Is there such thing as original literature? This question was toyed with during Thursday’s class and when I left the class I found myself thinking back to a book I read in my AP Literature class in high school, How To Read Literature Like A Professor by Thomas C Foster.
At the time I hated this book and thought it was the most boring thing ever written. When other class members said they liked the book I brushed it off as that they were just simply stupid. Who would like a book that had no point, but to make comments about other works of literature and common themes? Being of how I was a junior transitioning into a different high school, I began questioning asking if this was what this high school was like. I contemplated dropping out of AP Literature feeling like if they liked that type of books I should never hang out with them, because those books are just awful.
Well, I didn’t drop the class and looking back on the book it really was not bad. It honestly is such a helpful book with interpreting other works of literature There are simple things like the concept of a quest in a story, the importance of sharing food and it even discusses the concept of original literature. Honestly, based on several discussions in classes I should read it again and would recommend that others in this class read it to.
I wanted to share some of this books input on original literature. First of all no literature is completely unique. They all share some figure, archetype, or image. Stories grow out of other stories. If I was to tell a story then you were to wonder what happens next you could tell a story about something that could happen next. The authors are borrowing ideas from each other.
Perhaps the reason they seem to be borrowing from each other is there is actually only one story- human experience the book says. I feel this would make sense because most people agree that humans have a common ancestor. So we all must have somewhat similar experiences in a sense.
How To Read Literature Like a Professor also suggests that authors are truly skilled people, because in order to write they must try to clear their mind of all other literature to not focus on writing something completely different. If they clear their mind then although the stories might be similar they will not be as worried about being completely original.
This book is extremely interesting, and I feel I may have done it injustice in this conversation. highly recommend reading it for yourself to get your own interpretation of the things discussed about this and others.In conclusion, I agree with How To Read Literature Like A Professor no book is completely original, but when writing one must not worry about being brand new. They must instead focus on conveying the message they wish to relay to their audience. Even if that lesson has been told before because of the shared trait of simply being a human and our inherent values.
