Friday, July 26, 2019
Anderson, T. - Prompt One
In his book, "How to Read Literature Like a Professor," Foster's goal is to educate his readers - mostly college and high school students - on strategies and techniques that can help them understand and appreciate literature more. According to Merriam-Webster, literature includes writings that have excellence of form or expression and that express ideas of permanent or universal interest. One can gather from that definition that the bank of existing literature is extremely cast and that there are likely some recurring themes that can be commonly recognized and identified to have similar meanings when referenced even across very different works. In order to identify those commonalities, Foster informs his readers of what he calls the"language of reading" and the "grammar of literature." He defines these as banks of knowledge that are made up of a reader's individual experiences and previous readings and he suggests referencing this information to make generalizations about the meaning of what they read. This is important for readers of literature because it not only enhances the experience of reading by making it more interesting and illuminating the depth behind the actual text, it also allows readers to understand what a text means, beyond what is written. The word affective means relating to moods, feelings, and attitudes. In the context of reading, affective reading is when a reader takes a book for how it makes them feel, without diving any deeper. The difference between affective reading and the type of reading that Foster encourages is the level of understanding of the novel and the author that the reader gains. When a reader searches for connections among other works, they are able to understand what the author was thinking and what motivated them to write what they wrote.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
I like your usage of the quote from Merriam-Webster, it helps tie your point together while still explaining it in more detail. The "language of reading" and the "grammar of literature" also furthers your main point by backing it up with Foster's own thoughts. This post is well thought out and I can tell you dove deep into this meaning. I like your usage of the quote from Merriam-Webster, it helps tie your point together while still explaining it in more detail. The "language of reading" and the "grammar of literature" also furthers your main point by backing it up with Foster's own thoughts. This post is well thought out and I can tell you dove deep into this meaning.
ReplyDeleteI like that Foster doesn't discourage the reader expressing how the text makes them feel but instead encourages them to dive deeper into that feeling. As you said, Foster wants readers to connect to the text through shared experiences and noticing patterns within the text and with the outside world. I like that you mentioned Foster's emphasis on connecting texts with other texts and life experiences. He continually emphasizes the use of patterns and recognizing patterns in all literature in order to not only understand the text in front of us but also to understand history, literature, and the world as it is.
ReplyDeleteI enjoy how you explain exactly what affective reading is and how it is very different from what Foster wants out of people who want to read literature and enjoy it to its entirety. Your explanation is very clear and it's easy to understand how you make it a point to state the difference between the two. I also enjoy how you specifically point out the "reader's individual experiences" and how that controls their interpretation of meaning in literary works. I agree that it's very important to try to find and understand a deeper meaning, and it especially can be used outside of literary work and in every day life. Many people only say a few words and can definitely have a deeper meaning behind them, and it's very important to understand in order to create a connection or be a more understanding person in general.
ReplyDeleteI completely agree with this analysis, and I appreciate your reference to Foster’s literature “bank.” To communicate with any author on a level that completely understands what they’re meaning to portray in their characters and plot is to have a relatively similar knowledge base. Someone who understands the literary allusions and similarities within the text may have a more enriched reading in that they grasp the deeper understanding and connotations behind every detail in the text. The language of reading has to do with not only the mutual understanding of these ideas and common symbols between the author and the reader, but as you have pointed out, emotion and human tendencies are extremely important. The reader must be able to empathize with the text and somewhat relate to it to understand what the author is truly trying to portray.
ReplyDeleteI like how you included a quote from Merriam-Webster. It provides your response, and Foster’s literary guide and ideas, with more credibility. Like you pointed out, Foster defines the terms “language of reading” and “grammar of literature” with fluid definitions that inform readers of their power over the writing process and the importance of utilizing their imagination while reading a story. These definitions are reflective of Foster’s central claim that, “there’s no such thing as a wholly original work of literature” (24). I also appreciate that you discussed Foster’s effort to inform the readers of the deeper, more emotional connection they can establish with the text and how to respond and/or develop a better understanding of their interpretation of the story. Furthermore, Foster promotes an in depth relationship between writers, readers and the story, in contrast to affective responses and reading, that often does not break the surface of an author’s intentions.
ReplyDelete