C h a p p e l l - A P L i t S u m m e r A s s i g n m e n t |1

HOW TO READ LITERATURE LIKE A PROFESSOR

THOMAS C. FOSTER
AP L ITERATURE C ALLIE C HAPPELL

I NTRODUCTION : H OW D H E D O T HAT ?
y y y Recognizing conventions and anticipating results is based through the grammar of the writing Emotional involvement is caused by the author s use of literary elements Recognize:  Memory: Where have I seen this theme before?  Symbol: Is this an analogy? Is this a metaphor? Does this signify something?  Pattern: recognize patterns, i.e. the Oedipal complex

1. E VERY T RIP IS A Q UEST (E XCEPT WHEN IT S NOT )

y y

Quests are often not obvious as quests look to structure The Structure of Quests:  A Quester- a person who goes on a quest, whether they know it or not  A place to go  A stated reason to go there  Challenges and trials en route  A real reason to go there always self knowledge

2. N ICE TO E AT WITH YOU : A CTS OF C OMMUNI ON

y y y y y Whenever people eat or drink together, it s communion The Real World: breaking bread together means sharing and peace Literature:Eating scenes always have an another meaning and a compelling reason to include them, otherwise they are too boring/too difficult to include. Communion isn t always holy Communion isn t always positive- a failed meal is always a bad sign

C h a p p e l l - A P L i t S u m m e r A s s i g n m e n t |2

3. N ICE TO E AT Y OU : A CTS OF V AMPIRES

y y Literary ghosts are about something besides themselves Ghosts aren t always actual ghosts sometimes characters fit the structure/essentials of a ghost . Ex) For a vampire, an older figure representing corrupt, outworn values; a young, preferably viginial female; a stripping away of her youth, energy, virtue; a continuance of life force of the old male; the death or destruction of the young woman (19). The ghost comes back again and again and grows in strength as another character grows weaker Characteristics: (21)  Using other people to get what we want  Denying someone else s right to live in the face of our overwhelming demands  Placing our desires, particularly our uglier ones, above the needs of another

y y

4. I F IT S A S QUARE , IT S A SONNET
y y

Sonnets are the most common and recognizable Characteristics: 14 lines long with usually 10 syllables (a square) iambic pentameter  Petrarchan Sonnet: first 8 lines together (the octave) and the last 6 lines together (the sestet)  Shakespearean Sonnet: divide into 4s, each 2 groups of 4 usually have a unified meaning. Syntax (and diction obviously) often reflects the inner meaning of the poem

5. N OW , W HERE HAVE I SEEN H ER B EFORE ?

y

y y

There is no such thing as a wholly original work of literature (29) authors borrow things to invoke a deeper meaning There s only one story (32)- all stories grow out of other stories, and even though they all might be different entities, they are all stories and share common ground. (eel metaphor) The aha! Factor: the delight at recognizing something from earlier experience Intertextuality: the ongoing interaction between poems or stories deepens and enriches the reading experience, bringing multiple layers of meaning to the text, some of which readers may not even consciously notice (34).

C h a p p e l l - A P L i t S u m m e r A s s i g n m e n t |3

6. W HEN IN DOUBT , I T S FROM S HAKESPEARE

y

Authors will always inexorably use Shakespeare..but why? Not just to sound smart but to garner authority. Like the bible, Shakespeare resembles a sacred text, a text to bounce ideas off of. Intertextuality adds more than description but opens parallels between old and new texts that adds a dimension of understanding that is unattainable just through description. When we recognize the interplay between these dramas [old and new works], we become partners with the new dramatist in creating meaning our understanding of both works becomes richer and deeper we see the implications for the new work while at the same time we reconfigure our thinking, if only slightly, about the earlier one (46).

