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Binding: PaperbackDewey Decimal Number: 809.3 EAN: 9780061340406 ISBN: 0061340405 Label: Harper Paperbacks Manufacturer: Harper Paperbacks Number Of Items: 1 Number Of Pages: 304 Publication Date: July 01, 2008 Publisher: Harper Paperbacks Release Date: July 01, 2008 Studio: Harper Paperbacks Editorial Review: Product Description: Of all the literary forms, the novel is arguably the most discussed . . . and fretted over. From Miguel de Cervantes's Don Quixote to the works of Jane Austen, F. Scott Fitzgerald, Ernest Hemingway, and today's masters, the novel has grown with and adapted to changing societies and technologies, mixing tradition and innovation in every age throughout history. Thomas C. Foster—the sage and scholar who ingeniously led readers through the fascinating symbolic codes of great literature in his first book, How to Read Literature Like a Professor—now examines the grammar of the popular novel. Exploring how authors' choices about structure—point of view, narrative voice, first page, chapter construction, character emblems, and narrative (dis)continuity—create meaning and a special literary language, How to Read Novels Like a Professor shares the keys to this language with readers who want to get more insight, more understanding, and more pleasure from their reading. Average Rating:
 Rating:  - How to Read Novels Like a Professor is a concise, informed and valuable introduction to the world of novels"How to Read Novels Like a Professor" is the sequel to "How to Read Literature" by Dr. Thomas C. Foster. Foster is a professor at the University of Michigan-Flint. One can imagine being fortunate enough to sit in his classroom! If we as readers cannot be that fortunate we can relish his informed survey and suggestions on the joy of the novel. The book begins with a short survey on the rise of the novel from Miguel de Cervantes immortal "Don Quixote" to the magical prose of J.K. Rowling ... Read More Rating: - Reading Novels like a ProfessorHaving learned more from T.C.Foster about reading literature than anyone,(How to Read Literature like a Professor), I find he does not disapoint in his approach to novels as he again points out key elements to look (or listen) for in a text. While some chapters are a little discursive, his urban-folksy skaz dispels any pedantic intimidation one might fear from such a work. Although his many allusions to classic novels may cause guilt for all the novels one should have read but havn't, this book is ... Read More Rating:  - a clear voiceAs a high school English teacher with two small children, I rarely get a chance to read a book for pleasure--let alone finish one. Amazingly, I read both of Foster's guides this summer. Each was a palatable presentation of issues surrounding literature in general and the novel in particular. He has a clear "voice" allowing me to imagine being back at a university lecture again--one of my favorite places to be! While other texts may seem more "scholaraly" (i.e. "dry"), Foster has a really accessible ... Read More Rating:  - How to Read Novels Like a ProfessorFoster is clearly a man who loves literature, and his book offered some worthy insights, but it was a bit too "jaunty" for my taste, and I found his frequent use of films as points of reference, comparison, or example a bit annoying. I would direct a reader interested in this subject to Francine Prose's wonderful book, "Reading Like a Writer." Her use of examples is extensive, well chosen, and very convincing. I can only think of one novel that Foster persuaded me to read, whereas Prose turned me ... Read More Rating:  - Good pointers, some flaws, but finding meaning in literature is ultimately a personal journeyIf I were to meet Thomas Foster, I would probably enjoy talking to him. He has a good sense of humor and he knows his stuff; reading him, however, is a completely different experience. Like everyone else, I enjoy the occasional presence of levity, but Foster lays it on too think in this guide to digesting a novel's deeper meaning. One of the most challenging and profound intellectual pursuits, critically reading a novel is not something to be taken lightly. I know that Professor Foster ... Read More |
