As advertised- an extremely well-presented and interesting exploration of symbolism, allusion and thematic tropes that will illuminate any reader's experience of literature. Should be mandatory reading for all English majors, but would also appeal to anyone looking to fully experience the nuances t...
I picked up How to Read Literature Like a Professor: A Lively and Entertaining Guide to Reading Between the Lines because it looked like it might be insightful. It took me four months to get through it and you know what? I didn’t mind it at all. I don’t know if I’ll read like a professor but I do kn...
I think "Lively and Entertaining" is a bit of an overstatement, but this is one of the most readable books about literary analysis I've come across. Most of them are so boring that they're nearly impossible to get through. I had no trouble getting through this, and my reading list is now a little lo...
This book was kind of funny to me. The author is like, "xyz MEANS something! Symbolism abounds. NO?? YOU DOUBT?? Blah blah blaaah blah!!" For me, I know that "xyz means something" and symbolism is everywhere, so I needed no cajoling. I was raised by an English professor--one who wrote his dissertati...
Feeling like I needed to discover more insight and depth to my reading, I mentioned that fact to Goodreads friend Will Byrnes who suggested this book. (By the way, Will's reviews are very, very thoughful, popular and readable.) So I'm glad he did recommend it because it was such a great and painle...
three stars might not sound like a great review, but it's a good read. Nothing earth shatteringly deep here, but a good read. If you read a lot and might like to see what you read from a slightly different perspective, or if you're one of those people who thinks you're missing out in comparison to a...
Sometimes I wish I had been an English major. There are times when I think reading for a living and analyzing books and being well-read would have been the ideal life for me. Then I remember that being unemployed sucks. So I'm usually fairly happy with my life choices, but I do at times feel like I ...
This is a great guide for all of us who love to read but whose education was at the other end of the campus. His style is informal, chatty and humorous -- now that he has the cautiously curious in his room, he doesn't want to scare us off with concepts that seem dry or irrelevant. He wants to show ...
This is an interesting and useful book, just not what I expected. I thought it was full of advanced techniques for detecting obscure, subtle and difficult symbols in literature. No, it's mostly about recognizing themes and what those themes often mean: specifically how literature draws on older lite...
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