Reddit Reddit reviews How to Read Literature Like a Professor: A Lively and Entertaining Guide to Reading Between the Lines, Revised Edition

We found 17 Reddit comments about How to Read Literature Like a Professor: A Lively and Entertaining Guide to Reading Between the Lines, Revised Edition. Here are the top ones, ranked by their Reddit score.

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17 Reddit comments about How to Read Literature Like a Professor: A Lively and Entertaining Guide to Reading Between the Lines, Revised Edition:

u/ChemicalExperiment · 18 pointsr/news

The problem isn't the books themselves, it's probably the teacher who is assigning them to you. My English teacher last year was one of the good ones. One of the great ones actually. She didn't just assign a book, give a test, and throw a writing assignment at us like most others did. We actually discussed the book. Not in some childish "oh what did you like about it" way, but actual literary analysis. "What's the meaning behind this symbol?" Prove it. "Was this event foreshadowed by something earlier?" Let me bring up this random scene you thought was pointless and show you how it's actually predicting everything. "Can this be an allusion to another work?" Actually the whole thing is the story of Hamlet. And most of all, why? "What message is being told through all these elements?" "What's the point of this meaning that or that referring to this?" These are the questions that gave me insight into not only the book, but humanity itself, the human condition.

My teacher was also up for discussion. Talks about truthfully, what things like sexism, race, gender, politics, and other hot topic discussions nowadays meant to us. And yet it was always relevant to the story, like when we read The Catcher in the Rye we had an 90 minute discussion about what we thought the difference between arrogance and confidence was, and eventually how it effected our views of others. I've had classmates cry in that class when discussing depression and our futures. Then there's the best part; she was a former off-broadway actor and current comedian, so she's basically putting on a show through her entire class. You can hear her down the halls and you can always hear her footsteps from the room below. Needless to say, it's never boring.

I really hope you can find a teacher even half as amazing as her, because she has changed my life forever. Right now one of my summer assignments from her is actually The Scarlet Letter, so I guess I'll get my own opinion on that. Otherwise, I recommend you read another book I'm assigned, How to Read Literature Like a Professor. It's a very casual, laid back discussion about how to make the kinds of connections I referred to in the questions above. Hopefully it'll give you some insight as to why those books were assigned and what you've been missing from them.


Edit: Dang...I can get carried away with my writing sometimes. Sorry for the block of text.

u/newyne · 13 pointsr/Poetry

Well... I mean, subtext is not the only important thing, but it's still important. I really enjoy poets who create meaning not only through the literal meaning of words, but through the usage of words (and they definitely do so intentionally). I think the real problem is that that kind of thing can feel clinical and detached in the classroom, where you're doing it for a grade. When I'm able to find complexity and deeper meaning in a work I love, though? That's exciting and joyful!

Example: The first works that come to mind when I think are actually songs by my favorite band, The Oh Hellos. Specifically, their EPs Notos and Eurus. They've got this extended metaphor relating God to nature and humanity to man-made structures. Like in the song Constellations -- the central metaphor is the tower of Babel, from the story where humanity tries to build a tower to reach God. God hates their hubrice, so he causes the tower to crumble, and the people to speak different languages so they can't try again. Now, Notos' central theme fundamentalism, the reasons for it, the problems with it, what it's like when you can no longer hold onto it. In that context, the tower of Babel is related to religion. That is, it's something people use to reach God, but it ultimately separates us from him and from each other. The second important metaphor here is constellations. And what's the nature of constellations? Well, they're pictures we see in the stars. But while the stars actually exist in external reality, those pictures only exist in our minds; the actual stars that compose them have no real relationship to each other, and are in fact often light-years apart. (Not to mention, different cultures see different pictures). Their use as a metaphor here seems to be saying that God is something real, but so many our believes about him are just our own human projections.

Can you understand this song without getting all of this? Partially, I think. It took me a while to completely grasp it, but I started picking up on these existential themes from the get-go, like in the chorus, "Like constellations a million years away, every good intention... is interpolation, a line we drew in the array, looking for the faces, looking for the shapes in the silence." I deeply felt that, even if I wasn't really sure what to do with the Tower of Babel references. However! Understanding, rather making the song less for me, made it that much more beautiful! I got chills about it all over again! (I had a similar experience with the rest of the EPs; when I caught how the division between the binaries of God/nature and humanity/structures crumbles over their course, [like with stones being compared to seeds in "Grow"], collapsing completely in "Constellations"' companion song, "Hieroglyphs"... The point is that division between God, nature, and humanity was always an illusion, and... To me that is so utterly beautiful and joyful!)

