How to Read Literature Like a Professor Chapters 6-10
Chapter 6
If you don’t know where it’s from, it’s Shakespeare.
The author explains the prevalence of references to Shakespeare’s work through various examples of movies, series, and books. He provides a list of quotations from the author and indicates that the reader may be familiar with the quotations despite never having read the plays from which they are sourced. He explains that writers have been known to reference his work, not simply because it is a means to sound educated but rather as an authority. He uses the example of Wise Children by Angela Carter, and how it draws on the Shakespeare plays to elevate the narrative of the book. He also uses the example of Master Harold and the Boys by Athol Fugard, a writer that emerged out of the South African Apartheid. Instead of choosing to reference plays such as Othello which already explores the theme of race, the writer instead references King Henry. This shows that the works of the bard resonate with people from very diverse backgrounds. He also explains that reading is an exercise in imagination, and nothing quite compares to Shakespeare. To illustrate the point, he explains that the pioneers in America only ever brought along the Bible and the works of Shakespeare.
Chapter 7
Or it’s the Bible.
The author mentions the prevalence of imagery from the Bible throughout literature. He begins by referencing the texts and movies that evoked allusions to the Bible in their text. He explains that though biblical imagery is a common way of referencing the Bible, certain stories reference it without the use of such imagery.
Araby by James Joyce is cited as an example of such a story as it represents the fall of Adam and Eve from Eden. Although, there is no specific imagery to incite this, yet the conclusion of the story leaves us convinced of the protagonist's loss of innocence which is the core emotion in the story of humanity's fall.
Besides symbols and motifs, writers have also found titles from the Bible. Moreover, situations and quotations from the Bible are also quite common. He cites Paradise Lost and Beowulf as examples of stories that draw on situations inspired from the scripture. The villain from Beowulf is Grendel, a supposed descendant of Cain. He goes on to explain how several prominent writers had a history of working with the church in some capacity. Even modern writers like T.S. Elliot, Geoffrey Hill, and Allen Ginsberg have more than a passing understanding of the Bible.
However, the reference to religion is not always straightforward as the authors sometimes try to incite irony through their reference to religion. This hasn’t always been received well and is exemplified in the fatwa that was issued against Salman Rushdie for his book the Satanic Verses since it parodied some parts of the Koran and the life of the prophet. Such uses of ironic parallels tend to be lighter more often than not, such as Eudora Welty’s Why I Live at the PO and its reference to the birth of the prodigal son and the ensuing jealousy.
The author uses a resonance test to find references to the Bible in literature. He explains how a sentence from Sonny’s Blues by James Baldwin seemed to indicate something greater than just its literal meaning. Through his understanding of the author’s life, and the contents of the book, he was able to trace the quote to Isaiah. The understanding of the reference to this bible quote didn’t cause a great shift but rather elevated the understanding of the significance of the relationship between the brothers in the book.
Chapter 8
Hanseldee and Greteldum
The author talks about the challenge of using references that may be unfamiliar to the reader. He explains that fairy tales tend to have the greatest frame of reference and staying power since almost everyone is exposed to these stories, unlike homer or Dante. No fairy tale is as commonly used as Hansel and Gretel, and perhaps it's because the story of children lost in the woods is one that all of us can relate to at some level. Authors don’t necessarily have to use the specific imagery from the fairy tale to invoke it but can do so by inciting a particular feeling. He cites the example of a story about a young couple stranded in a bad part of town, where they have only a crackhouse to turn to for help. In this situation, although there are no obvious parallels between the fairy tale and the story, yet the emotions it evokes are quite similar in nature.
The fairy tales have been so heavily referenced that it is difficult not to think about the fairy tales without being reminded of their use in popular media. This irony leads the author to conclude that as readers we want to experience degrees of strangeness and familiarity in the stories we read. The fairy tales are a great means of adding a level of familiarity given their widespread reach.
Chapter 9
It's Greek To Me
The author discusses the importance of myths, he explains that the bible, fairy tales, and Shakespeare are all types of myths although some of them may be true. Myths are an important part of any culture, since they serve as the collective memory of the people, and help them answer questions about themselves. He cites artists like Richard Wagner and Leslie Marmon Silko who used myths as an inspiration for their work.
The mention of Myths generally leads the reader to think about greek myths. Certain Greek myths have become deeply embedded in our culture, for example, the story of Icarus and how he flew too close to the sun. There have been times when stories have been wrongly referenced to that story, like Song of Solomon by Toni Morrison, which isn’t inspired by Icarus but rather the flying African myth. Many authors chose to interpose Greek Myths into new settings and concepts, like Omeros by Derek Walcott whose characters bear Greek names but belong to a fishing village in the Caribbean. Writers have used themes from texts like the Iliad and explored them in new ways, the theme of a classic greek hero is a poignant example. These themes have been so widely applied that they are no longer thought to reference Greek myths but are rather considered universal. Just like the bible and fairy tales, Greek myths are also referenced for the Ironic effect. Ulysses by James Joyce is an example of a story that features the protagonist in an unconventional manner. Rick Riordan’s Percy Jackson is another series that features greek myths in the context of the modern world, and several other books feature Greek myths in novel ways.
Chapter 10
It's more than Just Rain or Snow
The author explains that weather is never truly just weather but rather a deeper reference. Rain is a popular symbol in weather and it generally indicates the story of Noah’s arc along with the threat of destruction and drowning or even renewal. Besides being a symbol, the weather is also used as a plot device, wherein the story progresses due to the intervention of weather. The rain in The three strangers by Thomas Hardy leads a hangman and an escaped convict to shelter from the rain together. Rain has also been used to represent cleansing force like it is to Hagar in Toni Morrison’s Song of Solomon. Authors like James Joyce have very successfully indicated the possible conflicting messages that rain can bear. His story, The Dead, features an infatuated young boy who stands in the rain for several days and later dies of sickness. In this way, rain is seen to indicate both illness and renewal.
The rainbow is another popular weather symbol that references the conclusion of Noah’s Ark as God promises to never again flood the earth with rain and water. Fog and Snow are other popular symbols, while the former indicates danger and mystery, the latter is employed for a great range of meanings. The Snow Man is a poem by Steven Wallace, and the snow in the poem represents nothingness.
Analysis
The author introduces an important technique at the beginning of chapter 6 as he explains that a reference to a text can be divorced from the text itself. For instance, a story featuring biblical imagery doesn't necessarily have a religious message. Shakespeare much like the Bible has gained such a prominent place in the human culture that it is almost impossible not to allude to one of these works. Foster's comparison of Araby to the fall of Adam and Eve may at first seem a little farfetched but it causes the reader to realize that parallels can be drawn between the bible and the more mundane events of our lives.
In Chapter 8, the author introduces the concept of a canon, which is a collection of literary work that is deemed to be essential for the understanding of English Literature history. The canon is a controversial subject, since it isn't an official list, and several scholars have criticized the concept to be unproductive and elitist. He also discusses the prevalence of references to fairy tales and explains how the story of Hansel and Gretel evokes some of our own most common fears. The fear of losing children, or that of being lost and alone, are emotions that people from all backgrounds can relate to. It is also important to note that Fairy tales are meant to educate as well as entertain children. Some of the moral messages from these fairy tales are now considered disturbing, and so authors make use of irony as they alter fairy tales to highlight these changes. Certain writers have taken to addressing the misogynistic features of such fairy tales to create stories with a feminist message. At first, this could seem unnecessary, but once we realize the concept of intertextuality expounded in the book, a reader can begin to appreciate the importance of fairy tales and the need to make such changes.
