How to Read Literature Like a
Professor:
A Lively and Entertaining Guide to
by Thomas C. Foster
Note
to students: These short writing assignments will let you
practice your literary analysis and they will help me get to know you better and
familiarize me with your literary tastes. Whenever I ask for an example from
literature, you may use short stories, novels, plays, or films (Yes, film is a
literary genre). Use the Appendix to jog your memory for examples.Please
note that your responses should be paragraphs -- not pages!
Even though this is analytical
writing, you may use "I" if you deem it important to do so; remember,
however, that most uses of "I" are just padding. For example, "I
think the wolf is the most important character in 'Little Red Ridinghood'" is padded. As you compose each written
response, re-phrase the prompt (not restate) as part of your answer. In other
words, I should be able to tell which question you are answering without
referring back to the prompts.
You
may download a set of Notes
(by Marti Nelson) on this book to help you in your analysis. Also a copy of these assignments
(adapted from Dona Anglin's) in Word.
Introduction—How'd He Do That?
How do memory, symbol, and pattern affect the reading of literature? How does
the recognition of patterns make it easier to read complicated literature?
Discuss a time when your appreciation of a literary work was enhanced by
understanding symbol or pattern.
Chapter 1—Every
Trip Is a Quest (Except When It's Not)
List the five aspects of the
QUEST and then apply them to something you have read/viewed in the form used on
pages 3-5.
Chapter 2—Nice to Eat with You: Acts of Communion
Choose a meal from a
literary work and apply the ideas of Chapter 2 to this literary depiction.
Chapter 3—Nice to Eat You: Acts of Vampires
What are the essentials of the Vampire story? Apply this to a literary work you
have read or viewed.
Chapter 4—If It's Square, It's a Sonnet
Select three sonnets and show which form they are. Discuss how their content
reflects the form. (Submit copies of the sonnets, marked to show your
analysis).
Chapter 5—Now,
Where Have I Seen Her Before?
Define intertextuality. Discuss two examples that
have helped you in reading specific works.
Chapter 6—When
in Doubt, It's from Shakespeare...
Discuss a work that you are familiar with that alludes to or reflects
Shakespeare. Show how the author uses this connection thematically. Read pages
44-46 carefully. In these pages, Foster shows how Fugard
reflects Shakespeare through both plot and theme. In your discussion, focus on
theme.
Chapter
7—...Or the Bible
Read "Araby" (available here). Discuss Biblical allusions that Foster does
not mention. Look at the example of the "two great jars." Be creative
and imaginative in these connections.
Chapter
8—Hanseldee and Greteldum
Think of a work of literature that reflects a fairy tale. Discuss the parallels. Does it create irony
or deepen appreciation?
Chapter 9—It's Greek to Me
Write a free verse poem derived or inspired by characters or situations from
Greek mythology. Be prepared to share your poem with the class. Explore the Internet to jog your memory.
Chapter 10—It's More Than Just Rain or Snow
Discuss the importance of weather in a specific literary work, not in terms of
plot.
Interlude—Does
He Mean That
Chapter 11—...More
Than It's Gonna Hurt You:
Concerning Violence
Present examples of the two kinds of violence found in literature. Show how the
effects are different.
Chapter 12—Is
That a Symbol?
Use the process described on page 106 and investigate
the symbolism of the fence in "Araby." (Mangan's sister stands behind it.)
Chapter 13—It's All Political
Assume that Foster is right and "it is all political." Use his
criteria to show that one of the major works assigned to you as a freshman is
political.
Chapter 14—Yes,
She's a Christ Figure, Too
Apply the criteria on page 119 to a major character in
a significant literary work. Try to choose a character that will have many
matches. This is a particularly apt tool for analyzing film -- for example, Star
Wars, Cool Hand Luke, Excalibur, Malcolm X, Braveheart,
Spartacus, Gladiator and Ben-Hur.
Chapter 15—Flights
of Fancy
Select a
literary work in which flight signifies escape or freedom. Explain in detail.
Chapter 16—It's
All About Sex...
Chapter 17—...Except the Sex
OK ..the sex chapters. The key idea from this chapter
is that "scenes in which sex is coded rather than explicit can work at
multiple levels and sometimes be more intense that literal depictions"
(141). In other words, sex is often suggested with much more art and
effort than it is described, and, if the author is doing his job, it
reflects and creates theme or character. Choose a novel or movie in which sex
is suggested, but not described, and discuss how the relationship is
suggested and how this implication affects the theme or develops
characterization.
Chapter 18—If She Comes Up, It's Baptism
Think of a "baptism scene" from a significant literary work. How was
the character different after the experience? Discuss.
Chapter 19—Geography
Matters...
Discuss at least four
different aspects of a specific literary work that Foster would classify under
"geography."
Chapter 20—...So Does Season
Find a poem that mentions a specific season. Then discuss how the poet uses the
season in a meaningful, traditional, or unusual way. (Submit a copy of the poem
with your analysis.)
Interlude—One
Story
Write your own definition for archetype. Then identify an archetypal story and
apply it to a literary work with which you are familiar.
Chapter 21—Marked for Greatness
Figure out Harry Potter's scar. If you aren't familiar with Harry Potter,
select another character with a physical imperfection and analyze its
implications for characterization.
Chapter 22—He's
Blind for a Reason, You Know
Chapter 23—It's Never Just Heart Disease...
Chapter 24—...And Rarely Just Illness
Recall two characters who died of a disease in a literary
work. Consider how these deaths reflect the "principles governing the use
of disease in literature" (215-217). Discuss the effectiveness of the
death as related to plot, theme, or symbolism.
Chapter 25—Don't Read
with Your Eyes
After reading Chapter 25, choose a scene or episode from a novel,
play or epic written before the twentieth century. Contrast how it could be
viewed by a reader from the twenty-first century with how it might be viewed by
a contemporary reader. Focus on specific assumptions that the author makes—assumptions
that would not make it in this century.
Chapter 26—Is
He Serious? And Other Ironies
Select an ironic literary work and explain the multi-vocal nature of the irony
in the work.
Chapter 27—A
Test Case
Read "The Garden Party" by Katherine Mansfield. Complete the exercise
on pages 265-266, following the directions exactly. Then compare your writing
with the three examples. How did you do? What does the essay that follows
comparing Laura with Persephone add to your appreciation of
Adapted
from Assignments originally developed by Donna Anglin
and Sandra Effinger. Notes
by Marti Nelson.