Foster points out that many will always ask is that a rhetorical strategy or are the author really meaning that. Yes, the author really does intend to symbolize and allude to outside situations or times. It is not just woven into the text for nothing , as a reader gains experience they will learn what to pick out. Authors will pull ideas from all cultures, and religions to form a plot. Each novel may take minutes to read , but takes a author days to write.
Foster points out that Hectors charioteer's rarely lost five lines without being killed, throughout the story he yes through many. Many heroes companions have a surrogate fate that befalls them because they are close to said hero. To hold an audiences attention their needs to be quests, marriage, birth, killing , and death with theses a characters must grow , develop, learn , and mature. A single mans action can affect thousands , for examples Achilles stolen war bride leads to his anger towards the Greek leader and those outside his circle . To stop Achilles the Greek leader Agamemnon pleads to return everything including the war bride , even his friends plead for him to take it. Achilles is only angered so his friend Patroclus takes his armor and pretends to be him which is a fatal mistake. In many story's they can't kill the hero so being a pal of the hero requires death when the time comes. the characters are products of both the writers and readers imagination, these two forces ,make a character. The focus of the story is fully made, so where does the attention lie? A hero will make mistakes and his friends may pay for it.
A lot of stories start with "It was a dark and stormy night" it should not be the main part to be focused on. Most want to focus on the settings laying out a foundation of the characters surrounding ,but authors want their readers to look closer and the weather. Water is everywhere it surrounds the earth , it always is trying to reclaim the people of earth through floods, hurricanes, and typhoons. They are all trying to drag us back to the beginning. For example the humans took comfort in the ark because the rainbow meant god would not wipe us out completely. Foster knows that the deepest fear of land creatures is drowning . Yet, floods destroy so all can start anew. Rain symbolizes cleansing , a person walks through the rain he or she is cleansing himself of all his sins or his past darkness, but if he falls down in the mud he is stained even more. Rain is restorative like spring which brings the world back to life with new growth around the world. Even rain with a mix with the sun functions as a symbol of divine power , peace between heaven and earth. Simple weather conditions can draw a new outlook on a story.
This is a pretty loose category of novels, films, poetry, songs, television, and commercials with the possibility of newer or not invented electronic media no one has seen yet. A problem seen in this is a list of canonical sources that is relevant even if others say it isn't. The diversification of the canon modern writers could not assume a common body of knowledge of any of their readers. Foster points out that fairytales, like Hansel and Gretel, all seem to lack ambiguity. For instance Hansel and Gretel play in the Gingerbread house which seems like a logical step. The witch doesn't kill the children, but the white doves who ate the bread crumbs. When the author mentions the bloody chamber it creates a subversive, feminist revisions seeing that it is an old sexist tale. Details like those don't need to pull off the story ,but only try and give it depth. In a whole picture all the writings belong to one story just broken done into different pieces. This category can find many similarities along with a lot of strangeness , but in the end it creates a perfect harmony.
Foster dictate's a whole chapter to biblical language and how religion is incorporated into many works. All writer have read or heard about the bible and the different journeys within , this will allow them in put it into the writing for the readers to find. It can be a burst of apocalyptic rhetoric imagery seen in various novels. Even nonreligious writers can quote scripture it can be well known without even opening a bible. For example in Toni Morrison's Beloved a mother kills one child to save all of them "slaves" when four white men ride up, its judgment time . The riders horses are considered "green horses" a symbol of death. Authors in novels may reference events of the fall , an loss of innocence, like when an gels were stripped of their heavenly essence. Writers may not need analytical themes, motifs ,but a title which is seen in the bible a lot. Foster contemplates that many writers like those who wrote Beowolf or Paradise Lost have plots, situations and even characters right out of the bible. There is not always reference that are straight moust alludes to the bible with actually irony. These story's can become timeless, archetypical and will never grow old.
Many plays have Shakespearean writing entwined into their script. Fosters examples moonlighting and death valley were common they all have a William Shakespeare in their midst. Even regular characters in novels and plays can take on an essence of Shakespeare. A writer named Bard was the first to be encountered by people in the Death valley days. Bard was well known between the 18th century and the 21st century, he was everywhere , seen through various writings. Many plays that were written had character who could be related to Bard's character's Ariel, and Caliban from the tempest. Many references are made from Hamlet, Othello, Romeo and Juliet. Angela Carter is seen using Shakespeare's actors that were legitimate daughters. Foster knows that every High school student is introduced to Shakespeare and will know references made if they are obvious. Those authors will always be able to bounce ideas of Shakespeare and even influence new writers who will in turn put it into their work. Understanding that text can be taken , and an author can revise it to fit a certain plot means that nothing is original . It can help readers get a rich understanding ,that their is a deeper meaning especially with Shakespeare involved.
