

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How To Read Literature Like A Professor by Thomas C. Foster, gives the reader insight on how to look at a novel in a different perspective. This book truly changes the way the reader views a book. In Chapter 11 of How To Read Literature Like A Professor, the topic of death is introduced. Every death in a novel has a deeper meaning which helps mystify the plot. Kitchen by Banana Yoshimoto, has 3 significant deaths that occur in the novel to develop the story.

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How To Read Literature Like A Professor Sparknotes

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Thomas Foster, a professor at the University of Michigan, taught literature and writing. He was born in West Cornfield, Ohio, and living in such a small town caused him to become very associated with books. In 2003, Foster published a book, How to Read Literature like a Professor, written in second person. The book is written as a guide for readers to know the parts of nonfiction books. It teaches young readers how to include important elements into their stories.

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As a reader has one ever thought about what Fosters key idea is for this chapter “Don’t Read with Your Eyes” well here it is from How To Read Literature Like A Professor Foster emphasizes on “The formula I generally offer is this: don’t read with your eyes. What I really mean is don’t read only from your own fixed position in the Year of Our Lord two thousand and some. Instead try to find a reading perspective that allows for sympathy with the historical moment of the story, that understands the text as having been written against its own social, historical, cultural, and personal background” (234). Foster uses the example of the teacher whose brother is a drug addict from one’s perspective he might be considered a bad person and gross.

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How to Read Literature Like a Professor is a book that shows numerous ways and strategies to understand what their reading. Each chapter shows examples from books and use of literary devices that can help develop the meaning of the story. Think of this book as reading between the lines. In The Great Gatsby, F. Scott Fitzgerald used people to symbolize objects or things to let the reader have an interpretation on the characters. For example, the green light represents Gatsby's future for him and Daisy to be together.

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In the book, How to Read Literature Like a Professor, by Thomas Foster, in chapter 13 he talks about how each story can be interpreted as being political. This addresses social and political problems in the world. He used many examples of different stories to express each one of his points further. Firstly he pitches his thoughts on how A Christmas Carol is actually political.

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Reading the book How to Read Literature Like a Professor by Thomas C. Foster helps the reader see books in a whole new light. Throughout the book, the reader progresses through a series of steps that demonstrate depth and symbolism. Foster focuses on presenting the reader with the idea that there are themes, patterns, symbols and many more literary techniques that inexperienced readers might miss initially. Re-reading Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck and analyzing it by Foster’s book helps the reader know what to recognize and analyze. The setting is based on Lennie Smalls and George Milton move to Soledad, California, to find a job and new beginning.

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How To Read Literature Like A Professor: For Kids By Thomas C. Foster

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He closed his eyes and breathed in the scent of the early winter..." (Foody and Herman 218). The graveyard in which Alistair sits is very old, dovetailing with Foster stating winter is about old age. Alistair is about to dig up the grave of someone he once knew, symbolic of the reference to death in Foster’s central idea. Finally, Alistair is also resenting the past, tying in where Foster speaks of winter as a symbol of resentment.

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The symbolism in the month of April implies rebirth but it can be inferred as rebirth in the sense of the circle of life. It can be interpreted as the darkness of winter, or the worst times of the father’s illness, are now coming to a close as he does not have much time left. The

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As Stated by the author of How to Read Literature Like a Professor For Kids, by Thomas Foster, authors use certain varieties of weather conditions in order to set a mood in the story that’s relevant to the scenario present. Foster explains this action as saying, “But an author doesn't have a quick shower of rain, or a flurry or snow, or a flood or a blizzard, for no reason at all (Foster, 59).” What the author is trying to remark is that authors don't put unnecessary weather unless it contributes to the plot or the mood, sometimes even using it as means of ivory. One example of weather being used in the movie clip from Toy Story is rain. The rain didn't start until Sid was just about the release a rocket outside with Buzz attached, which

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Behind each movie lies the meaningful aspects and significant features worth noticing. All movies and books can be carefully examined and interpreted. Thomas C. Foster’s How to Read Literature Like a Professor provides a new view on interpreting literature. In the novel, Foster identifies and analyzes common patterns, themes, and motifs found in literature, many of which are also present in Disney’s film, Maleficent. This movie showcases several of his ideas, including quests, flight, geography, and symbolism.

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