How to Read Literature Like a Professor (Chapters 1,2,3)

Aug 21st 2012

Chapter 1- Every Trip is a Quest (Except When It's Not)
    A quest consists of 5 specific things: a person to go on the quest, a place to go, a stated reason to go there, challenges and trials in route, and a REAL (unstated)  reason to go to said destination. Even if it seems insignificant, if it has these three things, it is a quest. In How to Read Literature Like a Professor, Foster gives an excellent example of a pretend quest. A young boy (quester) sent to the store on his lame bike to get bread for his mother(stated reason). On the way to the store he sees his high school crush with her boyfriend and his cool car followed by some scary barking dogs(challenges)! Luckily for unnamed kid, though, he makes it to the store safely (about to unknowingly receive the REAL reason for going!) Just when he's about to leave the store BAM! he has an epiphany, of sorts, when he sees a Saint appear right before his eyes on this loaf of bread (Here is the real reason!)
In this chapter the author continually stresses that the real reason for a quest is always self knowledge.

Chapter 2- Nice to Eat with You: Acts of Communion
    The main gist of this chapter is that eating together shows your fondness of other people. Foster states that "Whenever people eat or drink together, it's communion," which I had never considered. What came to mind when I read this chapter was all of the books, and movies for that matter, that have had people coming together for a meal, for quite some period of time too. Emotions play a large part in communion, or lack there of. You wouldn't invite your worst enemy to go on a date with you to a fancy restaurant, and on the same line, when you pick a spot to eat in the cafeteria you don't sit by someone you're not fond of. The author also uses an example from a movie called Tom Jones: the director had to find a way to depict sex in a way that was well, PG. So in the end many emotions: love, hatred, and lust can be shown just through eating!

Chapter 3- Nice to Eat You: Acts of Vampires
    This vampire chapter had a lot to digest. Foster unveils so many ways in which vampirism is shown in literature and in movies. Vampirism is about evil, manipulation, lust, seduction, temptation, danger, taking away innocence, and sex.