Thomas C. Foster in, “How to Read Literature like a Professor,” discusses how authors use aspects of the Bible in their own writing to create meaning. Foster informs that authors often use, “biblical parallels” (Foster 44), in their writing and that leads him to describe the example dealing with Adam and Eve in the garden which is that, “every story about the loss of innocence is really about someone’s private reenactment of the fall from grace, since we experience it not collectively but individually and subjectively” (Foster 44). Authors use biblical parallels such as this one to create their own story and characters while still having the same theme as the biblical version. This example also provides a way to use the bible in writing without having any of the major biblical symbols. Foster also explains that, “maybe a writer doesn’t want enriching motifs, characters, themes, or plots, but just needs a title” (Foster 45) or maybe, “situations and quotations” (Foster 46). Using a name, phrase, or place in the Bible as the title of a piece of literature can represent what the writing is about even if the story does not necessarily have anything religious about it. Quotations and situations from the Bible are more commonly used and can be seen in many works of literature because the specific phrase or condition used can hint to what is really happening in the story. While Foster does admit, “that every writer prior to sometime in the middle of the twentieth century was solidly instructed in religion” (Foster 46-47), someone does not have to be a, “Bible scholar” (Foster 47) to occasionally, “recognize a biblical allusion” (Foster 47). A plethora of works in literature contain a great deal of references from the Bible because before our time all writers were taught religion and many were deeply involved in religion. People who do not study the Bible in great depth can still recognize biblical allusions because they usually stand out from the story and seem to have more meaning than other parts of the text. Foster utilizes plenty of examples of biblical references in literature to demonstrate how widely and affectively the Bible is used in literature.
Thomas C. Foster in, “How to Read Literature like a Professor,” discusses how authors use aspects of the Bible in their own writing to create meaning. Foster informs that authors often use, “biblical parallels,” in their writing and that leads him to describe the example dealing with Adam and Eve in the garden which is that, “every story about the loss of innocence is really about someone’s private reenactment of the fall from grace, since we experience it not collectively but individually and subjectively” (Foster 44). Authors use biblical parallels such as this one to create their own story and characters while still having the same theme as the biblical version. This example also provides a way to use the Bible in writing without having any of the major biblical symbols. Foster also explains that, “maybe a writer doesn’t want enriching motifs, characters, themes, or plots, but just needs a title,” or maybe, “situations and quotations” (Foster 45, 46). Using a name, phrase, or place in the Bible as the title of a piece of literature can represent what the writing is about even if the story does not necessarily have anything religious about it. Quotations and situations from the Bible are more commonly used and can be seen in many works of literature because the specific phrase or condition used can hint to what is really happening in the story. While Foster does admit, “that every writer prior to sometime in the middle of the twentieth century was solidly instructed in religion,” someone does not have to be a, “Bible scholar,” to occasionally, “recognize a biblical allusion” (Foster 46, 47). A plethora of works in literature contain a great deal of references from the Bible because before our time all writers were taught religion and many were deeply involved in religion. People who do not study the Bible in great depth can still recognize biblical allusions because they usually stand out from the story and seem to have more meaning than other parts of the text. Foster utilizes plenty of examples of biblical references in literature to demonstrate how widely and affectively the Bible is used in literature.
Much as he explains allusions to Shakespeare, Thomas Foster also describes Biblical references among modern literature in "How To Read Literature like a Professor." Foster makes the point that, just as the devil "can quote Scripture", "So can writers", regardless of their faith or beliefs (Foster 43). There is no law set in stone that states that one has to be a Christian to read a Bible. Often times authors will educate themselves on certain Scriptures or themes among the Bible to understand them in current works, or to incorporate them into their own. In taking about James Joyce's story "'Araby', a lovely little gem about the loss of innocence", Foster explains how each story about innocence lost really relates to someone's own "fall from Grace", as with Adam and Eve (Foster 44). Just about every person has experienced some form of lost innocence, in their own individual ways. While very subjective, each one of the events in literature ultimately can be seen as a relation to the Fall; authors use their own emotions felt while also looking at events from the Bible to successfully construct these losses of innocence. Foster states that "Most of the great tribulations to which human beings are subject are detailed in Scripture" (Foster 51). The Bible is one of the oldest texts known to man, with stories widely recognized by people regardless of their religion. Along with it having so many stories of tribulations, its never out of the question for a current problem to relate to a Biblical one, in real life or in literature. Similar to Shakespeare, knowledge of the Bible can help readers more deeply understand the events and themes that take place in works that they read today.
Thomas C. Foster in "How to Read Literature Like a Professor" provides multiple examples of how biblical references are used in different pieces of literature. He explains how many writers, not necessarily Christian, have read the Bible or can recognize a biblical allusion. Foster describes the loss of innocence seen throughout stories and that "innocence is really about someone's private reenactment of the fall from grace" (Foster 44). The loss of innocence relates to Adam and Eve in the garden eating the forbidden fruit. They were kicked out of the Garden of Eden which then was guarded by flaming swords. Foster states "there's nothing like a flaming sword to separate you from something, and in this case, that something is a former innocence" and the reason why these stories "hit so hard, is that they're so final" (Foster 45). This proves how when the reader can recognize the work's relevance to the Bible it deepens their understanding. Foster stated how a certain story "ceases to be locked in the middle of the twentieth century and becomes timeless and archetypal" (Foster 51). He links literature and the Bible here by explaining that the short stories have a significant meaning that can be tied back to biblical stories.
