2017-18 AP LIT READING BLOG

Before I read this book, I rarely put all my attention into reading a book. I usually would finish a line and not have any recollection of what I had just read and then have to go back and re-read the line multiple times which just wasted time. Being literate no longer means being able to read what is on the page. Now, being literate means being able to understand what I’ve read and relate it to other things. Being able to completely invest myself in the reading is much more important and easier. I am able to take a book and connect its ideas to another book I’d read before, which used to be a more difficult task. Being able to read means something much more different to me now. Before, I used to think that it was simply just reading and understanding the plot of the book. Now, reading goes much deeper than that. I have to be able to pick out themes and ask questions and find answers to those questions (which proves to be much harder than I had expected). Small elements that may have s...

Affective reading is best explained as reading a text, but not delving deeply into the meaning, or choosing to understand what is stated but not what is implied. When Foster brings up the "language of reading" and the "grammar of literature", he is trying to get the reader to understand that there are multiple ways of reading. Some people, mostly students, read purely for the plot, not caring or knowing how to try and fully understand why the author wrote that text. Others have a deeper understanding of literature and know what questions to ask and how to find their answers. Even as seniors in high school, we are still learning how to read how an English professor would read.  Foster says that memory, symbols and patterns are the "three items that, more than any other, separate the professorial reader from the rest of the crowd". He says that professors are always thinking about how each book reminds them of another, whether it be the theme, a certain ana...

When Foster applies the precept written by King Solomon he means that all writing and stories share concepts with each other. For example everyone has a basic understanding of what a hero is. They know this because countless stories have used the basic idea of the hero in their narrative. This repetition of these ideas and concepts throughout people’s lives creates expectations for what characters will do or for the general direction the story will take. Take, for example, a story about Superman. The story does not need to take the time to describe what Superman is because everyone already has the general idea ingrained within them that Superman, as a hero, does heroic things. This assumption allows for the story to instead explore who Superman is and further develop him as a character. Authors can also take advantage of these expectations by subverting what people may assume about a concept. This can be used to further develop a concept in people’s minds or even for parody of popular...

Throughout the book Thomas C. Foster makes it clear that when analyzing a text different people come to different conclusions. Foster states that this ambiguity found in texts allows for readers to have discussions about certain elements found within texts. This can range from elements found within a book’s story such as character motivation or ideologies to the kind of elements Foster discusses in his book. These conversations between readers exposes them to new interpretations and ideas about whatever text they are talking about. They can gain insight on one aspect of the book that they may have overlooked or hear entirely different interpretations of the text. Every reader brings a new perspective to a discussion that is formed by their life experiences. The beauty of this is that through the act of reading people of countless different backgrounds can engage with each other in conversation about the text. This exchanging of ideas is important because it heightens the reader's ...

When Foster applied for King Solomon's quote by saying all," writing and telling belong to one story," he meant exactly what he said, however there's more to that quote. To go into more depth, what he means by this is that the existing or the true originality by an author is impossible. On page 187, Foster stated that," On one level, everyone who writes about anything knows the pure originality is impossible. Everywhere you look, the ground is already set on camp." What he also means by this is that every single written piece, whether it has been published or not, is based on the same story that has been heard before. Readers would often find similarities between the text they read before and the text they're reading previously. They start to realize that the author is using the same elements in their story from another, but it's being used in a different way or different idea. These ideas add to the understanding and richness of the reading experie...

Analyzing text on the "symbolic level" involves scrutinizing the work for prevalent or recurring themes, and drawing a connection between them and an overarching idea that is present within it. It is practiced by reading professors to deconstruct a literary work to find a deeper meaning that passive readers would've glossed over; whether it be an object, image, or event. It is important to note that symbolism also relies on the personal thoughts and experience, and that there is not a "clear-cut" definition of what a specific symbol may stand for. This is expounded upon when Foster identifies caves as a prime example of symbolism within E.M. Foster's A Passage to India . Depending on the interactions of various characters, caves can have a multitude of meanings – from fear and darkness, to colonialism and hypocrisy, or even a way of accessing the subconscious state of a character. "The only thing we are sure of about the cave as symbol is that it keep...

Ambiguity, in regards to the reader's experience, is used to peak the interest of the reader and inspire them to further question the matters at hand and bring deeper meaning to a literary work; for example, a reader may wonder "What else is there to learn about this character?", driving them to more critically read the text for further analysis. In a piece of literature, ambiguity can be a tool to set up pieces of the plot in advance   – w hether it be an opportunity for a character to later deliver a backstory, or shrouding details to create mystery. It is purposely used by authors to create intricate and interesting writing by allowing for many conflicting ideas to coexist in the reader's mind. The impact of this ambiguity allows for readers to grow and prosper their own interpretations of the text, and by doing so let them feel more connected to it.

     After reading Foster’s book, it is now apparent that even small elements, such as weather, heart disease, geography, and sex have meanings to them. Thus, it is important for a person to pay close attention to what they are reading. For example, books often allude to different works to add to the central meaning within them. Foster discusses the fact that writers often use Christ figures within their works. He also shows the audience whether or not they are dealing with a Christ figure through a checklist (Chapter 14, Paragraph 11). This showed me that there are books that I have read which have references to Christ, however, I overlooked them while reading. He mentions that there are countless reasons for the use of this strategy, and in the end, Foster puts it, “the writer is up to something” (Chapter 14, Paragraph 20). While it is vague, a person could figure out the purpose of the Christ reference through close reading, however, without the knowledge of the refere...

     David Foster refers to the “language of reading” and the “grammar of literature” to emphasize the fact that all works have elements within them that are more significant than they seem. As Foster highlights throughout the book, simple details of works can be symbolic or references to other things, thus the “grammar of literature”. He mentions these as he is attempting to show the importance of these elements in relation to the underlying message or meaning of a work (such as the discussion of biblical references in chapter 6). He also discusses in his book that certain elements are essential to our understanding of the things that we read and also essential to keeping the writer's audience captivated in the content presented (the “language of reading”). If a reader is capable of finding these elements, they will then have a deeper connection with the book. Foster mentions the painting Landscape with the Fall of Icarus by Pieter Bruhgel and the fact that the painting...

I agree with Foster that reading literature is a highly intellectual activity. What he means by "intellectual" is that it takes a reader with the ability of comprehension and they need to be open minded with ideas to access the information given to them within the text they read. Language of reading is an "intellectual activity" because just like the word, intellectual, the reader must use their knowledge and their ability to understand certain words and sentences within the text. In the introduction of xiii, Foster stated that "Every language has grammar, a set of rules to govern usage, and literary language is no different." Grammar of literature indeed is a set of rules and it helps the readers to begin to find patterns and conventions in the text. These are highly important for this kind of reading because readers could learn how to look at different perspectives and open up to different ideas. It could really help get the fulfillment ...

A writer puts things into ways they know readers will find meaning out of. Then the reader reads it and interprets it using symbolism and past experience. This is how the relationship works between the reader and the writer. The writer uses things to symbolize and make meaning while the reader uses imagination to interpret what the writer meant. The nature of the reader is to look for the deeper meaning to the text and to relate to parts of it to get to that meaning. The process used is to look at past experience and past books/movies. Comparing and contrasting different stories and putting ideas together through what you know/remember and what you have learned from the writer so far. The process for the writer is to make sure the reader can find the meaning and that different people can relate to the text and not just a certain group of people. The writer has to also understand how their writing can be seen us. It is important that the writer makes sure the reader will find meaning an...