Prompt 1

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 analogy, or even the pattern that the story follows. When I am reading, I rarely try to actively connect an idea from the book to another idea I have come across before. However, when Foster stated that “there’s only one story”, I was able to understand that because patterns are the one thing I am usually able to distinguish in writings. Most stories follow the same pattern with wildly different plots and symbols which is why it usually makes it difficult for most people to see the pattern. Being able to “read like a professor” can aid you in seeing these patterns and understanding that there truly is only one story being told.

Comments

  1. UnknownAugust 1, 2017 at 7:35 PM

    Another aspect that is important when separating those who read like a professor and those who do not is experience. How many books someone has read would affect their ability to use their memory, symbols, or patterns. If someone has read many books then they have been exposed to certain patterns more, the are more familiar with symbols, and they have more stories in their memories they can pull from when making connections between books. However, even if someone has read more books than a professor if they were not actively looking for symbols and patterns then it would not matter how many books they have read.

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