Thursday, July 1, 2010

Chapter 21 - Fosters Ideas

"Things have changed pretty dramatically in terms of equating scars or deformities with moral shortcomings or divine displeasure, but in literature we continue to understand physical imperfection in symbolic terms. it has to do with being different, really."

- In this Chapter, "Marked for Greatness" Foster discusses characters like the Quasimodo ans Harry Potter, why both have something skewed about their physical appearance. What Foster proves to the reader is that this is normally not just a fluke. The author typically will portray a character with a physical fault or disability not just to add diversity to their set of character, but instead to add something to the story, either involving their character or something about their role in to story, but this is rarely just for the heck of it. Foster says that by doing this the author is tyring to make a point about the character that he or she wont just say, but instead it is up to the reader to interpret the signs and figure out what the author is symbolizing by giving his character a hunchback or one leg drastically shorter than the other. From this chapter I have figured out that the author communicates to the reader by sending messages like this for the reader to pick up on. It's almost as though he is providing you with a more in depth view of the novel, to benefit you reading experience with out even telling you directly.

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