Foster begins with saying if your read enough and give what you read enough thought, you will began to see patterns emerge. Nothing in literature is sully original there will always be piece of a writing taken from another. It may be plot lines ,twists or even the way the character grow together. In O'Brien's novel which borrowed context that fits perfectly with the actual story about the war experience. It also helped determine the plot line and how the journey would progress. Readers can use bits and pieces of childhood knowledge or even past readings to help understanding. Many will use prior text purposefully, or phrases like "the only way to get out is to fall back up", this is used in referencing Alice in Wonderland, those who know the story's can see the phrases being pulled into another's context and get the true meaning. Foster uses many examples show the reader that its all in the perception of text. A known example is Sarkin's novel about a journey with a Vietnamese girl leading troops through tunnels and to safety during the Vietnamese War. A dark skinned women leading white men, sounds like Lewis and Clark's journey because it is the author took a piece of the journeys and revise it to work for his writing. If you need a Sacajawea type guide you know you're already really lost. Any new work is created and is set among monuments of already written literature. As a reader gains experience recognizing familiar components will become easier. With that intertexual dialogue deepens the reading experience and shows multiple layers of hidden meanings.
When everyone thinks of Vampires they thinks of Dracula preying on women and taking brides to be his companion. In literature today authors have tried to pull away from the dark and gruesome ideas of vampire but it will always be there. For example Foster uses Dracula his a man who preys/ wants young unmarried women who's virginal status makes him young and virile again. He's an older man violating young women , stealing their innocence, leaving them helpless sinners once they are turned into blood thirsty monsters. Foster also points out evil always has to with sex, like Dracula turning innocent women into sinners. Next, there is vampirism which is the selfishness, exploitation, and refusal to respect autonomy of people. Another example foster uses is Edward Hyde he exists to show the world that every man has a dark side and it can show a total different side of him. During the time period these books were written writing about sex was a taboo. Ghosts and ghouls were also popular , some story's may be interrupted in two different ways. A governess tries to protect the children she watches from possession of ghosts and becomes overprotected and did everything to protect them, or The governess is crazy and its all in her head and the children are victims. Vampires in example to remain undead must steal the life force of usually young women who's fates matters less then theirs. Vampires are evil blood thirsting being who should be avoided especially by young women.
Foster says that many people skim the text not getting the true meaning or they go so in depth that the whole story is not what it used to be. Sometimes a meal is just a meal no allusion to look into its a gathering of friends. People are eating and drinking together its a communion but it doesn't have to be a holy one . Breaking the bread at a dinner can be a sign of peace among the gathered like friends or if you are trying to get of the good side of your enemies... maybe your boss. Fosters example of a communion is a husband and wife with a blind dinner guest. This perplexing the husband and he looks at the man with sustain. The husband is even rude enough to stop and think about holding the man's hand for pray. Throughout the dinner the husbands view changes , he watches a man with an disability overcome it and eat like anyone with sight would. As a sign of peace they share a joint showing that a single dinner can change one opinions. Foster wants his readers to be able to interpret whether a scene is just a dinner or if its meaning will impact the character to make a life altering decisions. Not all meals mean something but those that do need attention to fine details.
Any Story can turn into a knight in shining armor , it just can be shown in different story lines. A quest can be started in many ways like kip who is an acne boy wanting to be drafted and meets his nemesis a jock her stole his crush away . It is only the beginning of his journey till he reaches his goal and succeeds. The author wants the readers to understand that behind every story a quest could be starting and many dangerous roads are ahead but it is his choice to find the right one. The set up of theses story will always have a quester, a place to go, stated reason to go, challenges en route to destination, and a real reason to go.A quest might be known for the holy grails and rewards at the end , but its a journey of self knowledge of a young, inexperienced , sheltered man or woman. In the beginning there will be a stated goal , as the story continues it will fade and the awakening of the persons true reality will come to light. Finally in theses story's always and never are not words that have any real meaning in literacy study.
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