The document provides questions to guide notes on a chapter from How to Read Literature Like a Professor by Thomas Foster. The questions address key concepts around the role of illness in literature such as how illness provides metaphorical possibilities for characters and symbolism. Students are asked to take Cornell notes on the entire chapter and address how the major ideas are conveyed, including explaining principles of depicting disease and analyzing examples of illness as metaphor.

1. Jenkins
Eng 12CP
DUE: ________
Cornell Notes Focus Questions
“...And [It’s] Rarely Just Illness” Chapter
How to Read Literature Like a Professor by Thomas Foster
Instructions: Your Cornell notes should ultimately address the following questions and concepts articulated below.
That said, you are not just merely sticking to this information alone and your notes should NOT merely be a list of
these questions with answers. You are to use your notes on the entire chapter to address the main idea points
presented here.
1. What it meant by the title “[It’s] Rarely Just Illness”?
2. Explain the quote: “Our interest is...in what his condition is telling us about him….about the
story at large” (Foster 214). What does this suggest about the role of illness in a story?
3. According to the chapter, what was the major factor in making illness/disease“frightening” and
“mysterious” to audiences/readers?
4. In your own words, list & explain (in paraphrasing form) the 4 Principles of Disease in
Literature.
5. Foster explains the ways in which illness/disease offers “metaphorical possibilities” (218). Cite,
paraphrase, & explain one of his examples.
6. Foster notes, “Every age has its special disease” (222). What does this imply about reading
literature written during or taking place in different historical time periods?
7. Foster claims that “the most effective illness is the one the writer makes up” further asserting,
“A made-up illness...can say whatever its makes wants it to say” (224-25). Basedon this claim,
why is made-up illness the most effective?
KEY VOCABULARY: existentialism, or, “existentialist” (Foster 219)

2. Jenkins
Eng 12CP
FOCUS CORRECTIONAL AREAS
________/ 30 Total Points
MRS J YOU TOTAL
PTS
10 All main idea questions prompted (above) are fully addressed/answered.
5 Each key vocabulary word appears highlighted/underlined and accurately defined.
5 Key Concepts include a record ofat least 8-10 key ideas expressed directly in the
text (should appear as a balance between direct quoting and key phrases/points).
5 Recorded Notes include thorough and accurate responses to the Key Concepts
section by specifically referencing details from the text.
5 Summary fully and accurately sums up, in 6-8 sentences minimum, at least 5 main
ideas expressed in the chapter.
Requirements:
❏ MLA format; types (unless otherwise approved)
❏ Cornell notes format (must include Key Concepts, Recorded Notes, & Summary sections)
❏ Chapter title in quotation marks and book title in italics/underline
❏ Notes appear in “short-hand” techniques are used in that bullet points, indentation,
highlighting/bolding/underlining appear to organize the chapter in notation form
Sydney Post
Mrs. Jenkins

3. Jenkins
Eng 12CP
English 12CP
7 January 2016
“And Rarely Just Illness”
KEY CONCEPTS RECORDED NOTES
1. What is it meant by the title,
“[It’s] Rarely Just Illness”
2. Explain “Our interest is… in what
his condition is telling us about
him… about the story at large”
(Foster 214). What does this suggest
about the role of illness in a story?
3. What was the major factor in
making illness/ disease “frightening”
and “mysterious’ to audience and
readers?
4. List and explain the 4 Principles
of Disease in Literature
1.
- In most stories, characters have a type of disability or
illness
- Intrigues readers, forces them to be sympathetic for the
character
- “It’s the notion of paralysis- and stroke- that intrigues.”
2.
- Watching someone/ a loved one deteriorate from a stroke
vs. reading about it and creating your own image
- “What we feel in real life and what we feel in our reading
lives can be quite different.”
- Relating what you read to your own personal life
3.
- People sickened and died, usually with no discernible
preamble
- Nobody knew how disease was transmitted
- Everyone is superstitious
4.
- 1. Not all diseases are equal. In literature, Cholera isn’t
brought up as much as Tuberculosis (TB) is, even though
Cholera is much more dangerous-- mainly for the readers to
create their own images. Diseases can be very harmful and
devastating, yet writers use the most common ones that
people hear about, all for the reader.
- 2. It should be visually attractive, but diseases such as TB
aren’t pleasant. However, the person with TB has a certain,
unique beauty to them, just as a medieval painting would.
- 3. Diseases have the ability to sweep through entire families
at once and we don’t know where they come from, or how
any of their family members got the disease to begin with.
- 4. Diseases should have a “symbolic or metaphorical

4. Jenkins
Eng 12CP
5. Foster explains the ways in which
illness/ disease offers “metaphorical
possibilities” Cite, paraphrase and
explain one of the examples.
6.Foster notes, “Every age has its
special disease” What does this
imply about reading literature
written during or taking place in
different historical time periods?
7. Foster claims that “the most
effective illness is the one the writer
makes up”further asserting “A made
up illness… can say whatever its
makes wants it to say” (224-25).
Based on this claim, why is a made
up illness the most effective?
KEY VOCAB
possibility.” They should have what the disease literally is,
then a symbol to it.
- #5 provides an example
5
- .TB is used as a metaphor, is considered to be a “wasting
disease,” the individual is wasting away (deteriorating)
- Many people die from TB
6.
- Every age has its own disease that is devastating
- Every age has its own literature that is popular of that
certain era such as Shakespeare
7.
- Makes readers feel sympathetic for characters with illness
- Illnesses in literature don't seem to be as bad as they
actually are in real life, real illnesses come with “baggage.”
- Forces reader to create their own images about the character
- Existentialism: philosophical theory, emphasizes the
existence of a person with responsibility of determining
their own development and actions
SUMMARY:
In the chapter, Foster explains what illnesses are in literature. Also, how real life diseases are versus
how diseases in literature are portrayed. Four Principles of Diseases in Literature- not all diseases
are created equal, they should be picturesque, it should be mysterious in origin, and it should have a
strong symbolic or metaphorical possibility. Metaphors were strongly expressedin the chapter, as
many diseases were described, with their literal meaning and with a metaphor. Every age has their
main disease as well as popular literature that was talked about in that time period. In conclusion to
the chapter, writers can make up any illness, and can diagnose a character with a disease as well.
The writers give a character an illness which forces the reader to give the character sympathy.