Question 2. Andrew Burton

Foster uses King Solomon’s quote, “There is nothing new under the sun,” to describe the art of writing literature. Everything is part of one big story. This is the story of life. There is nothing new. Everything has been said or written before. However, the difference is the perspective of the author and the characters they create. There may be hundreds of books written about the Nazi invasion and the torment of the Jews during World War II. However, each book is written from the experience of a different character, that is what makes them unique. The overall theme and the "story" may be the same, but the circumstances and experiences are different. Foster states, "there is no such thing as a wholly original work of literature" (24). Foster goes on to say that, "stories grow out of other stories" (28). As a person reads more literature, they will find connections to other books and characters. Foster says that these connections will enhance the reading experience and bring "multiple lays of meaning to the text" which "enriches the reading experience" (29). I thought it was very interesting how Foster tied many literary works back to Shakespeare or the Bible. He said that many of the same themes that are described in the Bible such as betrayal or denial can be read about in literature. This is something that I had never thought of. I think that the next book I read, I will look more for those connections, or as Foster said, "connect the dots" (42). I believe that will help me to become a better reader, and hopefully a better writer too.