7.
y y

O R THE B IBLE
Situations or quotations are more common than bible-related titles Many post-modern and modern authors use the bible for irony, to emphasize disparity or disruption. The naming of a character often has hidden meanings! Look for the fat chord , the feeling that something is borrowed, but a special feeling. ( different in tone or weight from the rest of the prose (55).) It s probably from the bible. A biblical dimension can add the richness of distant antecedents, with the power of accumulated myth (56).

y y

8. H ANSELDEE AND G RETELDUM

y

y y

The Literary Canon: a master list of works that matters in some important way (58). Traditional works A really great source for literary reference is Kiddie Lit and fairy tales. Prior Text: a story or text that an author models the structure or integral details of their writing from. (i.e. Hansel and Gretel) Prior texts lend a type of irony. Characters that are not innocent are paralleled to children in the woods. Applications for the reader: when reading, look for things that ring familiar and ask why would the author want to make this parallel? The optimal combination of strangeness and familiarity in a text sets up vibrations, harmonies to go with the melody of the main story line (63).

C h a p p e l l - A P L i t S u m m e r A s s i g n m e n t |4

9. I T S G REEK TO M E
y

y y y

Myth is a body of story that matters (65). Myth is the part of society that is really important at the time for western society, this is usually embodied in Greek or Roman myth. Can parallel modern interpretations to the original text to create depth and meaning Parallels can be ironized That recognition [of the parallel between myth and text] makes our experience of literature richer, deeper, more meaningful, so that our own modern stories also matter, also share in the power if myth (73).

10.
y y

I T S MORE THAN J UST RAIN OR S NOW

y y

Weather is never just weather . Rain: Judeo-Christian-Islamic has lots of rain/flood myths already. Why add rain? (76)  A plot device  Atmospherics  The misery factor  Democratic factor rain falls on the just and unjust alike  It s clean Rain cleans coming down but creates dirty mud.  Rain is restorative  Rain is the principal element in spring.  Rain mixes with the sun to create rainbows Rainbows: the main function of the image of a rainbow is to symbolize divine promise, peace between heaven and earth (79). Fog:usually symbolizes confusion Snow: is clean, stark, severe, warm (as an insulating blanket, paradoxically), inhospitable, inviting, playful, suffocating, filthy (80).

I NTERLUDE : D OES HE M EAN THAT ?

y

Does the author really mean all of this symbolism and extraneous meaning we re placing on him/her? The Intentionalists : Writers who attempt to control every facet of their creative output and who intend virtually every effect of their works (83).

C h a p p e l l - A P L i t S u m m e r A s s i g n m e n t |5

Writers don t usually just focus on the plot/ writing exclusively without adding related material that they add intentionally or at least influence their thought-process.

11.
y

M ORE THAT IT S G ONNA H URT Y OU : C ONCERNING

VIOLENCE
Violence in literature is more than the literal interpretation, violence has to have more meaning beyond pure mayhem (89). 2 Categories:  Violence the characters cause on each other or themselves  Authorial Violence: Narrative violence from the author that causes characters harm in general; the death and suffering authors introduce into their work in the interest of plot advancement or thematic development and for which they, not their characters, are responsible (90).  Different:no one in the narrative is guilty  Same:Does it really matter to the dead person?  Writers kill off their characters for the same reasons plot, put characters under stress, etc. Violence is a symbolic action, you have to look beyond the superficial meaning It s impossible to generalize about the meanings of violence, except that there are generally more than one, and its range of possibilities is far larger than with something like rain or snow (96). Questions to Ask: (96).  What does this type of misfortune represent thematically?  What famous or mythic death does this one resemble?  Why this sort of violence and not some other?

y y

12.
y y

I S THAT A S YMBOL ?

Yes. Symbolism: It can mean lots of different things- can t be reduced to a single statement but could mean a variety of things. Allegory:can be reduced to standing for only 1 thing; only has 1 mission, to convey that message. (i.e. Animal Farm) Everyone has different experience with reading, they perceive different things to be important.

C h a p p e l l - A P L i t S u m m e r A s s i g n m e n t |6

Breaking down Symbolism: (106) a. Think of all possible meanings b. Break down into manageable pieces; associate freely, brainstorm, take notes . c. Organize thoughts: group, reject/accept ideas or meanings d. Ask questions of the text, what s the author doing with this image, this object, this act; what possibilities are suggested by the movement of the narrative or the lyric? e. What does it feel like it s doing? Go with your instincts.