I guess my point is, you don't have to understand everything going on in a poem to enjoy it. People shouldn't devalue that kind of appreciation. However, I think you shouldn't stop there. It's good to try to understand poems on a deeper level, not because you're supposed to or that it'll make you smart, but because there's so much beauty, love, and joy hidden in between the lines. And how do you get there? It takes learning and practice for most people, because it really is like a code or a foreign language. For me, it started with a book called How to Read Literature Like a Professor that I read for a high school English class (more about prose than poetry, but same idea). Then in college I learned more about different schools of criticism, what to look for, how to figure out where authors were coming from. A lot of this involved... Well, I think one of the best ways to practice is to read other peoples' analyses. Find a poem you love, read it over and over, see what stands out to you about it. Then read what other people have written about it. Overtime, you'll find yourself applying what you've learned to unfamiliar poetry. If you're passionate about it, if you enjoy figuring it out, if you thirst after understanding, then I think you'll discover so much!

u/firstroundko108 · 11 pointsr/ELATeachers

If I could go back in time as a senior in high school, above all, I would just do more reading, and I would read widely. I did not start on the path to English teaching until I was 26, and although I did great in college and I feel that I am a successful teacher now, my weakness is my reading background. I would suggest using an app like Goodreads so that you can track your progress as you chip away at the literary canon, work by work. The texts that are going to help you the most and serve you for the rest of your career are the ones that most authors allude to, so, I would suggest that at some point you familiarize yourself with these from a literary standpoint:

  • The Bible
  • Homer's The Iliad and The Odyssey
  • Virgil's Aenid
  • Ovid's Metamorphoses
  • As many Shakespeare plays as you can read (and I just want to mention that the Cambridge School editions are the best for teaching)

    As far as resources that will give you a head start, I suggest:

  • Shmoop (but only after you've exhausted your own abilities with a text)
  • How to Read Literature Like a Professor
  • How Literature Works
  • Any Introductory Textbook to Critical Theory

    Considering pedagogy resources, by the time you are in an education program, there will be new research and new buzzwords, so I won't waste my time here, but these are my favorite resources when it comes to inspiring my teaching:

  • Rick Wormeli (Seriously, this guy is amazing)
  • Teach Like a Pirate
  • Reading in the Wild

    Lastly, if you go into an English education program with a near-perfect understanding of grammar, your life will be so much easier. I suggest these three resources for brushing up:

  • No Red Ink
  • Teaching Grammar Through Writing
  • Language Exploration and Awareness

    Good luck, and let me know if you have questions! If you do anything on this list, just read!
u/davidrussell323 · 9 pointsr/mealtimevideos

allow me to make such a recommendation! Ever since my Lit. teacher had me read "How to read literature like a professor" as summer reading, my entire ability to interpret novels on a deeper level--and not just novels, but lots of other media--was changed for the better

I like authors who kind of adopt the Edgar Allan Poe method of writing: don't mention the thing unless it adds to the story

u/PoopsForDays · 9 pointsr/space

I saw lipservice paid to mccarthyism in history class and we actually dove into it in english class when we went over The Crucible.

Though I'm sure most other students just read the play and brain dump it without soaking in the context. I actually did the first time around too and it wasn't until I started reading as an adult that I realize how poorly I was taught literature in school.

u/[deleted] · 2 pointsr/swtor

I studied political science with a specialization in international affairs, focusing on Communist and Post-Communist studies. About halfway through my first year of grad school I realized that most analyses could be understood by accepting what I called the Theory of Bullshit in Political Science.

The basic premise of the ToBiPS was that many, if not most, theories were half-assed attempts at cogency, which the writer would obscure behind an impenetrable wall of Absolute Fucking Bullshit. The audience would be confused and bewildered from the overwhelming flood of mostly irrelevant or nonsensical information.

Regardless, these Bullshit theories were usually well-received. Why? Because of the fact that most people don't want to admit they don't understand something. Rather than admit they don't understand what the Bullshitter is arguing, leading ultimately to the rejection of the Bullshit, people just go along with it and pretend to understand.

