Dear English IV Student,
Welcome to English IV at Early College EAST! Below you will find your summer reading assignment for the
2015-2016 school year. No matter what semester you have English IV, the due date for this assignment will still
be Tuesday, August 4, 2015, so please plan accordingly. The summer reading novel this year is Thomas C.
Foster’s How to Read Literature Like a Professor. You are able to purchase your book in new or used condition,
borrow it from the library, or even read an online text if you are able to find one. Please note that if you purchase
the book and donate it to the school, you will receive extra credit!
The assignment for this novel is to answer the questions at the end of this letter either in hard copy format or,
preferably, in Google Docs and share them with Mrs. Strommer at [email protected]. Make
sure you spell the name correctly! You should type in complete sentences, using Times New Roman 12 point
font, 1 inch margins, and have correct MLA header and headings (it is English IV, so you should be fully aware
of what this looks like!). If you have any questions during the summer as you read, you may also email questions
to the above address. Note that you may skip chapters 16 and 17 if you are truly uncomfortable with the topic.
Again, this assignment is due on Tuesday, August 4th, either at the start of the English IV class (if you have
English IV the first semester) or by the end of the school day, 3:45pm. If you choose to turn in a hard copy, please
make sure to staple the pages together.
Your ability to understand literature should not be a mystery, and thanks to Thomas C. Foster’s How to Read
Literature Like a Professor, you will be able to understand what you read on a deeper level. Those who have
studied literature, like Foster, are able to find symbols, motifs, patterns, etc. in what they read because they have
trained themselves to look for these things. After reading this book, you will be able to do the same because you
will know what to look for in the literature you read from now on. You will learn to recognize literary
conventions, as Foster says, the “same way you get to Carnegie Hall. Practice” (xiv).
Some students do have a hard time reading this book simply because Foster alludes to and references other texts
that students have not read before. Though you may not be as well read as Foster, you will still be able to
understand the themes and notes that Foster shares in each chapter based on your prior knowledge of other stories.
Focus on the information Foster teaches through his chapters as we will be referring back to this book throughout
the semester drawing connections through all of our readings. Also, make sure you read the introduction first!
Many students who have read this book have agreed that this book is a game changer in the English classroom
and truly enjoy reading it.
We look forward to having you next year in English IV; enjoy your summer and remember your summer reading!
Sincerely,
Alison Strommer
English III/IV
How to Read Literature Like a Professor Study Guide
Ch. 1 “Every Trip is a Quest (Except When It’s Not)”
● What are the five characteristics of the quest?
● What is the real reason for a quest (always)?
● What is Foster’s overall point about journeys or trips in literature?
Ch. 2 “Nice to Eat With You: Acts of Communion”
● Complete this sentence about communion: “... breaking bread together is an act
___________________________________________________________________.”
● What does “communion” mean?
● For what reason does Foster suggest that authors often include meal scenes?
● What does a failed meal suggest in literature?
● Why does Foster assert that a meal scene in literature is almost always symbolic?
Ch. 3 “Nice to Eat You: Acts of Vampires”
● What is literal vampirism?
● What is symbolic vampirism?
● What are the “essentials of the vampire story” and what do they represent?
● What are some things besides vampirism that vampires and ghosts represent in literature?
Ch. 4 “If It’s Square, It’s a Sonnet”
● Explain the title of this chapter- what does Foster mean “if it’s square, it’s a sonnet”? Visually
speaking, why is a sonnet roughly “square”?
● How can recognizing that a poem is a sonnet help us understand the poem’s meaning?
● Define/ describe a Petrarchan sonnet.
● Define/describe a Shakespearean sonnet.
Ch. 5 “Now, Where Have I Seen Her Before?”
● What does Foster mean when he says that “there’s no such thing as a wholly original work of
literature”?
● What does Foster mean by the term intertextuality?
● What is the benefit, or value, of picking up on the parallels between works of literature?
Ch. 6 “When in Doubt, It’s from Shakespeare...”
● Why do so many writers use, quote, and allude to Shakespeare?
● “____________________ features prominently in the use not only of Shakespeare but of any prior
writer.”
● What are some of the ways that Shakespeare influences writers?
Ch. 7 “...Or the Bible”
● What do Biblical allusions do for a piece of literature?
● Why is the Bible so often alluded to in literature?
● What are some of the ways that writers allude to the Bible?
● What’s the benefit of knowing/understanding Bible allusions in literature?
Ch.8 “Hanseldee and Greteldum”
● What is the literary canon?
● What does Foster suggest as the reason so many writers choose to allude to fairy tales in their
works? Why do writers borrow from “kiddie lit” in their works?
● What are some of the ways writers allude to “kiddie lit” in their writings?
Ch. 9 “It’s Greek To Me”
● How does Foster define “myth?”
● What does Foster mean by the term myth?
● Why do writers allude to mythology?
● What are some of the ways that writers allude to mythology?
● What are the four great struggles of the human being?
Ch. 10 “It’s More Than Just Rain or Snow”
● Foster says “weather is never just weather”. How can weather be symbolic in literature?
● How can weather serve as a plot device in literature?
● What are some of the common “meanings” of various types of weather?
o What are some things rain can represent in literature?
o What does a rainbow represent in literature?
o What does fog represent in literature?
o What does snow represent in literature?