13.
y

I T S ALL P OLITI CAL

Political writing engages the realities of its world that thinks about human problems, including those in the social and political realm, that addresses the rights of persons and the wrongs of those in power (110). Nearly all writing is political on some level, you just have to ask WHY did the author include this seemingly innocuous detail/scene and WHAT does it mean symbolically and in terms of the storyline itself? Writers are usually people interested in the world around them, so political and social considerations are often included, even if it s disguised.

14.
y y

Y ES , S HE S A C HRIST F IGUR E , TOO

We live in a Christian culture. End of story. Some Iconic Features of Christ:  Crucified, wounds at the hands, feet, side, and head  In agony  Self-sacrificing  Good with children  Good with loaves, fishes, water, wine  33 years old when he was last seen  Employed as a carpenter  Humble modes of transportation, feet or donkeys preferred  Believed to have walked on water  Portrayed with arms outstretched  Known to have spent time alone in the wilderness  Believed to have a confrontation with the devil, possibly tempted  Last seen in the company of thieves  Buried, arose on the 3rd day

C h a p p e l l - A P L i t S u m m e r A s s i g n m e n t |7

 Had disciples, 12 at first, although not equally devoted.  Very forgiving  Came to redeem an unworthy world y y Many Christ figures are ambiguous, can be female, non-Christian or even bad. But why? To make a point and deepen the sense of sacrifice or redemption.

15.
y

F LIGHTS OF F ANCY

y y y

Flying usually means freedom, not just from specific circumstances but also general burdens. Irony trumps everything Flying relates to lots of different types of freedom Failed Flights: just as symbolic as flying. If they survive, ask the following questions: What does it mean to survive certain death, and how does such survival alter one s relationship to the world? Do the characters responsibilities to themselves, to life itself, change? Is the survivor event the same person any longer (132)? Sometimes, flying represents the freeing of the sprit, the soul taking wing.

18. I F SHE COMES UP , IT S B APTISM .

y

y y

Different ways of getting wet mean different things (i.e. wish fulfillment, exorcism of a primal fear, exploration of the possible, or just a handy solution to messy plot difficulties) , plus drowning has profound plot implications (153), especially if the character does or does not actually drown. Heraclitus: you can t step in the same river twice the river suggests the constantly shifting nature of time. Baptism: death and rebirth through the medium of water Drowning: always serves a purpose, character revelation, thematic development of violence or failure or guilt, plot complication or denouement . The river Styx- the Greek river of the dead that spirits cross to get to the underworld.

19. G EOGRAPHY M ATTERS

y

Literary geography is people and about the humans inhabiting spaces and the spaces that inhabit humans. It s the setting, but it s also psychology, attitude, finance, industry anything that place can forge in the people who live there (166). It can be revelation

C h a p p e l l - A P L i t S u m m e r A s s i g n m e n t |8

y y y

y y

of virtually any element in the work. Theme? Sure. Symbol? No problem. Plot? Without a doubt (166). Geography can define/ develop character/s Geography plays a specific plot role too Going South: Authors send characters south to run amok because they are having direct, raw encounters with the subconscious (171). Geography expresses psyche and conveys theme. Hills and Valleys have logic and connotations: Low: swamps, crowds, fog, darkness, fields, heat, unpleasantness, people, life, death. High: snow, ice, purity, thin air, clear views, isolation, life, death. It isn t just setting It s place and space and shape that bring us to ideas and psychology and history and dynamism (174).

20.
y

S O DOES S EASON
Seasons always have stood for the same set of meanings (autumn; middle age and decline, and tiredness, summer; adulthood and passion and love, winter; anger and hatred and old age and death) Harvests: agricultural and also personal harvests, reaping our endeavors Hibernation:death and the great sleep Seasonal connotations have been around as long as myths to explain natural occurrences. (ex. Hades and Persephone)

y y y

I NTERLUDE : O NE S TORY
y

y y

Although symbolism is important, there is a truth that informs and drives the creation of novels even when writers aren t aware of it .there is only one story (184). The only story anyone wants to write about is what it means to be human. Pure originality is impossible everywhere you look, the ground has already been camped on. Works with common elements are actually more comforting because you recognize pieces When a writer writes something, they try to shut out the voices , but they inherently have a huge subconscious database that colors all of their work. You can t write in a vacuum, even trying to avoid relating to something is interacting with it. Intertextuality: everything is connected with other writings.