Spend more than a week in any non-STEM academic environment and you'll see what I mean.

Point here is... this is Bullshit. You've taken a few basic ideas about how people and history work in general and tried to superimpose historical examples over the literary garbage that is KotFE in an apparent attempt to make it look more sophisticated than it is.

Your writing is abysmal. You overuse adjectives and adverbs. You're like Dan Brown without the talent for pith.

> The history and politics behind that analysis is the same contempt that is one of the driving reasons why most societies in the world utilize some form of democratic process. People really don't like nepotism and hereditary rule.

First of all, that first sentence is terrible. Like, it shouldn't exist. Second, LOL WAT?! WTF is your understanding of what democracy is?! People don't like hereditary rule? That's why people were so content with it for most of civilization? Are you mental?!

> As anyone knows about Eastern Europe,

*raises hand* Hi! I do! That's me! That's what I studied! Lived in Poland for a while too! What's your question?

> there are very serious problems. Crime is higher, education sucks, infrastructure can barely be maintained, and many of those nations are in dire need of the type of help international charities provide.

What? No. Wait, seriously? You think Eastern Europe is an uneducated cesspool? Jesus christ. No. Just no. Fucking go to Poland. They have some of the best education in the world, and better access to health care than in the US. You want to talk barely maintained infrastructure, look at the US.

Jesus.

Okay, you really want to overanalyze KotFE? How to Read Literature Like a Professor, by Thomas Foster. It's really nothing more than TV Tropes amateur hour.

u/mloos93 · 2 pointsr/homework_help

So, a summary is like a short review of the material. You don't explain anything differently, you don't add anything, you simply condense the material into smaller bits. For a story/literature, this is like the synopsis you would read online for a movie, or an extreme case would be the back of a DVD case (although those are intentionally vague).

 

Analysis, on the other hand, is where you interject meaning that you think is behind the text. This is you opinion on what the author/director/artist was putting forth with their work. If you are having trouble with this, think about Sparknotes. They usually have both a summary and analysis section for each chapter they cover.

 

I highly recommend the book How to Read Lit like a Prof. This book is fantastic, and will help you learn to analyze things.

u/JakeMakesSteaks · 2 pointsr/books

This is a pretty fantastic guide to solving your problem.

I highly recommend it to all readers!

u/Jaboaflame · 2 pointsr/suggestmeabook

Hmm, that's a hard one. The best way to learn how to tell a story is to consume stories. But I've been reading for so long, I'm not sure how to point you in the right direction. But, I imagine you like movies. Movies tell stories, so if you understand what's happening in a movie, you may be able to translate that into other forms of storytelling.

One book that was helpful for me in high school was How to Read Literature like a Professor It kind of breaks stories into smaller, meaningful pieces and analyzes them.

u/BexieB · 2 pointsr/booksuggestions

I'm a literature enthusiast, and this book is amazing in teaching how to be a mindful and in depth reader specifically in literature. It's also super entertaining.

How to Read Literature Like a Professor: A Lively and Entertaining Guide to Reading Between the Lines, Revised Edition
https://www.amazon.com/dp/0062301675/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_-hmqDb0RVRCQM

u/NanjoQ · 2 pointsr/WritingPrompts

That's actually kind of a funny prompt. In part of the summer reading book How to Read Literature Like a Professor, by Thomas Foster I actually did read, he mentions that the characters surrounding the main protagonist suffer (usually die) to advance the plot by evoking action by the main character.

u/fiskiligr · 2 pointsr/truebooks

Have you read How to Read Literature Like a Professor? I wonder how it compares. I know, for example, it doesn't take a historical perspective, and might not even count as Literary Criticism at all...

I know little about literary criticism, but I would be interested in learning - did you learn about it in school?

> On the whole I'd say it's great and I've really gotten something out of it.

That's great, I will have to check it out.


u/Mao1435 · 1 pointr/ACT

I mean there are basically two ways. One: improve your fundamentals. That's like the long-term strategy. Basically, read like crazy. New Yorker, the Atlantic, New York Times, non-fiction books, and what not. It's like if you don't even have the muscle to throw a three-pointer, then it's pretty much pointless to practice 3pts.

