We have just finished the unit out of the book How To Read Literature Like a Professor by Thomas Foster, in which Foster helps the reader better understand how to comprehend literature. He had many key points about Literature that he wanted to get across to the readers. Such ideas were to recognize patters in stories and how they can be significant, such as the act of people eating together being more than just eating, but an act of communion. Also how stories are based on other stories and that most contain some sort of quest; with a quester, a place to go, stated and real reasons to go, and challenges to overcome.
          Foster used examples from other authors to teach us how to better understand his key points and ideas about literature. In doing so, we as readers got a better idea of what certain elements authors put into a story, like characters eating together and how it applies to the meaning and the overall purpose of a story. 
        I thought that the unit as a whole went well, but more specifically understanding the content that we learned.  I thought the varies discussions we had as a class were very beneficial to our understanding to what Foster was teaching us through his book. I found the book easy to read and not too hard to follow along in  group discussions.  I also thought that the project we had of being experts of our own number of chapters was an excellent way to truly understand Foster's words as well as being able to teach them.  Along with teaching, I thought having to take notes and listen to other groups present their chapters was a good way to be engaged in the reading.
       Although the discussions did help a lot in the understanding of the novel, I do think that it could have used a little work. If we had a more engaging time where everyone had to answer a question, that would make us more obligated to do the reading and come prepared to answer the questions in class.
      After reading Foster's literary criticisms, I feel like I have learned more than I knew before on how to look and interpret literature.  I learned about certain patterns in stories and how they can all relate from similar stories. Also, I learned to pay closer attention to the details of a story like when characters eat together and how that can be an act of communion. Overall, I thought Foster did a great job, using examples, and simple explanations to help give a reader a better insight on what they're reading.