Foster, Thomas C

Provides in-depth analysis of the life, works, career, and critical importance of Seamus Heaney.

"On bookstore [and library] shelves, one book looks as authoritative as the next. Online, posts and memes don't announce their relative veracity. It is up to readers to establish how accurate, how thorough, how fair material may be. After laying out general principles of reading nonfiction, [this book] offers advice for specific reading strategies in various genres from histories and biographies to science and technology to social media. Throughout, the emphasis will be on understanding writers' biases, interrogating claims, analyzing arguments, remaining wary of broad assertions and easy answers, and thinking critically about the written and spoken materials readers encounter"--Publisher's description.

Provides advice for authors on the reasons for writing, planning and structuring a work, and the writing--and revising--process, and suggests practice exercises.

Presents a discussion on how to understand poetry.

Presents a discussion on how to understand symbolism in literature, discussing the appearance of journeys, eating, drowning, rain, violence, sex, illness, geography, Christ figures, and other signifiers, and how to see patterns the way literature professors do.

Demonstrates how to make everyday reading more rewarding by helping readers understand the symbols, themes, narrative devices and forms, and contexts of literary works, in an edition geared toward young readers.

Presents a discussion on how to understand symbolism in literature, discussing the appearance of journeys, eating, drowning, rain, violence, sex, illness, geography, Christ figures, and other signifiers, and how to see patterns the way literature professors do.

Discusses ways to dissect novels and examine grammar, structure choices, point of view, chapter construction, characters, continuity, literary language, and more in order to better understand and enjoy the reading experience.