How to Read Literature Like a Professor

A Broad Overview of Literature

 A lively and entertaining guide to making your reading experience more rewarding and fun.

 Focuses on literary basics: major themes and motifs (seasons, quests, food, politics, geography, weather, vampires, violence, illness, and many more); literary models (Shakespeare’s plays, Greek mythology, fairy tales, the Bible); and narrative devices (form, irony, plot, and symbol, among others).

 Draws on a huge variety of examples from all genres: novels, short stories, plays, poems, movies, song lyrics, and cartoons.

 Encourages readers to test their knowledge on the short story “The Garden Party” by Katherine Mansfield, offering comments and ideas along the way.

Based on More than Thirty Years
of Experience and Expertise

 Thomas C. Foster has been teaching students how to read literature for more than thirty years.

 How to Read Literature Like a Professor approaches the often intimidating domain of literature in accessible and nonacademic prose. It is not a textbook but an engaging companion for readers to discover the possibilities of modern and classic literature.

The Perfect Resource for Reading Groups

 With its informal style and easy approach to literature, How to Read Literature Like a Professor is a useful and practical tool for reading groups and book clubs.

Suggests Further Reading Material

 Includes a comprehensive list of novels, poems, and plays that readers may find enjoyable and challenging.

 Offers suggestions for secondary sources on reading, interpretation, and criticism.