Ch. 11 “...More Than It’s Gonna Hurt You: Concerning Violence”
● What are the implications of violence in literature/Why does violence occur in literature?
● What are the two categories of violence in literature? Describe and define each.
● What are the four reasons that authors kill off characters in literature?
● What questions should a reader ask about the violence found in a piece of literature?
Ch. 12 “Is That a Symbol?”
● What is the difference between symbolism and allegory?
● Symbols in literature can be both objects and ____________________________.
● What impacts a readers’ understanding of symbolic meaning?
● What, besides objects, can be symbolic?
● How should a reader approach symbolism in a text?
● What are the questions readers should ask of the text when trying to determine symbolic
meaning?
Ch. 13 “It’s All Political”
● Foster asserts that, “Nearly all writing is _______________________________.”
● Foster explains why most literature can be called “political.” Summarize his argument.
● In what ways do authors include social criticism in their writings?
● Why do authors include social criticism in their writings?
● What are some of the common “political” issues that writers tackle?
Ch.14 “Yes, She’s a Christ Figure, Too”
● Foster writes, “... to get the most out of your reading of European and American literature,
knowing _____________________________________________ is essential. Similarly, if you
undertake to read literature from an Islamic or a Buddhist or a Hindu culture,
______________________________________________________.” Why? Explain.
● What are the characteristics of a “Christ figure”?
● Foster asserts that a character need not have all of the distinguishing characteristics of Jesus Christ
in order to be considered a Christ figure in literature. Why? Explain.
● Does a character need to resemble Christ in all ways to be considered a “Christ figure”?
● Why do writers use Christ figures?
Ch. 15 “Flights of Fancy”
● If you come across a character flying in a piece of literature, they are one or more of the following:
● What does it mean when literary characters fly?
● Why do so many writers “toy with flight” in their works?
● In what ways might flight be symbolic in literature?
● Does a character always have to actually fly in order for there to be “flying” in a piece of
literature? Explain.
● What is the symbolic deal with interrupted or failed flight?
Ch. 16 “It’s All About Sex...”
● Who does Foster accuse of teaching writers to encode sexual messages in their writing and of
teaching readers to decode sexual messages in literature?
● What are some of the things that symbolize sex and/or gender?
o What are some things that can represent male sexuality in literature?
o What are some things that can represent female sexuality in literature?
● Why does sexual symbolism exist/occur in literature?
Ch.17“...Except Sex”
● Foster writes “When they’re writing about other things, they really mean sex, and when they write
about sex, they really mean something else.” What are some of the other things that a sex scene
can mean? In other words, When writers write directly about sex, what are they really writing
about?
● Why don’t writers usually write actual sex scenes?
Ch. 18 “If She Comes Up, It’s Baptism”
● When and how is water symbolic of baptism in literature?
o What are some of the things that baptism (or immersion in water) can mean in literature?
o What are some of the things that drowning can mean in literature?
Ch.19 “Geography Matters...”
● What are some of the roles geography plays in literature and what are some of the effects of
geography on literature?
● How can geography reinforce theme?
● How can geography define/develop character?
● How can geography be character?
● How can geography play an important plot role?
● What are some patterns of symbolism with regard to geography?
● What does it mean when an author sends a character south?
● How can a writer’s personal geography inform his/her work?
Ch.20 “...So Does Season”
● What are the symbolic implications of each major season: spring, summer, fall, winter?
● What is the symbolic implication of the progression of season (from spring through winter)?
Ch.21“Marked For Greatness”
● For what reason(s), do authors give characters deformities, scars or other physical markings in
literature?
● What might physical marks or imperfections symbolize?
● How can landscapes be “marked” as well? What might it mean?
● Beyond the individual, what can imperfection or deformity indicate?
● What are some of the symbolic indications of monsters in literature?
Ch.22 “He’s Blind for a Reason, You Know”
● For what reason(s) do authors choose to make characters blind in literature?
● What can physical blindness mirror?
● What is often the irony behind a blind character?
● How are darkness and lightness related to sight?
Ch. 23 “It’s Never Just Heart Disease...”
● What things can “heart trouble” signify in literature?
● What are some of the symbolic possibilities associated with the heart?
● Why?
Ch.24 “...And Rarely Just Illness”
● What are the “principles governing the use of disease in works of literature”?
● What things make a “prime literary disease”?
● What are some of the conventional symbolic meanings of various illnesses?
Ch. 25 “Don’t Read With Your Eyes”
● Why is “your” italicized in the chapter title, above?
● Explain what Foster means by “don’t read with your eyes”
● About what does Foster warn readers?
● What is Foster’s main point in this chapter?
● Do we have to accept the values of another culture to accept the impact those values had on the
writing?
Ch. 26 “Is He Serious? And Other Ironies”
● Explain what Foster means by “irony trumps everything.”
● Foster defines irony like this: “What irony chiefly involves, then, is
____________________________________________________________” Explain what he
means by this.
● There are three types of irony in literature: Verbal irony (character says opposite of what is
expected) Situational irony/Structural irony (situation or event plays out in an opposite or
abnormal way- not like expected) Dramatic irony (audience/reader knows more than characters
know)
● How can you tell if something is ironic?
● What does Foster mean when he says, “Irony doesn’t work for everyone”?