I'm almost done with this book! 7 more chapters! :) I'm more excited to finish the book, just to finish it and get it over with. (no offense to those who actually liked this book...it just wasn't doing anything for me.)
Sooo...about the last few chapters I just read:
Chapter 16 and 17 were actually a little humorous to me for some reason. I think i found those two chapters funny because sex is just a random subject to be discussing in literature. I mean, its not really emphasized so much unless its a romance novel. In movies, its normal, but in books, its...unorthodox. At least for me it is. I don't normally read books with any sexual scenes, or anything describing it. In fact, I don't think I've ever read a book with any sex descriptions. Like I said, I'm most familiar with that subject on the big screen. Also, the fact that it sometimes symbolizes something other then, love or a close connection with other characters, it made it more interestingly funny (not in a bad way...just a "well, that's nice to know" kind of way). I also didn't expect sex to be symbolized by objects, characters, or actions in books. When the author discussed the story about the bowl, that surprised me, especially the fact that when he explained it, that was when i saw the connections. As well as keys and keyholes...I actually would have never thought about keys and keyholes in that way until now.
Regarding Chapter 18, I didn't know that drowning in water, or surviving a near-drowning experience, was considered to be baptismal. The idea of being submerged into water was to be considered something baptismal, I'm not really connecting that idea. Rebirth, death, new identity, sure...but baptismal? it just didn't make sense to me. Maybe its because I'm just used to baptism as a religious thing connecting to admission to the church, and yeah, in a way rebirth and a new identity. But I'm not so sure about authors 'baptizing" characters and meaning death..I just think that's a conflicting idea. I just can't connect baptism with death...
I actually found chapter 19 to be, well more informative. I thought geography would just mean place, as in the setting or the surrounding of the characters (mountains, rivers, etc). I didn't think it incorporated weather, politics, etc. I guess I just thought about it as a general way, and I didn't really think about it in-depth. Anyways, once all those factors are included, then yes, geography really matters since its practically the whole book. Isn't it? At least that' how i took it. "When writers send characters south, it's so they can run amok." Does it always have to be the south? Well depending on where they are, and what time period, I probably wouldn't even know where the "south" would be.Seasons is an easy subject actually. Most of the facts were already taught to me. However, just my little input for winter, I don't think it ALWAYS means despair and all of that sadness. In my opinion, winter can also mean something pure, because of the white snow and everything. Or just happiness because of the Christmas season Sure, most of the times, it's basically cruel because of the cold, but I think it would have been nice if the author mentioned some positive symbolism for winter. Other than that, everything else was just a review for me, so nothing too out of the ordinary or new to learn for that chapter.
The interlude was a little confusing. I didn't get what the author was really trying to say about the "one story". At first, when he mentioned it in previous chapters, i assumed it meant that it was because authors borrow from other authors/ literature works, so basically everything is combined into one story. He also mentioned how, even though writers think that they are creating something new, but no matter what, there's elements that are used in all sorts of different works. (that part i liked, as well as the comparison he used saying how we can't create a new word). But when the author mentioned how everything was one story that explains our life or something like that, it totally lost me. I'm not sure what he was trying to say. I get the borrowing and improvising part, but the "us-and-the-world/ us-in-the-world" and then the author went on to talk about one myth a long time ago that everything started from? The interlude just really lost me...
This book is really repetitive I feel. Some information is new to me, others aren't. I'm just glad I'm almost done. :)
Tuesday, July 27, 2010
Saturday, July 24, 2010
just for the thought
I just realized...the more I read into this book, the more I have to say. My blogs are getting longer and longer with each post. And to think I'm not really interested in this book...but I have more and more to say and discuss about it....Weird. haha :)
how to read literature like a professor: chapter 11-15
Almost halfway done with the book, still thought, this book rarely catches my attention. Sometimes I'm interested, most of the time, however, I'm not. My lack of interest in the book makes it really hard to WANT to read it and actually finish it. :( However, I can say that the facts and techniques discussed in this book are actually very helpful and interesting to think about.
