1. How to Read Literature Like a Professor Chapters 2, 3, 18

2. Nice to Eat with You: Acts of Communion Meals are deeply personal affairs –We don’t eat with just anyone Meals can represent a number of things –War –Sex –Making peace

3. Nice to Eat with You: Acts of Communion Meals are expected to be peaceful affairs –Arguments during meals do not bode well –Unfinished meals lead to unfinished business Pay attention to the language –Food as war –Food as intimacy –Food as friendship

4. Nice to Eat You: Acts of Vampires Stories about ghosts and vampires are never about ghosts and vampires –Sex (especially the Victorian novel) –Selfishness –Exploitation –Dominance (or submission) –Arrogance –Insecurity

5. Nice to Eat You: Acts of Vampirism Questions to ask when encountering a character who appears to be a ghost or vampire: –What is haunting the character, other than ghosts? –Why is the character allowing his or her life force to be drained away? –What unfulfilled need is met through vampirism or haunting?

6. Nice to Eat You: Acts of Vampirism Most vampirish or ghostlike characters are metaphorical ones, not literal ones Same questions apply Any character who appears to “haunt” someone or something Any character who needs to “feed” on someone else in order to survive - literally or figuratively

7. If She Comes Up, It’s Baptism Baptism, the concept of which is present in many religions, is, at its simplest, any act that provides a character with an opportunity to be “reborn” Usually involves immersion in water –Accidental –Purposeful

8. If She Comes Up, It’s Baptism It’s baptism if the character has changed in some way afterwards Possible instances of baptism: –Swimming –Rainfall –Drowning What are THOSE implications? –Bathing

9. Types of Metaphors Synecdoche: –When mentioning a part signifies the whole: Motor = Car Mouth = Person Metonymy: –When substituting a word for the term itself: Crown = King Sweat = Hard Labor

10. Homework Assignment: Find examples from Siddhartha of the following items: –Communion –Vampirism –Ghosts –Baptism –Synecdoche –Metonymy