C h a p p e l l - A P L i t S u m m e r A s s i g n m e n t |9

Archetype:An original or pattern over which the rest of a genre is based. The original worked so well that it catches on and hangs on. Archetypes take on power with repetition, we get the aha!Factor when we see them.  Displacement of Myth - we can never get to pure myth , it s all versions of the original, displacements . Myths are always with us, part of the 1 story that is all around us.

21. M ARKED FOR GREATNESS

y y

A character s shape tells a lot about them and other characters in the story Look at physical imperfections in symbolic terms, has to do with being different, more room for action. In the traditional quester tale, the hero is marked in some way to set them apart. Hideous alter-egos: implies that inside everyone, no matter how civilized, lurk elements that we d really prefer not to acknowledge (200). Physical markings call attention to some thematic or psychological point that author wants to make.

22. H E S B LIND FOR A R EASON , YOU K NOW

y

Blindness means that author wants to emphasize levels of sight beyond the physical. Usually, these are common with themes where insight and blindness are a theme. A truly great story or play makes demands on us readers; in a sense it teaches us how to read it. We feel that there s something more going on in the story a richness, a resonance, a depth than we picked up at first, so we return to it to find those elements that account for that sensation (204). The Indiana Jones Principle: If you want your audience to know something important about your character (or the work at large), introduce it early, before you need it. (205)

23. I T S NEVER J UST H EART D ISEASE

y

y y

Heart disease is the most lyrical, metaphorical illness; the heart is the symbolic repository for emotion. Writers use ailments as a metaphor for their character a social metaphor. If heart trouble shows up, look for significance. Usually, if a character has difficulties of the heart, emotional troubles probably will ensue, and visa versa.

C h a p p e l l - A P L i t S u m m e r A s s i g n m e n t | 10

24. A ND R ARELY J UST I LLNESS

y

y y

Principles: I. Not all diseases are created equal, some are more popular in literature (cholera vs. TB) II. Literary diseases should be picturesque III. It should be mysterious in origin (syphilis vs. consumption) IV. It should have strong symbolic or metaphorical possibilities, (Smallpox vs. TB, the wasting disease ) When a specific illness is employed, it s a direct statement about the victim. A good metaphor can make the author use a objectionable illness like the plague (social effects). AIDS? The disease of the century, especially since it hit artistic circles especially badly, many authors had firsthand experience. Plus, it holds the political angle Often, the most effective illness is the one the writer makes up, like generic fever . This is less viable now since doctors can diagnose almost anything.

25. D ON T READ WITH YOUR E YES

y y

Read through the eyes of the people and the political times of the novel to truly understand the depth/ hidden meanings If you want to get the most out of our reading, we have to try to take the works as they were intended to be taken. Don t read with your eyes (228).

26. I S HE S ERIOUS ? A ND OTHER IRONIES

y y

y y

Irony trumps everything everything goes out the window when irony is introduced. Ironic Mode : we watch characters who possess a lower degree of autonomy, selfdetermination, or free will than ourselves. Whereas normally in literary works we watch characters who are our equals or even superiors, in an ironic work we watch characters struggle futilely with forces we might be able to overcome (236). Irony takes expectations and upends them a deflection from expectation. The thing that s doing the signifying, the signifier, that s stable. The message, the thing being signified [the signified], that s up for grabs. The signifier, in other words, while being fairly stable itself, doesn t have to be used in the planned way. Its meaning can be deflected from the expected meaning (238). Irony doesn t work for everyone.

C h a p p e l l - A P L i t S u m m e r A s s i g n m e n t | 11