AP LIT
CH. 20 What are the symbolic meanings of the seasons? Fall - Winter - Spring - Summer -
-decline, middle age, harvest, tiredness -old age, resentment, death -childhood, youth -adulthood, romance, fulfillment, passion
CH. 1 What are the five characteristics of the quest?
1. A quester 2. A place to go 3. A stated reason to go there 4. Challenges and trials 5. The real reason to go
CH. 7 What is literary canon? What does Foster suggest as the reason so many writers choose to allude to fairy tales in their works?
A master list of work. Writers choose to allude to fairy tales to add depth and texture to the story.
CH. 3 What are the essentials of the vampire story? What are some things besides vampirism that vampires and ghosts represent in literature?
A nasty old man who is attractive but evil that is alluring, dangerous, mysterious, and tends to focus on beautiful, unmarried woman. He violates young woman, leaves his mark on them, and steals their innocence. selfishness, exploitation, and refusal
CH. 15 If you come across a character flying in a piece of literature, they are one or more of the following: What does it mean when literary characters fly? Does a character always have to actually fly in order for there to be "flying" in a piece of literature? Explain.
A superhero, a ski jumper, crazy, fictional, a circus act, departing a cannon, suspended on wires, an angel, heavily symbolic. When literary characters can fly it means freedom, escape and imagination. No, it could be symbolism
CH. 6 What do Biblical allusions do for a piece of literature?
Biblical allusions for a piece of literature provide a mythic circumstances that many people can connect to.
CH. 24 Explain what Foster means by "don't read with your eyes". About what does Foster warn readers?
Don't read only from your own fixed position, instead, try to find a reading perspective that allows for sympathy with the historical moment of the story. To not accept the authors view point because it can lead to difficulties.
CH. 26 Explain what Foster means by "irony trumps everything." Foster defines irony like this: "What irony involves, then, is... " Explain what he means by this. There are three types of irony in literature, define each and give an example: Verbal Irony - Situational Irony / Structural Irony - Dramatic Irony -
Foster says irony keeps readers on their toes and makes them dig through layers of possible meaning. Irony makes readers pay close attention and keeps them engaged ...a deflection from expectation - a character says the opposite of what is expected - a situation or event plays out in an opposite or abnormal way - the audience or reader know something that the character does not
CH. 16 Who does Foster accused of teaching writers to encode sexual messages in their writing and teaching readers to decode sexual messages in literature? What are some things that can represent male sexuality in literature? What are some things that can represent female sexuality in literature?
Freud Tall buildings, fires, blades Rolling landscapes, bowls, holy grails, tunnels, seashores
CH. 21 For what reason(s), do authors give characters deformities, scars, or other physical markings in literature?
It helps show characters differences, symbolize, psychological, and moral values.
CH. 23 What things can "heart trouble" signify in literature? What are the "principles governing the use of disease in works of literature"?
Loneliness, cruelty emotion, lack of determination Not all diseases are created equal, it should be mysterious in origin, it should have strong symbolic or metaphorical possibilities
CH. 8 How does Foster define "myth"? What are the four great struggles of the human being?
Myth is a body of story that matter. 1. The need to protect family 2. The need to maintain one's dignity 3. Determined to remain faithful and have hope 4. The struggle to return home
CH. 10 Why is it dangerous to stand next to the Hero? What does Foster mean by the assertion, "characters are not people"? How is this significant in literature?
People close to the hero tend to die to create a new plot since the hero cannot die. Foster explains how characters are not people because they never existed. Characters are products of the writer's imagination and readers' imaginations. This is significant to literature because characters, whether they are existent or not, help connect with the audience.
CH. 18 What are some of the things that baptism (or immersion in water) can mean literature? What are some of the things that drowning can mean in literature?
Rebirth, hope, fulfill Development of violence, plot, character development, failure
CH. 17 Foster writes "When they're writing about other things, they really mean sex, and when they write about sex, they really mean something else." What are some of the other things that a sex scene can mean?
Sacrifice, enlightenment, togetherness, rebellion
CH. 5 Why do so many writers use and quote Shakespeare? "...features prominently in the use not only of Shakespeare but of any prior writer."
