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a clear voice Aug 5, 2008 (17 of 18 found this helpful)
As a high school English teacher with two small children, I rarely get a chance to read a book for pleasure--let alone finish one. Amazingly, I read both of Foster's guides this summer. Each was a palatable presentation of issues surrounding literature in general and the novel in particular. He has a clear "voice" allowing me to imagine being back at a university lecture again--one of my favorite places to be! While other texts may seem more "scholaraly" (i.e. "dry"), Foster has a really accessible style for high school students, undergrads, and the interested public at large.
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It's a balancing beam... May 24, 2009 (8 of 8 found this helpful)
I am still on the fence about this book. Having read his prior guide, "How to Read Literature...", I was looking very forward to this work as well. Having finished, I am not exactly sure where I stand. To be honest, I was looking forward to something a bit more similar to his first book. This guide has a roughly similar idea, but it really did not do anything for me as far as learning how to read a novel. It was more of a study in novel history, styles, and techniques. It did offer some wonderful insight in why authors do what they do, the choices they make, and experiments they take. The problem is that Foster did not offer much in how to interpret this. It was like a study in the various ways writers craft their technique and how it differs between them (and time). Which leads me to the next thing...
This book, perhaps, should have been titled, "How to Craft Novels Like a Writer", or some other similar idea. There is a lot in here for an aspiring writer, examples of different techniques, character studies, writing styles, plot, theme, and so forth. I got much more out of this book on a writing level than on a reading level. He even references his creative writing classes several times as examples. All of the examples used to try and illustrate how to `read' a passage was much better used as a writing guideline / example. So, in other words, the book makes a great guide for aspiring writers and for those who want some history and aspects of the novel as a form of lit. If you are looking for something as straightforward as his first book, this does not come close. I know some people had an issue with his `cookie-cutter' approach in his first work, but that is exactly why it is now being used in the classroom by many teachers, including myself. It offered some very straight forward approaches in how to look at, scrutinize, and analyze literature. It is also not as exciting or as humorous as his first work either; this book comes off a bit more dry at parts. I found myself skimming and skipping through a few areas. Don't get me wrong, this is a good book and it offered some really great information, but when compared to "How to Read Lit..." it is average at best. Three stars on a reading level, four, if not five, on a study in writing & technique.
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A guide for everyone Sep 24, 2008 (4 of 4 found this helpful)
This isn't a book for stuffy academics. It's readable and enjoyable, even if you're not a creative writing or english major. Foster's discussions of literature (mostly 20th century, but he runs the gamut), is lively, entertaining, and ultimately enlightening. I find myself reading and rereading the chapters again and again; each stands on its own as a discussion of a particular topic.
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Reading Novels like a Professor Aug 15, 2008 (4 of 4 found this helpful)
Having learned more from T.C.Foster about reading literature than anyone,(How to Read Literature like a Professor), I find he does not disapoint in his approach to novels as he again points out key elements to look (or listen) for in a text. While some chapters are a little discursive, his urban-folksy skaz dispels any pedantic intimidation one might fear from such a work. Although his many allusions to classic novels may cause guilt for all the novels one should have read but havn't, this book is a must have for any aspiring serious reader.
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Reading this was a pleasure Feb 4, 2009 (2 of 2 found this helpful)
I'm only 2/3 of the way through the book so I'm not conversant with the last few chapters. However, I intend to finish it, and I must say I'm enjoying this very much, and not just as a serious reader of novels, but as an aspiring writer. Foster gives me a lot of new considerations and since he's not telling me how to write, or giving me writing lessons, I can just enjoy his very readable style and gather what insights come my way. I don't think his levity is a handicap. I've read a number of academic dissections of fiction, and I had to yawn my way through most of them. What Foster points out as characteristics of a good novel are subjects of great interest to any writer wannabe, of which there seems to be plenty, judging from the many "How-to" books in publication today. His suggestion that the first page CAN reveal "18 things" about the book, and his delineation of same, can only make for a better reader or writer. And while his coverage of POV is not exhaustive, I did find it helpful. We need more books of this tenor, not fewer. I've also read Francine Prose's excellent book on reading suggestions for a writer, and enjoyed it, but I don't think it takes anything away from Foster's book. With literacy so much threatened today, a book this instructive and enjoyable should be applauded. And it is well to remember that his target audience is composed of readers, not writers, but since good reading encourages good writing, I would consider it a welcome addition to a writer's library.
(PS I've now finished the book, and I still enjoyed it. I defy anyone to read this book and not learn something from it. Anyone who can make that claim should be writing their own book of this type. Very few readers or writers would come up with all of the insights and perspectives the author has on a wide variety of fiction. Still a good read, but not if you're impatient and just seek a magic formula for writing block-buster novels.)