Part two time! Back story behind this: I had to read this book as part of my AP English summer assignment and decided to review this as part of my blog shortly after reading it. So here goes! How to Read Literature Like a Professor (HTR for short) by Thomas Foster!
Characters: HTR is more of a avid readers guide to understanding the wide-world of literature as opposed to an actual story, so there are no characters to be found, minus the ones Foster references throughout the novel.
The Plot: Again, there really is no plot, but I can give you the premise of the book. Thomas Foster is a professor of English at the University of Michigan-Flint, and has written several novels about literature in general. HTR is the one of these novels and was created as a basic guide to understanding literature at a higher level. Foster has divided the chapters in a way that you would organize a how-to guide. Some of the chapters are related, some are not; however common themes stretch throughout the entire novel. More on that in a moment. At the end is a fabulous appendix, which has Foster's recommended books list. As the nerd that I am, yes I am a nerd I wouldn't be writing this blog if I wasn't, I was a little overly enthusiastic about the appendix. I was almost convinced to go straight to my library and put several of the books on hold but then I remembered that school started in one week. Never fear, I shall not remain thwarted for long-Christmas break isn't far away.
What I liked: Let me first start off by saying that I was a little bit of a skeptic. I honestly didn't believe that there was really a deeper meaning when you read literature. In part, I blame my seventh grade Language Arts material: it was drab at best and I was often unable to find a so-called deeper meaning in those unfortunate memories. I still shudder a bit whenever I see a copy of The Outsiders. Regardless, from that point forward, I didn't believe in symbolism or a underlying reference to something else: I thought they were the made up stories of desperately cruel English teachers, searching for away to make us lose points. A series of somewhat unreliable English teachers fueled my growing cynical view of deeper meanings. Professor Foster (I feel compelled to call him this based off the title) changed all of that. In AP English, we discussed the importance of establishing ethos, a relationship with the reader that makes them believe and trust what you say. I have never liked a person more than Professor Foster while reading this novel. With intellectual humor and well thought out explanations, I believed him the instant I read the book. As soon as my mind began to express a "no way that's not intended", he jumps in with a "haha but it is and here is why based off this classic piece of literature". Professor Foster could have easily focused on the well-known classic authors such as Mark Twain or William Shakespeare but he didn't: while showing us the true meaning of water, he references obscure novels and enthralling scenes that make you wonder what the rest of the novel looked like. In case you were curious, water can be a variety of things, including but not limited to, death, cleansing, renewal, and danger. I still am a little bit of a cynic, but Professor Foster opened up a whole new side of literature with this accessible book that I had never seen before, and I have no doubt that I will reference this book in the future.
What I didn't like: Occasionally, Professor Foster would jump from subject to subject a little to quickly for my taste. I would have liked to have a little more focus on a few areas, but I do understand that the point of this novel was supposed to be a general guide.
Overall: 9 out of 10. Honestly, the most fun I've had reading a book for class in a long time.
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