67 pages • 2 hours read
How to Read Poetry Like a Professor: A Quippy and Sonorous Guide to Verse
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Further Reading & Resources
Further Reading: Literature
The Canterbury Tales by Geoffrey Chaucer (c. 1400)
Foster mentions Chaucer’s work in several chapters but specifically mentions The Canterbury Tales in Chapters 11 and 13. This classic work comprises a collection of stories, primarily written in verse, told by a group of pilgrims as they travel to a shrine at Canterbury Cathedral.
- The Canterbury Tales on SuperSummary
“Jabberwocky” by Lewis Carroll (1871)
“Jabberwocky,” a nonsense poem discussed in Chapter 1 of Foster’s book, is found in Carroll’s 1871 novel Through the Looking Glass, the follow-up to his classic Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland.
- “Jabberwocky” on SuperSummary
“Mending Wall” by Robert Frost (1914)
Discussed in Chapter 8, this poem explores the contradictions and boundaries inherent in human existence.
- “Mending Wall” on SuperSummary
“The Fish” by Marianne Moore (1921)
One of Moore’s most famous poems, Foster looks closely at this poem in Chapter 5 but also mentions it again in Chapter 11 and in the Interlude. The poem provides a miniscule description of a seaside scene and offers commentary on the abuse humans inflict on nature.
“anyone lived in a pretty how town” by E. E. Cummings (1923)
E. E. Cummings is one of the most mentioned poets in Foster’s book, and this poem is mentioned in Chapters 2 and 6. In this poem, Cummings explores the idea of identity (or lack thereof) and conformity in everyday life.
The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald (1925)
Fitzgerald’s classic Jazz Age novel is a treatise on the futility of the modern pursuit of the American Dream. Foster discusses The Great Gatsby in Chapter 12, his chapter on symbols and imagery.
- The Great Gatsby on SuperSummary
“The Weary Blues” by Langston Hughes (1926)
Foster mentions this poem in a discussion of rhythm in Chapter 4. Hughes’s poem describes the performance of a Black blues musician and uses the song he plays as a metaphor for the struggles of Black artists, musicians, and writers in the early part of the 20th century in America.
- “The Weary Blues” on SuperSummary
Further Reading: Beyond Literature (NonFiction)
How to Read Literature Like a Professor by Thomas C. Foster (2003)
Thomas C. Foster’s How to Read Literature Like a Professor: A Lively and Entertaining Guide to Reading Between the Lines is a nonfiction book that aims to teach readers how to improve their reading skills. Foster, a longtime university professor, focuses on techniques that enable readers to puzzle out some of the deeper meanings of a story that exist below the surface level of the plot.
- How to Read Literature Like a Professor on SuperSummary
“How to Read Poetry Like a Professor” by Jake Nevins (2018)
In this interview with Thomas C. Foster, the genre of poetry, the challenges it can present readers, and Foster’s motivation in writing the book are discussed.
“Robert Frost” by Philip Gerber (2022)
This Encyclopedia Britannica Online article provides a brief biography of Robert Frost, which also includes a discussion of his development as a poet and the style of his works. The article also describes the evolving reception of his work.
Video & Podcast Resources
“Taylor Mali: What Teachers Make” on DEF Poetry Jam (2001)
Mentioned in Chapter 13, this video is a clip of Taylor Mali’s performance on the first season of DEF Poetry Jam.
Other Relevant Media Resources
“The Long and Winding Road” by John Lennon and Paul McCartney (1970)
Originally released on the Let It Be album, this is the 2015 remastered version of the Beatles song rereleased on the One compilation album. McCartney’s lyrics are discussed in Chapter 14.
“Graceland” by Paul Simon (1986)
The title song on the eponymous album, this song describes a road trip with the speaker’s son as well as the deterioration of a relationship. The simile in the first line of the song and the metaphor it creates is discussed at the beginning of Chapter 14.
“Slouching Towards Bethlehem” by Joni Mitchell (1991)
Yeats’s poem “The Second Coming” is set to music composed and sung by Joni Mitchell. Foster discusses Mitchell’s work in Chapter 14.
- “The Second Coming” on SuperSummary
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