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How to Read Literature Like a Professor: A Lively and Entertaining Guide to Reading Between the Lines,
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Kelly
I know this question is several years old at this point (I hope your annotations went well!) and it has been a hot minute since I have read either book, but these are examples I could think of:
-"Every Trip is a Quest": you could make the argument that Fangirl is a quest story. Cather's a freshman (a quester) who moves to college away from her home (a place to go) to earn a degree (a stated reason to go there) has difficulty fitting in, handling her anxiety, doing well in her classes (Challenges and Trials), and ends the book learning how to be more independent and confident in herself (the real reason to go)
-"Geography Matters": talk about how the college location contrasts Omaha where the girls are originally from. How does Cather view both places throughout the story, and what does this reveal about her character?
-"Nice to Eat with You" I remember there was a subplot about Cather only eating peanut butter and protein bars in her dorm and fearing the cafeteria for some reason (again, it's been a hot minute). I'm pretty sure there were scenes later on in the story, however, wherein Cather ends up eating there with other students and in the process she gets to know them and comes out of her bubble a little bit (or maybe I'm making that up. Again. A hot minute).
- I have this nagging feeling there was a scene in the story where Cather is caught in the rain, but I might be making that up. If so, rain = transformation/cleansing. How has Cather changed in that scene?
I would actually argue that some of Foster's chapters like "It's Never Just Heart Disease.. and Rarely Just Illness" does not apply to Fangirl, because a lot of contemporary lit (esp. YA lit) actively subverts traditional tropes. For example, much contemporary lit tries to destigmatize illness. As Foster explains in his book, society tends to be pretty ableist and makes harmful assumptions about people with disabilities or sickness, and many canonical texts play into these ideas by using deformities and illnesses to imply character flaws. Much of today's literature, such as Fangirl imo, tries to undo this. So I don't think Cather's father's bipolar disorder would count as an indication of a character flaw nor Wren's alcoholic tendencies.
-"Every Trip is a Quest": you could make the argument that Fangirl is a quest story. Cather's a freshman (a quester) who moves to college away from her home (a place to go) to earn a degree (a stated reason to go there) has difficulty fitting in, handling her anxiety, doing well in her classes (Challenges and Trials), and ends the book learning how to be more independent and confident in herself (the real reason to go)
-"Geography Matters": talk about how the college location contrasts Omaha where the girls are originally from. How does Cather view both places throughout the story, and what does this reveal about her character?
-"Nice to Eat with You" I remember there was a subplot about Cather only eating peanut butter and protein bars in her dorm and fearing the cafeteria for some reason (again, it's been a hot minute). I'm pretty sure there were scenes later on in the story, however, wherein Cather ends up eating there with other students and in the process she gets to know them and comes out of her bubble a little bit (or maybe I'm making that up. Again. A hot minute).
- I have this nagging feeling there was a scene in the story where Cather is caught in the rain, but I might be making that up. If so, rain = transformation/cleansing. How has Cather changed in that scene?
I would actually argue that some of Foster's chapters like "It's Never Just Heart Disease.. and Rarely Just Illness" does not apply to Fangirl, because a lot of contemporary lit (esp. YA lit) actively subverts traditional tropes. For example, much contemporary lit tries to destigmatize illness. As Foster explains in his book, society tends to be pretty ableist and makes harmful assumptions about people with disabilities or sickness, and many canonical texts play into these ideas by using deformities and illnesses to imply character flaws. Much of today's literature, such as Fangirl imo, tries to undo this. So I don't think Cather's father's bipolar disorder would count as an indication of a character flaw nor Wren's alcoholic tendencies.
Sarah Arnold
Just try to connect the dots between what you see in Fangirl and what you read in this book. I have to do the same thing with this book and Mama Day.
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