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| Author: Thomas C. Foster
Publisher: Harper Paperbacks
Category: Book
List Price: $13.95
Buy New: $9.86
You Save: $4.09 (29%)
Rating:  64 reviews
Sales Rank: 3868
Media: Paperback
Edition: 1
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 336
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.6
Dimensions (in): 7.9 x 5.3 x 0.8
ISBN: 006000942X
Dewey Decimal Number: 808
EAN: 9780060009427
Publication Date: March 1, 2003
Availability: Usually ships in 24 hours
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| Customer Reviews:
Helpful and Interesting November 9, 2004
8 out of 10 found this review helpful
I am not a professor nor an English Lit. major; just an avid reader. I seldom take the time to look for all the symbolism and significance in the books I read. According to Professor Foster, that makes me a "literal reader". This book pointed out some basic tenets of symbolism, irony and significance in an interesting and amusing manner that even a literal reader could see and appreciate. Mr. Foster foists no guilt on the literal reader - the foremost reason to read according to him is for enjoyment.
Mr. Foster has chapters entitled such things as "It's All Shakespeare..." and "Unless its the Bible" that track major themes and ideas in literature. He fills each chapter and substantiates each point with a myriad of examples.
He also brings to the table a refreshing view that it's okay to not see every symbol and theme in a book - again, the main thing is to enjoy reading. But reading this book has already made me try to be more aware of what an author is doing beyond the straight plot line.
One thing that truly made me feel as if I were back in college was the annoying politic correctness. There could have been a broader scope of fiction used (unless you believe that Toni Morrison's writings encompass virtually every literary theme). Also, every time Mr. Foster raised the spectre of a hypothetical author it was "she" who was doing this in "her" work.
This is an enjoyable book that is a good aid to any reader. It would also be a great help to high school and college readers.
Sometimes a cigar is not just a cigar..... March 10, 2005
8 out of 9 found this review helpful
At last, you can become a literary expert right in your home..without taking classes in cramped classroom chairs and having to listen to other students drone on about lost loves, death, violence and the internet. The central thesis of Professor Foster's book is that to succeed at the art of close reading one has to search for the symbolism, invariably underlying, in the literary text. The principal benefit of this book is that Foster provides an array of examples demonstrating that a richer appreciation of the art is available to readers who are willing to work for it. Foster has a light touch, a welcome contrast to the ponderous, inscrutable tomes of many of his colleagues. He keeps the pace moving and his attempts to inject humor in the process are successful more often than not. I have to admit that, although I have long admired her work, what Foster says about Iris Murdoch is true: her characters drown at every opportunity; given have a chance, she'd drown the Pacific fleet!
 Wish I had this in high school or college. November 28, 2005
8 out of 11 found this review helpful
You will read smarter and write smarter after reading this book. A must for understanding the underpinnings of good literature. Foster's presents the material in a friendly, breezy, easy to understand and compelling way. I couldn't put it down, didn't want it to end.
Does the Job June 3, 2003
7 out of 7 found this review helpful
For those of us who want to know how to take a book apart and make sense of it, this does the job. Foster obviously has much experience in dealing with students and puts that background to good use for the average reader who wants to know what D.H. Lawrence really meant in "Women in Love" with that terrific bunch of British actors. Bite-sized pieces, straightforward, buy it and use to enjoy fiction better.
 I certainly benefited from it. October 27, 2004
7 out of 7 found this review helpful
"How to read literature like a professor" is an easy-to-comprehend book, lucidly written with a dash of humour, that is meant for amateurs of literature. Using a conversational tone throughout the book, Thomas Foster chose to emphasize on symbolism and patterns used in literature. Incorporating examples from a wide selection of books (mainly classics or renowned novels), he explains the way symbols are inherent in novels and imparts techniques to the readers on how better to fathom the deeper significance of the contents. According to Thomas, meals, diseases, blindness, weather and seasons, roads present in novels are all written for a purpose. For example, meals signify communions whereas roads represent quests.
There is much to be learned from this book, but I doubt it will be of much use to serious students of literature. I would have preferred if the author also touched on other aspects of literature, such as themes and characterization. Using an entire book to explain symbolism seemed a tad too long-winded.
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