Anyways, I feel like the past few chapters i just read all have something to do with symbolism and how to identify it, and what something could possibly mean. I agree with the author when he says that every book has a symbol, and that symbol most often has a deeper meaning than what it really stands for...or at least a deeper meaning that you can think of. I like the fact that the author mentioned having an opinion or your own interpretation in mind when thinking of what a certain symbol means. The way I understood that idea was that a symbol has a one-cut meaning that the writer intentioned for its readers, but, at the same time, its nice to interpret that meaning into a way that makes it more helpful to identify that symbol for you. (I'm not sure if that sentence just made sense....)
The chapters discussing violence and flight were interesting to read. I already knew the basic meaning of flight, so reading that chapter was just a review. Reading the chapter about violence was actually something new for me because 1. I've never even thought about violence to have a huge impact/meaning in books. I just plainly thought about it as what it was (i.e a fight, murder, etc). I never thought about it as something more. And 2. No teacher, or actually anyone for that matter has ever told me to think about violence as something more than what it really is. So, when I read that chapter and the information in it, it was surprising for me.
Chapter 13 was actually one of the very chapters i liked reading so far, even though it had to do with politics (my least favorite subject). I never would of thought that books would use a political insight, unless they made it totally obvious and pointed it out. I did know that books would be based on certain time periods, and therefore incorporate some of the time period's essence. I just didn't know that books could symbolize things for the political affairs. For example, when the author mentioned Edgar Allan Poe using politics in his writing, I was shocked. I'm a fan of Poe, and I've read a good amount of his work, including The Fall of the House of Usher. But, when I read that story, not once did I even bother to think about it as being based on the corrupt European societal organizations. Politics in stories is something new for me to learn, and I'm glad that it was mentioned in this book.
Chapter 14 was also one of those eye-opening sections for me, too. I knew that authors borrowed ideas from the Bible, though I never actually thought about it when I read previous books. What i didn't know is how many books actually made their characters revolve around the image of Christ. That was actually something interesting to learn, because I rarely see religion, or at least Christianity mentioned in books. (Unless it was the Da Vinci Code or something like that). I also would of never thought that authors would even bother to try and symbolize Christ in their works. Now that I know this fact, I'm certainly going to keep my eye out for any symbolism of Christ in the next books I read.
These chapters made me realize how inconspicuous details and symbolism can actually be. Unless they were made real obvious, I don't think I'd give any of the ideas discussed in this book a second thought. This book is helpful when it comes down to it, only, I wish it was more interesting so that I could enjoy reading it more. Reading should be fun...
Anyways, I feel like the past few chapters i just read all have something to do with symbolism and how to identify it, and what something could possibly mean. I agree with the author when he says that every book has a symbol, and that symbol most often has a deeper meaning than what it really stands for...or at least a deeper meaning that you can think of. I like the fact that the author mentioned having an opinion or your own interpretation in mind when thinking of what a certain symbol means. The way I understood that idea was that a symbol has a one-cut meaning that the writer intentioned for its readers, but, at the same time, its nice to interpret that meaning into a way that makes it more helpful to identify that symbol for you. (I'm not sure if that sentence just made sense....)
The chapters discussing violence and flight were interesting to read. I already knew the basic meaning of flight, so reading that chapter was just a review. Reading the chapter about violence was actually something new for me because 1. I've never even thought about violence to have a huge impact/meaning in books. I just plainly thought about it as what it was (i.e a fight, murder, etc). I never thought about it as something more. And 2. No teacher, or actually anyone for that matter has ever told me to think about violence as something more than what it really is. So, when I read that chapter and the information in it, it was surprising for me.
