Thursday, March 15, 2018

Book Review: How To Read Literature Like A Professor, by Thomas C. Foster




Genre: Non-fiction, Education
Date Published: 2014 (revised edition)
Publisher: Harper Perennial
# Of Pages: 335 pages

Goodreads

Synopsis: While many books can be enjoyed for their basic stories, there are often deeper literary meanings interwoven in these texts. How to Read Literature Like a Professor helps us to discover those hidden truths by looking at literature with the eyes—and the literary codes—of the ultimate professional reader: the college professor.
What does it mean when a literary hero travels along a dusty road? When he hands a drink to his companion? When he's drenched in a sudden rain shower? Ranging from major themes to literary models, narrative devices, and form, Thomas C. Foster provides us with a broad overview of literature—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 a shower—and shows us how to make our reading experience more enriching, satisfying, and fun.


My Rating:
 ★
.....For being interesting and entertaining



My Thoughts:
My Thoughts: Phew! Finally finished this one!

This book has been on my TBR for about a decade now. I've always wanted to read it, ever since my high school friends read it during their AP English class. It just seemed like such a useful book.

Turns it out it was pretty useful. As well as interesting. And funny. And well-written.

I like Foster's style. His writing strongly reminds of some of the professors I learned from back in college. You know the type I'm talking about; the memorable ones that made learning fun and fascinating. Foster's quirky and amusing, and granted he seems to be targeting students, but I found it equally refreshing as an adult.

I'm not good at reading non-fiction (it's my own fault that it took two months to finish), but I did really enjoy this book. I feel like I can look deeper into literature now. In fact, it's already helped me notice subtle details in a BOTM book that I wouldn't have noticed before.

So thanks Foster! Thanks for giving us a book that will help us understand the finer points of good literature.

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