Prompt 1


When Foster discusses the language of reading he is talking about the rules, guidelines, and methods readers use to understand the writer. Some authors have distinct patterns to their writing that they use to communicate between the reader and himself or just the choice of grammar the author chooses. The grammar of literature almost the same thing but it focuses on specific tools the reader uses to decode the patterns the author is applying to his writing in order for the reader to understand the piece. These are important for the kind of reading he is discussing in the book because the book is centered around learning to read literature and the methods authors often incorporate in their books that most non professors would not understand. By Foster breaking down the language and grammar of reading he is giving readers an inside look into the minds of authors and how they incorporate things into their book knowing that only really avid readers of literature will comprehend. This type of reading differs from purely affective reading because affective reading is being able to look beyond the plot, drama and characters and really react emotionally the the scenes and characters as Foster mentions. The true value of reading like a professor is his or her ability of, “....the use of a certain “language or reading” (8). Another value of reading like a professor is, ”Memory. Symbol. Pattern” (15). Memory, symbol, and pattern is what, “more than others, separate the professional readers from the rest of the crowd.


Comments

  1. UnknownJuly 22, 2017 at 12:28 AM

    I believe that it is very important for readers to understand the "language of reading" and the "grammar of literature" so they will be able to grasp the true meaning behind certain texts. Before I read this book I had no idea to look for patterns and how to point out certain symbols. Now that I have somewhat of an understanding of the "grammar of literature" and the "language of reading" I can better comprehend an author's hidden message within a text. It is very helpful for readers to understand how to find and grasp an author's true message in literature so that they will know the writers intended message.

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  2. AnonymousJuly 27, 2017 at 10:19 PM

    Foster's book showed that as a reader you have to look beyond what you reading to see a bigger picture, and connect to bigger or larger ideas. Because of "How to Read Literature Like a Professor" intricate patterns of what an author is trying to say are more visible. Until this book I probably would've never noticed the symbolism in a dinner table scene until now. In Foster's discussion throughout his book the world of literature becomes more condensed, and strings together narratives that are not always brought to the attention of readers.

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