Chapter 13 was actually one of the very chapters i liked reading so far, even though it had to do with politics (my least favorite subject). I never would of thought that books would use a political insight, unless they made it totally obvious and pointed it out. I did know that books would be based on certain time periods, and therefore incorporate some of the time period's essence. I just didn't know that books could symbolize things for the political affairs. For example, when the author mentioned Edgar Allan Poe using politics in his writing, I was shocked. I'm a fan of Poe, and I've read a good amount of his work, including The Fall of the House of Usher. But, when I read that story, not once did I even bother to think about it as being based on the corrupt European societal organizations. Politics in stories is something new for me to learn, and I'm glad that it was mentioned in this book.
Chapter 14 was also one of those eye-opening sections for me, too. I knew that authors borrowed ideas from the Bible, though I never actually thought about it when I read previous books. What i didn't know is how many books actually made their characters revolve around the image of Christ. That was actually something interesting to learn, because I rarely see religion, or at least Christianity mentioned in books. (Unless it was the Da Vinci Code or something like that). I also would of never thought that authors would even bother to try and symbolize Christ in their works. Now that I know this fact, I'm certainly going to keep my eye out for any symbolism of Christ in the next books I read.
These chapters made me realize how inconspicuous details and symbolism can actually be. Unless they were made real obvious, I don't think I'd give any of the ideas discussed in this book a second thought. This book is helpful when it comes down to it, only, I wish it was more interesting so that I could enjoy reading it more. Reading should be fun...
Sunday, July 18, 2010
how to read literature like a professor chapter 6-10/interlude
After reading another 5-6 chapters of this book, my view of it still doesn't change. Its not that I have anything against this books, its just not catching my attention so much, and I'm not so thrilled to read it. Although, yes it does offer some great techniques to keep in my mind when I read. I feel as if the author has one idea, and tries to state it in so many different ways, and after a while, hearing the same idea gets a little old. I get it: authors use and reuse materials from mythical sources, biblical sources, fairy/folk tales, and other authors' works. I feel like I've been reading that one idea for the past 10 or so chapters, and its starting to get very repetitive.
Anyways, besides that fact, there are some ideas here that I already knew about. When the author described the symbolic meanings of rain, snow, rainbows, or elements like that, to me, it was pretty obvious already. Reading that chapter was a sort of refresh-the-memory kind of thing for me. But i did like that chapter for some reason. I do think understanding certain ideas like the weather will help a lot when reading certain books, poems, plays, or works of literature.
What caught my attention was Chapter 7 (I think that's the chapter), talking about the Bible. Its not that I would never have thought that authors get ideas from the Bible, I just didn't think it was so common, and so widely publicized. I didn't think a lot of people would use the Bible as a resource or a basis for a book. That caught my attention, and I thought that it was pretty interesting. I also liked the fact that the author mentioned tribal stories and history. A lot of writes don't necessarily use the Bible, myths, or fairy tales as a reference for their stories, but instead their own background history. I liked the fact it was mentioned, because stories like those are really interesting to read. Its not really mythical, or imaginary, or biblical, but its cultural...its of a different source in and of itself. I do wish the author would of spent a little more time explaining those sort of stories, rather than Biblical, mythological, or folk/fairy tale stories.
Some of the authors that the book mentions are really repetitive, such as T.S. Elliot, and James Joyce. The more I see their names, or a reference to one of their works, and how it ties in to the subject of the chapter, the more I actually want to read it and see how I would be able to react. I want to read those books and see if I can use the skills I learned in this book and apply it to those books. See if I can see the reference to other sources, the symbolical meanings, and all that good stuff.
that's all for now. back to the books and summahhh snoozing!
Anyways, besides that fact, there are some ideas here that I already knew about. When the author described the symbolic meanings of rain, snow, rainbows, or elements like that, to me, it was pretty obvious already. Reading that chapter was a sort of refresh-the-memory kind of thing for me. But i did like that chapter for some reason. I do think understanding certain ideas like the weather will help a lot when reading certain books, poems, plays, or works of literature.
