How to Read Literature Like a Professor
Author: Thomas C. Foster Adapted by: Miss Barrett Keys to Studying Literature
• Read with a pen in hand! • Start looking for these things: Symbols Patterns Intertextuality Devices Allusions Be an Observer: Go all “Sherlock” on it.
Notice Things! Ask yourself What does it mean? Why is it there? How does it add to our understanding? Take risks. Guess! Then Guess Again. Make a connection to your life, other texts, and the world. The Basics
Setting (Ask: why this setting?) Plot (Consider: foreshadowing, development, turning point, climax, originality) Character (consider types, development, realism) Theme (the most important, ponder the point) Point of View (perspective, does it matter?) Conflict (type, kind {Man vs ____}, introduction, resolution?) Style (ask why it was written this way, is it effective, innovative, imitative?) Now, more things to notice . . . Context Matters
Understand that every book is written against its own social, historical, cultural, and personal background. We don’t have to accept the values of another culture to sympathetically step into the story and recognize universal qualities present there. Now, Where Have I Seen This Before?
There is no such thing as a wholly original work of literature. Every new story builds on previous stories. Intertextuality: recognizing the connections between one story and another deepens our appreciation and experience, brings multiple layers of meaning to the text, of which we may not be conscious. Connections might be made in terms of archetypal characters, common themes, common plots, etc. What if I told you a story about . .
A group of people forced to fight each other to the death, for others entertainment Two young lovers, who met, fall in love, but are fated to die An oppressed society where the corrupt government is always watching, thereby controlling the populace A love triangle, two men in love with the same woman, and she can’t choose between them A society fighting against the evil empire Might you have said How about this story
Two young people are from rival families (gangs/towns/classes) They fall in love quickly They must overcome obstacles to be together They die tragically Romeo and Juliet Intertextuality in Characters: Common character types: Universal characteristics and behaviours A wise old woman/ man An orphan A love triangle An absent father A witch The fool The sidekick A damsel in distress A tragic hero A man bent on revenge Spot the character types:
Allusions
Literary or Historical References to People, Places, or Events When in Doubt, It’s from Shakespeare . . .
• Shakespeare is pervasive, so frequently echoed • Shown in plot, character, and themes, etc. ▫ Hamlet: heroic character, revenge, indecision, melancholy ▫ Henry IV: young man who must grow up and take on responsibilities ▫ Othello: jealous husband ▫ Merchant of Venice: justice versus mercy ▫ “Does not a Jew bleed.” ▫ King Lear: aging parent, greedy children, wise fool ▫ Romeo and Juliet: tragic lovers ▫ Macbeth: downfall caused by excessive ambition Examples
Brave New World West Side Story The Lion King A Thousand Acres Ten Things I Hate About You “0” She’s the Man 7. ... Or the Bible
• Before the 20th century, writers could count on people’s familiarity with Bible stories • Common allusions ▫ Garden of Eden, Adam and Eve ▫ David and Goliath ▫ The Flood ▫ Christ Figures ▫ Apocalypse ▫ The Devil Let’s Take the Devil as a Literary Character
