67 pages 2 hours read

Thomas C. Foster

How to Read Poetry Like a Professor: A Quippy and Sonorous Guide to Verse

Nonfiction | Book | Adult | Published in 2018

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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.  

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.

Mending Wallby Robert Frost (1914)

Discussed in Chapter 8, this poem explores the contradictions and boundaries inherent in human existence.

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.

Related Titles

By Thomas C. Foster

Study Guide

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How To Read Literature Like A Professor

Thomas C. Foster

How to Read Literature Like a Professor: A Lively and Entertaining Guide to Reading Between the Lines

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