You have to like books to like this book but if you do, and if you've read fairly widely in the canon of English literature, this is a fabulous romp. Obviously the result of many lectures, this series of essays demystifies- should I venture to say deconstructs- the layers of symbols, cultural references, archetypes and other devices we authors utilize knowingly and unconsciously to hook and engage our reader audiences. He didn't include C. S. Lewis' opinion that descriptions of food in children's books are as erotic for those readers as graphic sex scenes might be for grown-ups but Foster's insights pack as much power.
Thomas C. Foster, How to Read Literature Like a Professor. c. 2003. HarperCollins
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment