How To Read Literature Like A Professor Summary

“Reading is an ongoing conversation between text and reader, where symbols, patterns, and ideas offer richer meanings for those willing to look deeper.”

1. Memory: Building Connections Between Texts

Memory plays an essential role in reading deeply. When we read, our past experiences with literature enrich how we perceive new stories. Every character, scene, or plot twist can bring a familiar element to mind, drawing connections between works and uncovering added layers of understanding.

Consider the archetype of the wise old mentor. Readers familiar with Gandalf in The Lord of the Rings may see echoes of this figure when reading Dumbledore in Harry Potter or Yoda in Star Wars. Recognizing parallels between works fosters a greater comprehension of how themes transcend individual stories.

Memory helps readers untangle recurring themes that may initially appear disjointed. Tying characters from past reads to new ones allows for seeing universal truths more clearly, as stories often reuse enduring ideas. This helps stories resonate longer and deeper than surface-level enjoyment.

Examples

• Gandalf from The Lord of the Rings and Dumbledore from Harry Potter as mentor figures.
• Jane Austen’s portrayal of women echoing in contemporary novels like Bridget Jones's Diary.
• Shakespeare's recurring influence in modern stories like The Lion King (based on Hamlet).

2. Symbols: Deciphering Hidden Meanings

Literature often conveys deeper meaning through symbols, objects, or events that stand for something beyond their immediate context. By understanding symbols, readers uncover messages that authors weave subtly into the pages.

Consider Mark Twain’s The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. The Mississippi River flows through the novel as a symbol representing both peril and freedom. For Jim, the enslaved man, it offers a path to liberation, while its unruly nature reveals danger and unpredictability.

Authors heavily rely on readers’ ability to pick up on repetition or emphasis. When an object, location, or event appears repeatedly or in pivotal moments, chances are it’s playing a symbolic role. These symbols enrich narratives and contribute to thematic depth.

Examples

• The Mississippi River in The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn symbolizes freedom and danger.
• The green light in The Great Gatsby signals ambition and unattainable dreams.
• The mockingbird in To Kill a Mockingbird represents innocence.

3. Patterns: Recognizing Recurring Structures

Recurring patterns and structures create meaningful connections across a story. When readers notice these recurring elements, they begin to grasp the narrative’s larger message or intent.

One powerful pattern is the knight’s quest, which appears in everything from medieval literature to modern novels. In Thomas Pynchon’s The Crying of Lot 49, a young woman embarks on what initially seems like a routine task but becomes a journey of self-discovery. The quest structure helps shape her entire arc.

Patterns can also manifest in repeated imagery, dialogue, or events. Recognizing these repetitions provides insight into the themes or ideas the author is quietly reinforcing throughout the text.

Examples

• Sir Gawain’s quest structure mirroring modern stories like The Crying of Lot 49.
• Repeated mentions of water in Macbeth, symbolizing guilt.
• Persistent weather motifs in Wuthering Heights, reflecting characters’ emotions.

4. Intertextuality: Borrowing From Other Stories

No story exists in isolation. Authors draw inspiration, consciously or unconsciously, from other works. This phenomenon, known as intertextuality, reminds us that literature shares a collective heritage.

In D.H. Lawrence’s novella The Virgin and the Gypsy, the murderous flood recalls the Biblical tale of Noah’s ark, reminding readers of water’s destructive yet cleansing power. Such references enrich the novella, drawing parallels to universal human experiences.

Shakespeare remains a fountain of inspiration. West Side Story transforms Romeo and Juliet into a modern tale of gang rivalry, keeping the timeless tragedy alive while adapting to a contemporary audience.

Examples

• D.H. Lawrence referencing Noah’s flood in The Virgin and the Gypsy.
• West Side Story adapting Romeo and Juliet for a modern stage.
• James Joyce’s Ulysses reimagining Homer’s Odyssey in twentieth-century Dublin.

5. Setting as Storyteller

Settings in literature not only situate a tale but shape its atmosphere and mood. They act like silent characters influencing events and emotions.

Consider Edgar Allan Poe’s The Fall of the House of Usher. From the opening description of the decaying, gloomy mansion, readers anticipate despair and doom for its inhabitants. Here, the setting subtly establishes emotional context even before the plot unfolds.

Seasons often reflect a story's themes. Symbolic shifts in time or weather, such as spring’s renewal or autumn’s decline, offer intuitive metaphors for life’s cycles.

Examples

• The decaying mansion in The Fall of the House of Usher sets a grim tone.
• Summer in A Midsummer Night’s Dream representing passion and confusion.
• Autumn’s symbolism in Hotel du Lac, mirroring the protagonist’s introspection.

6. Universal Themes Transcend Time

Many ideas in literature are timeless, tapping into universal elements of the human condition. By exploring these, readers see how stories remain valuable regardless of when or where they were written.

Shakespeare’s works often focus on conflict, power, and love – themes echoed today in dramas, novels, and films. Even ancient tales like The Epic of Gilgamesh, exploring mortality and legacy, resonate centuries later.

Truly meaningful literature reflects eternal truths about humanity. These motifs evolve but never disappear, continuously adapted to speak to new audiences.

Examples

• Shakespeare’s influence on West Side Story and The Lion King.
• Mortality themes in The Epic of Gilgamesh echoed in modern stories.
• Shared ideas of love and ambition in Austen’s Pride and Prejudice and today’s romance novels.

7. Irony: Subverting Expectations

Irony throws surprises at readers, challenging their assumptions and offering clever commentary. Often, it’s a tool for raising questions rather than answering them.

In Samuel Beckett’s Waiting for Godot, the characters endlessly wait for someone who never comes. The title becomes ironic, as it denies the resolution the audience expects, instead reflecting life’s uncertainties.

Even titles can be ironic. Hemingway’s A Farewell to Arms turns a war-based rallying cry into a rejection of violence altogether. Irony keeps literature inventive, pushing readers to question norms instead of accepting them.

Examples

• Godot’s perpetual absence in Waiting for Godot creates unexpected irony.
• The opposite meaning in A Farewell to Arms from patriotic war tales.
• Septimus Warren Smith’s ironic perception of doctors as “enemies” in Mrs. Dalloway.

8. Censorship Shaped Symbolic Writing

In times of censorship, authors used symbols to address forbidden topics. Readers can explore these clues to uncover the hidden stories behind the words.

John Donne’s poem, The Flea, cleverly used the tiny insect as a symbol for intimacy. Exploring this symbolism helped communicate ideas that societal restrictions otherwise banned from literature.

This era of careful, layered storytelling has left us with works rich in depth, where no word or image is random but steeped in greater intention.

Examples

• John Donne’s The Flea using a bug for symbolism.
• George Orwell’s Animal Farm critiquing political systems through animal allegory.
• 18th-century Gothic novels addressing societal fears via horror elements.

9. Paying Attention Makes You a Better Reader

The real key to better reading lies in paying close attention to small details: patterns, symbols, and subtle hints an author embeds in the story.

Ernest Hemingway mastered simplicity, but his prose always hinted at profound meanings beneath the surface. By observing how long pauses or recurring phrases appear in his works, his quiet brilliance becomes more apparent.

Reading closely is less about speed than sharpening perception. Every re-read offers a chance to pick up nuances missed before.

Examples

• Hemingway’s tight prose and loaded pauses.
• Reactions to nature’s details in Walden by Henry David Thoreau.
• Symbolic motifs in Moby Dick, like the whale itself carrying multifaceted meaning.

Takeaways

1. Use memory to connect new stories with past ones for deeper meanings and enrich your understanding.
2. Observe symbols in the text and ask yourself what they might represent on different levels or contexts.
3. Research the historical or cultural background of a work to better grasp its layers and themes.