Second is to learn some reading skills. Annotations, skimming & scanning, etc. Personally I'm not a big fan of these, but they do come in handy if you don't have, like 5 months to incrementally improve your reading.

If you do have the time, I would recommend the following two books:
https://www.amazon.com/How-Read-Literature-Like-Professor/dp/0062301675/ref=pd_sim_14_7?_encoding=UTF8&pd_rd_i=0062301675&pd_rd_r=35Q5NY3NKYMXGNRRAZZ6&pd_rd_w=4BP03&pd_rd_wg=oJkPO&psc=1&refRID=35Q5NY3NKYMXGNRRAZZ6

https://www.amazon.com/How-Read-Book-Classic-Intelligent/dp/0671212095

u/mythtaken · 1 pointr/suggestmeabook

Maybe try this one:
How to read literature like a professor
http://www.amazon.com/How-Read-Literature-Like-Professor/dp/0062301675

Setting yourself the goal to improve your skills is a great first step.

If you'll be working on your own, find a subject you like and read a LOT about it, at every reading level. Notice how the various authors present the subject. It can be really interesting to see how different people perceive the same thing.

Going back to school is also an option. A friend of mine went back to school and got a degree in LIberal Studies. Basically, it's a little bit of everything on the curriculum. Art, history, literature, science ... .

Another thought is to take up meditation. Training your mind, learning to focus, quieting the inner voice are all useful, no matter what you hope to achieve.

u/EditDrunker · 1 pointr/writing

1.) Your courses will give you enough of a reading list to keep yourself busy; I wouldn't try to cram in too much more, at least not during the school year. I'd check out How to Read Literature Like a Professor if you find yourself struggling with your classes, and On Writing Well and Elements of Style if you're struggling with your essays.

2.) I wish I'd done something non-writing related. I had internships and work study positions and worked for the campus newspaper and all of that stuff so I almost got... burned out? on writing and books. It took a little while to recover.

3.) Marilynne Robinson's Housekeeping was great. I also had a class where the only book we read was Ulysses. I wouldn't have been able to make myself read that book without a semester long class, but I'm glad that I did. Now I never have to again.

4.) Learn how to skim your readings. If you've got a couple hundred pages of reading each week, there just aren't enough hours to do it all.

5.) See #2

6.) See #1. Also: go to office hours. I know professors can seem intimidating, but they don't want you to fail. Most of them are just sitting there during their office hours, twiddling their thumbs.

u/arector502 · 1 pointr/nanowrimo

I found the book How to Read Literature Like a Professor: A Lively and Entertaining Guide to Reading Between the Lines helpful when it comes to symbolism. If you have time, you might want to skim through it.

https://www.amazon.com/How-Read-Literature-Like-Professor/dp/0062301675/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1539261035&sr=8-1&keywords=how+to+read+literature+like+a+professor

u/darkcrescendo1490 · 1 pointr/college

My Senior English teacher recommended us to read/skim through "How to Read Literature like a Professor" during the summer before classes start as to get "basic" understanding of literature and/or scholarly journals. I personally didn't read it as the English classes I've registered for were more seminar-lecture based, where the professor talked about everything we're supposed to know about what we've read and gauged our understanding through class discussions. However, I found the book to be helpful as a reference guide when I didn't know how to read/digest specific texts. (I remember seeing a PDF file of the book, but I'm not sure where it is at the moment.)

​

I think skimming the book and reading random articles (whether it be the NYT or Teen Vogue) can help you build your reading comprehension and thinking skills. Also, talk to your professors during office hours! There were moments where I didn't know what to make of the reading and went to office hours to talk about the confusion/concern I had about what I've read.

​

As for writing, my professors from my English and Writing classes recommended me to utilize the writing services (though that's when college starts). My Writing professor also made us read "They Say, I Say: The Moves That Matter in Academic Writing," which offered different perspectives on how we should look at academic writing. However, the price doesn't justify the content that's provided in the book. There's also "The Elements of Style," where my friends, professors, and relatives all swear that it's the holy grail for writing (I have never used it, but I guess it doesn't hurt to read/skim through the book).

​

If your school offers writing seminars/first-year writing course, then I suggest on taking those courses first before taking English classes since it may help you on conveying your thoughts/shaping your arguments for your audience. Also, as I said earlier, your professor (or TA) is going to be your best source as they can give you advice on where to improve. Hopefully, this answers your question!