Sarah Nwankwo
December 9, 2014
5th period
Chapter 1: Every Trip Is a Quest (Except When It’s Not)
The real reason for any quest is self-knowledge.
The stated reason for going on a journey is never the real reason for going.
A quest consists of five things: a quester, a destination, a stated purpose, challenges that must be faced during on the path to the destination, and a reason for the quester to go to the destination.
Chapter 2: Nice to Eat with You: Acts of Communion
Whenever characters eat or drink together, it’s communion.
Communion scenes often force or enable reader to empathize with characters.
A communion can either mean life or mortality.
Chapter 3: Nice to Eat You: Acts of Vampire
Ghosts and vampires are always about something other than themselves.
Readers are attracted to danger.
The symbolism involved in vampirism: selfishness, exploitation, and a refusal to respect other people’s independence
Chapter 4: Now, Where Have I Seen Her Before
There’s no such thing as a wholly piece of work.
Authors place references to other pieces of literature in their books to give the reader deeper comprehension into the true nature of the character, event, location, or dialogue that just occurred.
Every story and poem grows out of other stories and poem.
When In Doubt, It’s From Shakespeare…
Writers use what is common in a culture as a kind of shorthand. Shakespeare is pervasive, so he is frequently echoed.
Authors play off of Shakespeare because everyone already is familiar with his works
When we are able to connect Shakespeare’s works to other works that came earlier, we are able to add another shade of meaning. When we are able to connect Shakespeare’s works to later works, we are able to make meaning.
Chapter 6: …Or the Bible
The bible is a literary piece that has been copied or imitated for centuries. It is expected that readers will recognize the allusions.
Biblical allusions are not always straight forward- the details may change but the ideas are the same.
Referring to the bible archetypes because the readers feel the tension and difficulties that exist always ad everywhere.
Chapter 7: Hanseldee and Greteldum
Sometimes using fairytales allusions makes it easier for the readers to understand.
Common archetype found in fairytale: lost, young couple, crisis not of their own making temptation and youngsters must fend for themselves.
Authors use situational archetypes: to add texture to a tale, to emphasize a theme, to highlight ironic element and to toy with a reader’s knowledge of tales
Chapter 8: It’s Greek to Me
Myth is the part of the story that matters.
Myths often teach us morals and lessons that can be applied to our lives, they also give us the knowledge of something powerful inside ourselves, but they also show our many struggles.
Biblical mythology covers the greatest range of human situations; while Shakespeare and fairy tales cover human situations fairly well.
Chapter 9: It’s More Than Just Rain or Snow
Weather is always a signal.
Weather (including rain, snow, or sun) is used in a piece of literature for four primary purposes: Plot Device, Atmospherics, Misery Factor, and Democratic Element.
Weather is also a symbolism to what is happening around you, for example fog represents confusions.
Chapter 10: Never Stand Next to the Hero
Most writers purposely put things in books like symbols and references in order to evolve the story
Characters are products of writers’ imaginations and readers’ imagination.
Plot is character revealed in action.

Chapter 11: …More Than It’s Gonna Hurt You: Concerning Violence
Violence can be symbolic, thematic, biblical, Shakespearean, Romantic, allegorical, transcendent.
Occasionally writers will dispose of characters to thicken the plot.
So called "accidents" in literature are not really accidents. They are accidents only to characters inside the novel. On the outside they are planned and carefully executed by the author.
Chapter 12: Is That a Symbol?
Symbols in