How to Read Literature Like a Professor
Chapter 3 - Nice To Eat You: Acts of Vampires
Chapter Summary:
-Ghosts and vampires are never only about ghosts and vampires. There’s a thin line between the ordinary and the monstrous.
-Sex: Evil, lust, seduction, temptation, danger. Evil has been related to sex ever since the serpent tempted Eve. -Exploitation: using other people to get what we want, placing our desires above others. Vampires and other figures are used where someone grows by weakening someone else.
Connections:
-The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne: Hester wearing the scarlet letter A is a perfect example of exploitation. By making her weaker, idealistic society grows stronger. A major theme is sin, relating easily to the evilness of sex in a puritan society. -Frankenstein by Mary Shelley: Frankenstein’s monster is scared by outside society as much as they are of him, but in this way, the un-accepting nature of society is strengthened.
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Chapter 5 – Now, Where Have I Seen Her Before? Chapter Summary:
-There is no such thing as a wholly original work of literature. All books borrow situations, ideas, and themes. -There’s only one story. “When a new work is created, it is set among the monuments, adding to and altering the order.” –T.S. Eliot -Intertextuality: the ongoing interaction between poems or stories. This link deepens reading, adding multiple levels of meaning to a work.
Connections:
-Sophie’s World by Jostein Gaarder: Through Sophie’s travels she meets characters from other works of literature, such as Alice in Wonderland, Winnie the Pooh, and other recognizable characters. Alberto also uses well-known works of literature to help teach Sophie her philosophy lessons.
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Chapter 9 – It’s Greek to Me
Chapter Summary: -Myth is a body of story that matters.
Connections:
-Oedipus by Sophocles: The story of Oedipus is not
Chapter Summary:
-Ghosts and vampires are never only about ghosts and vampires. There’s a thin line between the ordinary and the monstrous.
-Sex: Evil, lust, seduction, temptation, danger. Evil has been related to sex ever since the serpent tempted Eve. -Exploitation: using other people to get what we want, placing our desires above others. Vampires and other figures are used where someone grows by weakening someone else.
Connections:
-The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne: Hester wearing the scarlet letter A is a perfect example of exploitation. By making her weaker, idealistic society grows stronger. A major theme is sin, relating easily to the evilness of sex in a puritan society. -Frankenstein by Mary Shelley: Frankenstein’s monster is scared by outside society as much as they are of him, but in this way, the un-accepting nature of society is strengthened.
______________________________________________
Chapter 5 – Now, Where Have I Seen Her Before? Chapter Summary:
-There is no such thing as a wholly original work of literature. All books borrow situations, ideas, and themes. -There’s only one story. “When a new work is created, it is set among the monuments, adding to and altering the order.” –T.S. Eliot -Intertextuality: the ongoing interaction between poems or stories. This link deepens reading, adding multiple levels of meaning to a work.
Connections:
-Sophie’s World by Jostein Gaarder: Through Sophie’s travels she meets characters from other works of literature, such as Alice in Wonderland, Winnie the Pooh, and other recognizable characters. Alberto also uses well-known works of literature to help teach Sophie her philosophy lessons.
_____________________________________________________________________________________________
Chapter 9 – It’s Greek to Me
Chapter Summary: -Myth is a body of story that matters.
Connections:
-Oedipus by Sophocles: The story of Oedipus is not