How to Read Literature Like a Professor Chapter Notes

Nice to Eat with You: Acts of Communion

Eating together is a symbol of communion. Communion is supposed to show sharing and peace.
It is also supposed to connect you to the realism in the scene. Failed meals can foreshadow
conflict.

More than it’s Going to Hurt you: Concerning Violence

Narrative and injury violence are the two types of violence. Narrative is when the author creates
it and injury is when a character brings injury upon themselves. Violence creates conflict and
suspense.

Nice to Eat with You: Acts of Vampires

Most authors include an evil character to represent the negative ideas and feelings in a text.
Vampires are usually sexual symbols.

Now Where Have I Seen Her Before?

Literature has tons of repeated archetypes and concepts through all works. All literature derives
from other literature. These help deepen a reader's understanding of the book.

It’s Greek to Me
Greek literature affected all of literary work after and still does to this day. A myth is any story
that matters to a group of people that’s meant to explain things that science can’t.

Flights of Fancy
Flying symbolizes freedom, adventure and escaping.

It’s More than just Rain or Snow

Rain brings feelings of hope and snow brings feeling of safety. Weather is used to affect the
mood in a text to make the reader connect and feel that way.

Never Stand Next to the Hero

Characters aren’t people even though they may appear like it. The secondary character, or the
character closest to the main character, is almost always the one sacrificed.

Is that a Symbol?
Readers often wonder what things mean. Everything in text is usually a symbol but the meaning
isn’t always straight forward and is sometimes there to make the reader find their own meaning.
When in Doubt, it’s from Shakespeare
Shakespeare's work is used ​very​ often in old and new literature. Everyone knows what it is and
his works were about life meaning a lot more people could relate to it. It is about as known as the
Bible.

...Or the Bible

The Bible is quoted and referenced in a lot of things. Many things are littered with biblical
references but that doesn’t always mean that the text is religious. Villains are often representative
of Satan.

It’s all Political

Everything is political on some level but it is usually indirect. Writers write about the world
around them and politics are largely a part of that.

Yes, She’s a Christ Figure Too

A Christ figure is someone who has a “good” moral compass and who tries to do and teach the
right thing.

It’s Never Just Heart Disease and Rarely Just Illness

Your heart is the emotional core of your body so it is used to symbolize deep emotion and pain.
Heart disease symbolizes suffering, loneliness, cruelty, and cowardice.

Is He Serious? And Other Ironies

Irony takes our expectations and flips them around. Readers are kept on their toes and is
compelling and intriguing.

So Does Season
Authors have a purpose for everything and season is included to add meanings and feelings for
the reader.

Hanseldee and Greteldum

Authors often add older and well known stories to their world to connect the reader to the text
through familiarity.

If She Comes Up, It’s Baptism

Baptism is a Christian tradition and means rebirth but it isn’t always religious in literature. It
symbolizes a huge change in someone’s life or in a book and new starts.
Geography Matters
Geography affects both mood and tone. It can define a character and their life. It can also reflect
their childhood or their internal or external struggles.

He’s Blind for a Reason, You Know

A blind character’s blindness is always representative of something symbolic whether literal or
figurative. The author always chooses this disease for a reason.