Shakespeare used a wide variety of great stories and compelling characters. Writers use and quote him because it adds to the story's experience. Irony
CH. 19 What are some of the roles geography plays in literature and what are some of the effects of geography on literature? What does it mean when an author sends a character south? How can a writer's personal geography inform his/her work?
Symbolism, plot, sets mood/attitude It's so the characters can run amok. The effect can be tragic, but normally follow the same person. Authors tend to write about what they what they know about because it's easy and comfortable for them.
CH. 12 What is the difference between symbolism and allegory? Symbols in literature can be both objects and... What are the questions readers should ask of the text when trying to determine symbolic meaning?
Symbols can have many possible meanings and interpretations. Allegory can be reduced to represent only one thing and convey a certain message. ...people How does this relate to the rest of the story? Why has the author chosen to add this symbolic meaning?
CH. 22 For what reason(s) do authors choose to make their characters blind in literature?
The author wants to emphasize other levels of sight and blindness beyond the physical. To show you don't have to see things in the world.
CH. 11 What are the implications of violence in literature? What are the two categories of violence in literature? Describe and define each. What are the four reasons that authors kill off characters in literature?
The implication of violence in literature can be symbolic, thematic, or biblical, shakespearean, romantic, transcendent or allegorical. It can be societal or cultural. 1. The specific injury- authors causes characters to visit on one another or on themselves 2. The narrative violence- causes characters to harm in general 1. Cause action 2. Plot complications 3. Put other characters under stress 4. End plot complications
CH. 25 What is Foster's point in regards to the primary meaning of a text vs. the secondary meaning? What is figuration?
The primary meaning of the text is the story it is telling. The secondary meaning provides texture and depth to the story and deepens the meaning of the original story. Types of figurative representation such as symbols, metaphors, allegory, imagery all allow us to encourage and discover possibilities in a text beyond the literal.
CH. 4 What is the "big secret" Foster reveals in this chapter? What is "intertextuality"?
There is only one story that has always been going on and it's everywhere around us. He explains how every story we have heard or read or watched is part of it. Intertextuality is dialogue between old and new texts that deepen and enrich the reading experience while bringing in multiple layers of meaning.
CH. 9 Foster says "weather is never just weather". What are some things rain can represent in literature? What does a rainbow represent in literature? What does fog represent in literature? What does snow represent in literature?
When rain falls on everyone it represents equality. Rain can also represent cleanliness and misery. The rainbow represents peace between heaven and earth, hope, and a divine promise. Fog represents confusion and mystery. Snow represents different things, but you can do anything you want with snow. Snow is clean, stark, severe, warm, inhospitable, inviting, playful, suffocating, and filthy.
CH. 2 Complete this sentence about communion: "breaking bread together is an act... Why does Foster assert that a meal scene in literature is almost always symbolic?
of sharing and peace, since if you're breaking bread you're not breaking heads" In the novel, Foster explains meal scenes are challenging in literature because it can be uninteresting for readers. He thinks there must be some sort of deeper meaning if an author is going to include it in the story. Therefore, to create a deeper meaning he includes symbolism.
CH. 13 Foster asserts that, "Nearly all writing is... Foster explains why most literature can be called "political." Summarize his argument.
political on some level." He explains how political writing engages the realities of our world and thinks about human problems in the social or political realm. The character's behaviors, actions and attitudes reflect certain morals.
CH. 14 Foster writes, "...to get the most out of your reading of European and American literature, knowing...is essential. Similarly, if you undertake to read literature from an Islamic or a Buddhist or a Hindu culture,..." Why? explain. Foster asserts that a character need not have all of the distinguished characteristics of Jesus Christ in order to be considered and Christ figure in literature. Why? Explain.
something about the old and new testaments...you're going to need knowledge of other religious traditions Why: Culture is influenced by its dominant religious systems so whether a writer adheres to those beliefs or not, those values and principles of those religions will affect their work. Foster explains how a Christ figure is symbolic. If it weren't symbolic it would be Christ, not a Christ figure.