Paradise Lost, John Milton Doctor Faustus, Marlowe The Devil in Love, Cazotte The Mysterious Stranger, Twain The Exorcist, Blatty The Stand, Stephen King Sympathy for the Devil, Rolling Stones The Devil Went Down to Georgia, Charlie Daniel’s Band Rosemary’s Baby The Lord of the Flies, Golding Christ Figures • Characteristics of a Christ Figure ▫ Crucified, wounds in hand, arms outstretched ▫ In agony ▫ Self sacrificing, forgiving ▫ Good with children ▫ Good with loaves, fishes, water, wine ▫ Thirty three at death ▫ Carpenter ▫ Humble modes of transportation ▫ Walked on water ▫ Alone in the wilderness ▫ Tempted by the devil ▫ Last seen in the company of thieves ▫ Story teller ▫ Buried and rose again, redeems the world Christ Figures Examples
Why use Christ Figures? Deepens our sense of a character’s sacrifice Thematically relates to hope, redemption, or miracles Death of a Salesman (prodigal son) All My Sons (Chris = Christ figure) To Kill a Mockingbird (Tom Robinson= Christ) The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe (Christ) Harry Potter (Christ figure) More Allusions: Fairy Tales • We grow up with these tales, originally oral, cross cultural, universal characters and morals. • Hansel and Gretel: lost children trying to find their way home • Peter Pan: refusing to grow up, lost boys, girl-nurturer • Little Red Riding Hood: loss of innocence • Alice in Wonderland/ The Wizard of Oz: entering a strange world that operates under different rules • Cinderella: orphan, abused, saved through supernatural intervention, marries a prince • Snow White: evil woman who brings death to an innocent, saved by a heroic prince • Sleeping Beauty: girl becoming a woman • Evil Stepmothers, Queens, Rumplestilskin, Prince Charming
More Allusions: Mythology
• Mythology runs deeply in the human psyche • They were used to explain the world, its origins, and its natural processes (seasons, disasters, etc) • Odyssey and Iliad • The Underworld/Hades • Hercules • Zeus, Jupiter/Thor • Poseidon/Neptune • Aphrodite/Venus • Oedipus Examples from Harry Potter Alone
Minerva McGonagall from Harry Potter: Minerva, the Roman goddess of Wisdom Percival Dumbledore: Percival, one of the knights of the Round Table Luna Lovegood: Luna, Roman goddess of the moon Argus Filch: Argus, Greek monster with 100 eyes Symbols, Symbols, Symbols Is That a Symbol?
Yes. But of what? Tricky. Multiple meanings are possible. Actions, objects, and images can be symbolic Ie. The Road Not Taken Symbols built on associations as well as emotions Rose: romance, love • Symbols are open to interpretations • Red: Passion, Love, Death, Danger, Murder, Life, blood, Evil • White: Purity, Holiness, Death, Surrender, Innocence, Peace • Brainstorm possible interpretations to the following symbols: Black, Blue, Pen, Night, Sun, River, Ocean Examples of Symbols in High School English Texts
To Kill a Mockingbird Mockingbirds – innocent victims The Grey Ghost – misunderstood person/entity The Missionary Ladies -- the town’s hypocrisy Huckleberry Finn The Mississippi River – freedom, wilderness, safety The Great Gatsby Dr. Eckleberg’s Eyes Oedipus Rex Sight/Blindness -- Knowledge and Ignorance Every Trip is a Quest
A quester A place to go A stated reason to go there Challenges and trials The real reason to go – always self knowledge Leap Year
We’re the Millers Famous Examples
Huckleberry Finn The Wizard of Oz Harry Potter The Lord of the Rings Food and Eating Together
Whenever people eat or drink together, it’s an act of togetherness, sharing, and peace. A failed meal carries negative connotations Remember Scout and Walter Cunningham’s failed meal? Violence always has symbolic meaning!
