Blog Response to Prompt #1

1.    Foster says that “reading literature is a highly intellectual activity.”  He discusses the “language of reading” and the “grammar of literature.”  What does he mean by these things and why are they important for the kind of reading he is discussing in this book?  How is this kind of reading different from purely “affective” reading? What is the true value of “reading like a professor” according to Foster?  Be sure to use textual evidence to support your answer

When Foster talks about reading being a “highly intellectual activity” he is referring to the fact that readers have to look deeper than just the words while reading a text. Reader’s ust look deeper and understand the “language of the text,” such as the symbols the author is using and the paralls they are trying to make. Understanding these things is important because once the reader understands the “language” they can begin looking at the text as more than just words and begin to look at the deeper, more intellectual meaning that the author is trying to get through to the readers. Once the reader can do this it can change the way the readers view the text and may even make reading more enjoyable because the readers can understand what the author is trying to say.