You love to read and enjoy such things as well-written characters, an interesting story arc, and a distinctive style of writing. As you read, a pattern or image that appears repeatedly in an otherwise straightforward story catches your eye—for example, periodic flooding, images of birds, feathers or flying—and there is a lingering sense that something more profound keeps eluding you. For those who want to uncover the secret meaning behind the written word, How to Read Literature Like a Professor by Thomas C. Foster would be the perfect companion on an analytical journey to the land of literature.

Having taught literature for 27 years at the University of Michigan-Flint, Foster observes that memory, symbol and pattern “are the three items that, more than any other, separate the professorial reader from the rest of the crowd”. When the professorial reader reads, he will ponder such questions as “Where have I seen that before?” or “Whom does this character resemble?” Foster notes that works in the literary canon are inherently connected, and that writers consciously or subconsciously draw on what they have read, a phenomenon known as “intertextuality”. It is therefore inevitable that imagery, symbolism and allusions to Shakespeare, the Bible, Greek mythology and fairy tales are ubiquitous in the realm of Western literature. Writers from other cultural backgrounds may similarly tap into their own master list of works. For example, Foster himself admits that many readers wrongly assume the flying people in Toni Morrison’s Song of Solomon are based on the myth of Icarus in Greek mythology, whereas what the author really has in mind is the “flying African” myth. While his book would be more aptly titled “How to Read Western Literature Like a Professor”, Foster is correct that the only way to identify any of these intertextual references is to be conversant with the sources.

Then there are symbols, and what they might mean. Foster introduces the reader to a world where every trip is a quest that leads to self-discovery; shared meals may symbolise communion; flying is related to the concept of freedom; and a protagonist being drenched, in a river or by a sudden rain shower, may signify baptism and life beginning anew. He emphasises that almost everything that pops up again and again, even events and actions, can be symbolic, but what is being symbolised does not usually have a definitive answer. Once readers develop a “symbolic imagination”, their reading experience will be much more gratifying and rewarding.

Then there are patterns, the simple word for archetypes. Archetypes are figures, actions or situations which are imprinted on our cultural memory. Authors present their personal understanding of the world by tapping into patterns that the reader is familiar with and can connect and relate to. Foster explores a host of archetypes, including the vampire pattern—the elderly who suck life out of the young and innocent, the hero pattern and the Christ figure. Identification of patterns enriches our reading experience of literary texts, bringing new perspectives to the narrative.

Foster deftly guides you through all these important components of literature, with a variety of examples from literary works to demonstrate how they add to a piece’s complexity and depth. The sceptic in you, however, may refuse to be coaxed and ask, “How do you know that is what the writer meant?” Obviously you are not the first one to ask this question and Foster has an answer ready. He admits that there is no author-approved answer key, “so the only basis of authority must reside in the text itself. Trust the words and the words only.” He stresses that readers have an important role to play in the creation of literary meaning. Different readers could have varying interpretations of a single piece of literature. Towards the end of his book, he encourages the reader to put what they have learnt so far into practice with an exquisite short story “The Garden Party” (1922) by Katherine Mansfield. Foster provides a response that is based on a surface reading and one that is more in-depth. Finally, he offers his own convincing interpretation, demonstrating what it means to read a work of literature critically. It is enlightening and by far the most interesting part of the book.

As its subtitle promises, Foster’s book is a “lively and entertaining guide to reading between the lines”. His tone is conversational and warm, with some personal quips along the way. For example, he comments that Shakespeare quotes “are like eligible persons of the other sex: all the good ones are taken”. His keen sense of humour is evident in the punchy and memorable chapter headings. We have, for instance, the wonderful chapter duo of “Nice to Eat with You: Acts of Communion” followed by “Nice to Eat You: Acts of Vampires”. If there were more literature professors like him, maybe more students would have studied for a literature degree.

No matter how we take pleasure in getting lost in the excitement of sensational horrors, thrillers and mysteries, at times we would crave for books that shake us to the core and stir the soul. Franz Kafka believed that “a book must be the axe for the frozen sea within us”. But if we fail to penetrate the superficial and decipher the text, literary works will lose much of their meaning and the axe will not be half as sharp as it should be. By following the breadcrumbs left behind by great minds and unravelling the hidden messages between the lines, hopefully we would find the right axe to crack the frozen sea inside us.