How to Read Literature Like a Professor

Notes

How'd He Do That?
-Many details we come across in literature that hold significant meaning are
missed by the common reader.
-Three things stand out to literature professors: memory, symbol and pattern.

Every Trip is a Quest (Except When it's Not)

-Every time a character proceeds to go somewhere, in literature, it is a quest.
-There's always five key elements to a quest: a quester, somewhere to go, a reason
to go there, challenges and trials, and a real reason behind the quest.
-The true meaning of a quest always involves self-improvement.

Nice To Eat with You: Acts of Communication

-To us, meals are just meals, but in literature, they always hold a deeper
meaning.
-People have in common the need to eat, and that can bring people together.
-In retrospect, a failed meal may symbolize tension between people.

Nice to Eat You: Acts of Vampires

-Vampirism can manifest itself in literature in a symbolic way, these figurative
vampires boil down to selfishness and exploiting the weak.
-Many times, ghosts and their friends inside of memorable pieces of literature
represent things deeper than what they appear on the surface.

If It's Square, It's a Sonnet

-Sonnets are one of the most important types of poetry to recognize.
-They take the shape of more or less a square.
-Normally divided into different parts, by carefully constrasting and comparing
the parts, one might find deeper meanings.
-Just because they're short doesn't mean that they're insiginificant, in a good
sonnet, every little part needs to be perfect.

Now, Where Have I Seen Her Before?

-There is no such thing as a completely original piece of literature, all works of
literature can be traced to another.
-This doesn't mean that people aren't original, but that subconciously, thier
works are affected by that of others.
-There's only one story in essence, all stories are forms of that one.
-With expirence, one would begin to see the similarities between many stories, and
it'll change the reading expirenece.

When in Doubt, It's from Shakespeare...

-Many stories draw fron Shakespeare, and though the number may not be seen right
away, the amount is staggering.
-Furthermore, Shakespeare has many famous quotations that manifests itself in many
places in our lives.
-Being able to seek these connections makes the reading expirenece levels deeper.

...Or the Bible

-Just like Shakespear, many stories from the Bible manifests itself in other
pieces of literature.
-Some can be deliberate, while others are subtle and unconcious.
-It adds depth and dimension into stories.
-Though not everyone many have read the Bible, just as with Shakespeare, many
people could still be able to identify it.
Hanseldee and Greteldum
-Many pieces of literature can be traced to Shakespeare and the Bible but fairy
tales and folk tales are great as well.
-Other sources may end up too complex, overused or too unknown.
-People are familiar with the stories, but a good writer would make any flagrant
similarities hidden, giving people strangeness and familiarity.

It's Greek to Me
-Myth is a body of story that matters, and each community will have different
myths, causing people to interpret things differently.
-To many people, Greek and Roman mythology is what matters, and it proves to be
another source that people can base literature off of.

It's More Than Just Rain or Snow

-As with meals, scenes with rain or snow are always more than just weather.
-Rain could mean a pletora of things, it could be dark and chilling, or cleaning
and restorative.
-Snow also has different meanings, the meanings are up to the reader to interpret.

Does He Mean That?

-Authors draw from many different sources, and they have to include deep symbols
and patterns, can they really handle it?
-No one knows for sure, and writers are different, so we generally have to make do
with guesswork.

...More Than It's Gonna Hurt You: Concerning Violence

-Violence is another topic that is always deeper in literature.
-With a few exceptions, whenver violence occurs, we must always be aware of why it
is happening and what it means.
-Even illness and accidental deaths mean something, you can't write an accident.

Is That a Symbol?
-What is a symbol is up for interpretation, different people can see different
things.
-Many things can be symbols, people simply have to look harder to uncover the
deeper meanings of things.
-A symbol will most likely stand for multiple things.

It's All Political

-Political writing that tackles narrow topics directed at a certain time and group
won't be able to age and travel well.
-On the other hand, political writing that question more cosmopolitan topics can
become a compelling piece.
-Nearly all writing is political, it's only the levels that create variance.

Yes, She's a Christ Figure, Too

-A Christ Figure has many traits in common with Jesus, and these figures represent
a sense of sacrifice, rectitude, redemption and hope.
-Readers need to put aside belief systems to see what the writer is trying to say.
-Readers should attempt to realize what any contrasts to Jesus mean to literary
works.

Flights of Fancy
-Humans have always been tempted with the ability to fly: flgith is freedom, and
can represent it in many different ways.
-It's not always literal flying, it could be represented with birds or other
flying imagery.
-In the end, irony has the ability to ruin everyting.
It's All About Sex
-Some writers may have hid symbols of sexuality within their writing.
-Before the 19th century, sexuality was censored in literature.
-Many times, a scene depicting figurative sex can mean multiple things and can
actually be more intense.

...Except Sex
-Sex scenes prove hard to write, and writers tend to skip writing them.
-Actual sex scenes tend to stand for something other than sex, such as submission,
domination or pleasure.

If She Comes Up, It's Baptism

-Baptism is a symbolic death and rebirth: a redemption.
-Other things, in turn, symbolize baptisms: rain, water, ect.
-When charactes are renamed or changed in similar ways, it may also be a symbol
for a baptism as well.

Geography Matters...
-Where the story is set is another important factor in literature.
-Certain places stand for safety, like a suburban town, while places like the
jungle brings wilderness and confusion.
-Movement from place to place could mark major shifts, when people are sent south,
it's so they can run amok.

...So Does Season

-As with geography, the time of year matters as well, with each season invoking
different responses.
-The changing seasons could signify the cycle of life, the passing of time.
-Winter, Spring, Summer and Fall themselves have their own unique connotations.
-Special dates such as Christmas hold strong meanings as well.

One Story
-There is only One Story, all other stories stem from that one.

Marked for Greatness

-Physical imperfections on characters and landscapes reflect on their symbolic
flaws.
-How the marks were caused may reflect the monstrousity of whatever caused it.
-Monsterous appearances may be compared and contrasted to many different themes.

He's Blind for a Reason, You Know

-Blindness may be an indicator that a person is blind in another area, such as
emotionally or morally.
-On the other hand, a person without sight may have the ability to see things that
normal people don't.
-Blindness is usually used as a metaphor, characters fail to see things like
reality or love.

It's Never Just Heart Disease...

-Heart disease can mean many different things, most of which are related to our
multiple definitions of heart.
-Love gone wrong, loneliness, disloyalty, hate, diffidence
-A heart illness may point to things gone wrong on a larger scales as well.

...And Rarely Just Illness

-Not all illnesses are created equal, they have different traits and are used and
handled differently in literature.
-Illness should be picturesue and mysterious in order to ivoke a deeper meaning.
-Illness will have strong symbolic meanings, different diseases have different
causes and traits and thus different meanings as well.

Don't Read With Your Eyes

-When reading literature, people must learn to let go of their customs, opinions
and time period.
-A reader must be able to understand the movements of the culture and time period
that affecting the book.
-It isn't

Is He Serious? And Other Ironies

-The bottom line is: irony trumps everything
-It may be hard to get used to and recognize, but the use of irony is a very
valuable ability that writers have.