What caught my attention was Chapter 7 (I think that's the chapter), talking about the Bible. Its not that I would never have thought that authors get ideas from the Bible, I just didn't think it was so common, and so widely publicized. I didn't think a lot of people would use the Bible as a resource or a basis for a book. That caught my attention, and I thought that it was pretty interesting. I also liked the fact that the author mentioned tribal stories and history. A lot of writes don't necessarily use the Bible, myths, or fairy tales as a reference for their stories, but instead their own background history. I liked the fact it was mentioned, because stories like those are really interesting to read. Its not really mythical, or imaginary, or biblical, but its cultural...its of a different source in and of itself. I do wish the author would of spent a little more time explaining those sort of stories, rather than Biblical, mythological, or folk/fairy tale stories.
Some of the authors that the book mentions are really repetitive, such as T.S. Elliot, and James Joyce. The more I see their names, or a reference to one of their works, and how it ties in to the subject of the chapter, the more I actually want to read it and see how I would be able to react. I want to read those books and see if I can use the skills I learned in this book and apply it to those books. See if I can see the reference to other sources, the symbolical meanings, and all that good stuff.
that's all for now. back to the books and summahhh snoozing!
Wednesday, July 14, 2010
how to read literature like a professor chapter 1-5
first blog of the summer...so late. -.-
So far, this book is very...unique. its not a big i would have chosen personally, because it doesn't fall under my types. There are a few interesting ideas in the book, and the author does point out a few good techniques that are very helpful. Reading these tips and reminiscing back to old books that I have read, I do some connections, so that was an interesting experience. I do agree with the ideas in this book too, well so far, since i only began reading it. But the ideas in this book are conventional, simple, and easy to understand.
A few things I'm not so excited about in this book is, well, basically the language. Not that I can't comprehend. The language is very...boring. It loses my attention very fast for some reason. I think its because when he gives examples of what the author is trying to explain by using different books, half of the books I haven't read, or even heard of for that matter. So, sometimes, I am lost with what the author is trying to explain.
I did like the chapter about the communion thing. That was interesting, because I've only thought about communion as something religious. Not until i read that chapter did I realize that communion does not exactly half to be a religious experience. That was a great tip because there were so many books I've already read that vividly describe dining scenes, and not once did I think about it as a communion. Also, I like the chapter about vampires (not that I'm a big fan of twilight or anything) but I really liked how the author said that vampires and ghosts don't exactly half to be present or visible. Characters don't exactly half to be monsters, but they can represent them, carrying specific traits that monsters have. I really liked those ideas.
So far, this book isn't really hitting it with me. It has its good moments, as well as its bad. The ideas are great, but the contents lose my interest. ohwells.
So far, this book is very...unique. its not a big i would have chosen personally, because it doesn't fall under my types. There are a few interesting ideas in the book, and the author does point out a few good techniques that are very helpful. Reading these tips and reminiscing back to old books that I have read, I do some connections, so that was an interesting experience. I do agree with the ideas in this book too, well so far, since i only began reading it. But the ideas in this book are conventional, simple, and easy to understand.
A few things I'm not so excited about in this book is, well, basically the language. Not that I can't comprehend. The language is very...boring. It loses my attention very fast for some reason. I think its because when he gives examples of what the author is trying to explain by using different books, half of the books I haven't read, or even heard of for that matter. So, sometimes, I am lost with what the author is trying to explain.
I did like the chapter about the communion thing. That was interesting, because I've only thought about communion as something religious. Not until i read that chapter did I realize that communion does not exactly half to be a religious experience. That was a great tip because there were so many books I've already read that vividly describe dining scenes, and not once did I think about it as a communion. Also, I like the chapter about vampires (not that I'm a big fan of twilight or anything) but I really liked how the author said that vampires and ghosts don't exactly half to be present or visible. Characters don't exactly half to be monsters, but they can represent them, carrying specific traits that monsters have. I really liked those ideas.
So far, this book isn't really hitting it with me. It has its good moments, as well as its bad. The ideas are great, but the contents lose my interest. ohwells.
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