Thomas C. Foster in, “How to Read Literature like a Professor,” discusses how authors use aspects of the Bible in their own writing to create meaning. Foster informs that authors often use, “biblical parallels” (Foster 44), in their writing and that leads him to describe the example dealing with Adam and Eve in the garden which is that, “every story about the loss of innocence is really about someone’s private reenactment of the fall from grace, since we experience it not collectively but individually and subjectively” (Foster 44). Authors use biblical parallels such as this one to create their own story and characters while still having the same theme as the biblical version. This example also provides a way to use the bible in writing without having any of the major biblical symbols. Foster also explains that, “maybe a writer doesn’t want enriching motifs, characters, themes, or plots, but just needs a title” (Foster 45) or maybe, “situations and quotations” (Foster 46). Using a name, phrase, or place in the Bible as the title of a piece of literature can represent what the writing is about even if the story does not necessarily have anything religious about it. Quotations and situations from the Bible are more commonly used and can be seen in many works of literature because the specific phrase or condition used can hint to what is really happening in the story. While Foster does admit, “that every writer prior to sometime in the middle of the twentieth century was solidly instructed in religion” (Foster 46-47), someone does not have to be a, “Bible scholar” (Foster 47) to occasionally, “recognize a biblical allusion” (Foster 47). A plethora of works in literature contain a great deal of references from the Bible because before our time all writers were taught religion and many were deeply involved in religion. People who do not study the Bible in great depth can still recognize biblical allusions because they usually stand out from the story and seem to have more meaning than other parts of the text. Foster utilizes plenty of examples of biblical references in literature to demonstrate how widely and affectively the Bible is used in literature.
ReplyDelete1) Good - thanks for keeping up with the post as requested.
ReplyDelete2) Bible is capitalized
3) citations go at the very end of sentences
Thomas C. Foster in, “How to Read Literature like a Professor,” discusses how authors use aspects of the Bible in their own writing to create meaning. Foster informs that authors often use, “biblical parallels,” in their writing and that leads him to describe the example dealing with Adam and Eve in the garden which is that, “every story about the loss of innocence is really about someone’s private reenactment of the fall from grace, since we experience it not collectively but individually and subjectively” (Foster 44). Authors use biblical parallels such as this one to create their own story and characters while still having the same theme as the biblical version. This example also provides a way to use the Bible in writing without having any of the major biblical symbols. Foster also explains that, “maybe a writer doesn’t want enriching motifs, characters, themes, or plots, but just needs a title,” or maybe, “situations and quotations” (Foster 45, 46). Using a name, phrase, or place in the Bible as the title of a piece of literature can represent what the writing is about even if the story does not necessarily have anything religious about it. Quotations and situations from the Bible are more commonly used and can be seen in many works of literature because the specific phrase or condition used can hint to what is really happening in the story. While Foster does admit, “that every writer prior to sometime in the middle of the twentieth century was solidly instructed in religion,” someone does not have to be a, “Bible scholar,” to occasionally, “recognize a biblical allusion” (Foster 46, 47). A plethora of works in literature contain a great deal of references from the Bible because before our time all writers were taught religion and many were deeply involved in religion. People who do not study the Bible in great depth can still recognize biblical allusions because they usually stand out from the story and seem to have more meaning than other parts of the text. Foster utilizes plenty of examples of biblical references in literature to demonstrate how widely and affectively the Bible is used in literature.
DeleteGreat, thanks
Delete
ReplyDeleteMuch as he explains allusions to Shakespeare, Thomas Foster also describes Biblical references among modern literature in "How To Read Literature like a Professor." Foster makes the point that, just as the devil "can quote Scripture", "So can writers", regardless of their faith or beliefs (Foster 43). There is no law set in stone that states that one has to be a Christian to read a Bible. Often times authors will educate themselves on certain Scriptures or themes among the Bible to understand them in current works, or to incorporate them into their own. In taking about James Joyce's story "'Araby', a lovely little gem about the loss of innocence", Foster explains how each story about innocence lost really relates to someone's own "fall from Grace", as with Adam and Eve (Foster 44). Just about every person has experienced some form of lost innocence, in their own individual ways. While very subjective, each one of the events in literature ultimately can be seen as a relation to the Fall; authors use their own emotions felt while also looking at events from the Bible to successfully construct these losses of innocence. Foster states that "Most of the great tribulations to which human beings are subject are detailed in Scripture" (Foster 51). The Bible is one of the oldest texts known to man, with stories widely recognized by people regardless of their religion. Along with it having so many stories of tribulations, its never out of the question for a current problem to relate to a Biblical one, in real life or in literature. Similar to Shakespeare, knowledge of the Bible can help readers more deeply understand the events and themes that take place in works that they read today.
Good
ReplyDeleteThomas C. Foster in "How to Read Literature Like a Professor" provides multiple examples of how biblical references are used in different pieces of literature. He explains how many writers, not necessarily Christian, have read the Bible or can recognize a biblical allusion. Foster describes the loss of innocence seen throughout stories and that "innocence is really about someone's private reenactment of the fall from grace" (Foster 44). The loss of innocence relates to Adam and Eve in the garden eating the forbidden fruit. They were kicked out of the Garden of Eden which then was guarded by flaming swords. Foster states "there's nothing like a flaming sword to separate you from something, and in this case, that something is a former innocence" and the reason why these stories "hit so hard, is that they're so final" (Foster 45). This proves how when the reader can recognize the work's relevance to the Bible it deepens their understanding. Foster stated how a certain story "ceases to be locked in the middle of the twentieth century and becomes timeless and archetypal" (Foster 51). He links literature and the Bible here by explaining that the short stories have a significant meaning that can be tied back to biblical stories.
ReplyDeleteThere should be 2 commentary behind the last concrete detail and then a conclusion sentence as well. Revise and repost.
Delete