Apparently, I really want to learn to read like a professor.
Foster does a decent job delineating the big concepts, motifs, themes, archetypes, and images that permeate literature. Yes, most of us well-trained monkeys know that rain/water/snow/wetness is usually symbolic. We also know that weird scars on a hero should be considered carefully. And we might even be able to figure out that going on a trip means we're probably on some sort of quest. But I like that Foster spells out some of these concepts for an untrained eye, for the layperson who may feel intimidated by literature (the reading of and thinking about).
And for that, I'm truly appreciative of these books.
However, Foster LOVES James Joyce. Yeah, yeah, I get it. Joyce is SOOOOO much smarter than the rest of us. We should bow to him, worship at his altar, make sacrifices of lesser works.
Whatever.
I'm Med-Ren in a po-mo world.
That and the little "Garden Party" test sat a little funny with me. It reminded me of those old exercise tapes with Jane Fonda that would step you through things nice and slow and then it would be time for you to try it all by your lonesome.
Safely, with the helpful guidance of someone not really there.
It's a little patronizing - especially when he pats on the head people who recognize "birds" or "loss of innocence" and then proceeds to give us a very complex reading involving Persephone.
Dude, slllooowww down! I went Biblical, not Classical. I saw the Four Horsemen, the Garden of Eden, and God as the Gardener. You saw the Rape of Persephone. But I'm guessing the average layperson lost us both at "birds."
You know???
Still, overall an enjoyable glimpse at how profs do their things.
No comments:
Post a Comment