"I know of no other book that so vividly conveys what it’s like to study with a great literature professor. In a work that is both down-to-earth and rich in insight, Thomas Foster goes far toward breaking down the wall that has long divided the aca demic and the common reader."

--James Shapiro, Columbia University,author of Shakespeare and the Jews

"By bringing his eminent scholarship to bear in doses measured for the common reader or occasional student, Professor Foster has done us all a generous turn. The trained eye, the tuned ear, the intellect possessed of simple ciphers bring the literary arts alive. For those who’ve ever wondered what Dr.Williams saw in ’a red wheel barrow glazed with rain water’-- here is an essential text."

--Thomas Lynch, author of The Undertaking

What does it mean when a fictional hero takes a journey? Shares a meal? Gets drenched in a sudden rain shower? Often, there is much more going on in a novel or poem than is readily visible on the surface--a symbol, maybe, that remains elusive, or an unexpected twist on a character--and there’s that sneaking suspicion that the deeper meaning of a literary text keeps escaping you.

In this practical and amusing guide to literature, Thomas C. Foster shows how easy and gratifying it is to unlock those hidden truths, and to discover a world where a road leads to a quest; a shared meal may signify a communion; and rain, whether cleansing or destructive, is never just rain. Ranging from major themes to literary models, narrative devices, and form, How to Read Literature Like a Professor is the perfect companion for making your reading experience more enriching, satisfying, and fun.

INTRODUCTION

How’d He Do That?

1.Every Trip Is a Quest

(Except When It’s Not)

2.Nice to Eat with You:

 Acts of Communion

3.Nice to Eat You:

 Acts of Vampires

4.If It’s Square, It’s a Sonnet

5.Now, Where Have I

 Seen Her Before?

6.When in Doubt,

 It’s from Shakespeare...

7 ...Or the Bible

8.Hanseldee and Greteldum

9.It’s Greek to Me

10.It’s More Thin Just Rainor Snow

  INTERLUDE

  Does He Mean That?

11.More Than It’s Gonna

  Hurt You: Concerning Violence

12.Is That a Symbol?

13.It’s All Political

14.Yes, She’s a Christ Figure, Too

15.Flights of Fancy

16.It’s All About Sex...

17.Except Sex

18.If She Comes Up, It’s Baptism

19.Geography Matters...

20.So Does Season

  INTERLUDE

  One Story

21.Marked for Greatness

22.He’s Blind for a

  Reason, You Know

23.It’s Never Just Heart Disease..

24.And Rarely Just Illness

25.Don’t Read with Your Eyes

26.Is He Serious?

  And Other Ironies

27.A Test Case

ENVOI

APPENDIX

Reading List

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

INDEX