• Two categories ▫ Character caused: shootings, stabbings, drowning, etc. ▫ Death and suffering for which the characters are not responsible. Accidents are never really accidents. • Questions to Ask ▫ What does this type of misfortune represent thematically? ▫ What famous or mythic death does this one resemble? ▫ Why this sort of violence and not some other? Examples of Violence
To Kill a Mockingbird Tom shot 17 times – overkill, impersonal, inhuman --- represents racism Mrs. Dubose – dying of unknown disease, wasting away – represents the “disease” of racism that eats away at a person from the inside Macbeth Macbeth is beheaded – the death of a traitor, like the first Thane of Cawdor Birds, Wings, and Flying
• Symbolically: freedom, escape, imagination, spirituality, return home, largeness of spirit, love • Interrupted flight generally a bad thing The Weather is Symbolic Too
• Rain ▫ Fertility and life ▫ Destruction, Drowning ▫ Restorative/Purifying: ie. Noah and the flood ▫ Cleansing ▫ Baptism/Renewal
▫ Question: What might snow symbolise? Fog? Rainbows? Geography Matters
What represents home, family, love, security? Valleys, shorelines, meadows What represents wilderness, danger, confusion? Labyrinths, jungles, forests Low places(swamps, caves, tunnels) fear, death, darkness, confusion High places (mountains, high rises) isolation, enlightenment, purity, life, death, heaven . . . So Does Season
Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter – youth, adulthood, middle age, old age/death Spring – fertility, happiness, growth Summer – hot, things are heating up, lazy days Fall – harvest, reaping what we sow, both rewards and punishments, dying Winter –lack of growth, death, punishment Christmas – childhood, birth, hope, family, spirit of giving Scars are Symbolic
Physical marks or imperfections symbolically mirror moral, emotional, or psychological scars or imperfections Scars mark people for greatness Harry Potter’s lightening scar Landscapes can be marked as well Physical imperfections when caused by social imperfections often reflects not only the damage inside the individual, but what is wrong with the culture that causes such damage Tom Robinson’s left arm He’s Blind for a Reason, You Know
Physical Blindness – mirrors psychological, moral, intellectual blindness Sometimes ironic – the blind see and the sighted are blind Many times blindness is metaphorical – a failure to see reality, love, the truth Darkness usually means blindness Light usually means sight Illness and Disease
Heart Disease – bad love, loneliness, cruelty, disloyalty, cowardice, lack of determination Physical paralysis – mirrors moral, social, spiritual, intellectual, or political paralysis Plague – divine anger, large scale suffering, the puniness of humanity in the face of Mother Nature Venereal disease -- reflects immorality or innocence when passed on to a spouse or baby, exploitation of women AIDS – the modern plague, tendency to lie dormant for years, unknown carriers, disproportionately hits young people, poor, etc. Opportunity to show courage, compassion, resilience; political and religious angles The generic fever – often carries off a child, mysterious origin It’s All Political
Literature tends to be written by people interested in the problems of the world, so most works have a political element in them Issues Individualism and self-determination Power structures Relations among classes (Socioeconomic Status) Issues of justice and rights Racial, Sex, Gender, and Ethnic issues Focus: Gender
Historical vs Modern Gender Expectations Historical: Man: hero, breadwinner, head of household, stoic, etc Woman: damsel in distress, weak, nurturer, caregiver, compassionate, emotional, homemaker, few career opportunities, etc. Modern: Changing expectations: stay at home dads, career moms, etc New gender identities: transgender, etc. What gender expectations does that society/book hold/promote? Do the characters demonstrate or defy gender stereotypes? Who holds the power? Who strives to gain more power/rights? How does gender affect a person’s decisions and opportunities? What are the advantages and limitations of that gender in that piece of literature/society? Gender Issues in Literature
A Thousand Splendid Suns a story about two Afghani women, living in a paternalistic society, forced into marriage to the same abusive man. Focus: Socioeconomic Status SES (class, education level, income, employment) Traditional Structures: Aristocracy and Commoners Based on birth and land ownership Modern Structures: Upper, Middle, Lower Based on money, employment What are the issues associated with each class? Rich: discontentment, boredom, petty cruelty, snobbery, aimlessness, uselessness, keeping up with the Jones, luxury Middle Class: social climbing, marrying up, materialism, competition Lower Class: survival, poverty, resentment of upper class, prejudice, oppression by upper class, violence, How does SES affect characters decisions and opportunities? Is this a story about the rich or the poor? What is the author’s point about SES? Are the characters stereotypical or do they defy their SES expectations? SES in Literature
The Great Gatsby: a story To Kill a Mockingbird: a of the wealthy NY elite story of the rigid classes in the Deep South