Literature Grows Out of Other Literature

• There is no such thing as a completely original work of literature. Literature is intertextual and influenced by other works of literature, and so it resembles other literature. Thus, when you're reading a new work, you will recognize symbols, stylistic traits and plot elements that you've encountered in previous works. This recognition will help you bring meaning to what you're reading. The more you read, the more you'll note patterns and recurrences.
  
  

The Bible, Fairy Tales and Myths

• You don't have to be a learned scholar to recognize patterns and symbols in literature from your memory. Writers often have drawn from the Bible to construct their stories and relay their messages. You also may recognize characters, plots and themes in literature that come from fairy tales and myths that you've read previously. A sophisticated example is the way the narrative of James Joyce's novel "Ulysses" parallels and parodies the episodes of Homer's epic poem "The Odyssey."
  
  

Shakespeare and Quotations

• Shakespeare's characters, plots and themes show up in a plethora of literature from the 18th century to the present, forcing your mind to make a connection between the Bard's use of these elements and the work drawing from it -- such as the way Leonard Bernstein's well-known musical "West Side Story" adapts "Romeo and Juliet" to a modern New York setting. Even if you don't remember all of your Shakespeare from high school, you might recognize the Bard's famous quotations, as well as those from other notable writers. Quotes from literature of the past often figure in other works of literature as titles, such as the way E. M. Forster's novel "Where Angels Fear to Tread" draws its title from the poetry of Alexander Pope.
  
  

The Realities of the World

• All writing is political on some level in that it reflects the realities of the world in which we live. When you read, your knowledge of these realities, based on your memory of life situations affected by these realities, or other reading you've done about these issues, will help you make a connection between these realities and the literature you're reading that conveys them. In this way, your understanding of core issues is enhanced. For example, what you know of race relations in America will be relevant while reading such works as Ralph Ellison's "Invisible Man" and Harper Lee's "To Kill a Mockingbird," and learning more about this history will enhance your appreciation of such works.
  
  

Archetypes

• Archetypes are patterns, such as a character type, commonly seen in literature because they work well at compressing and conveying meaning. When you recognize a certain pattern or archetype you've experienced before in literature, you then assign meaning to the literature you're reading, based on the memory of that pattern from your previous readings. This is how all readers and writers are connected to each other. They understand each other because of their shared knowledge of the patterns in life and thus in mimetic literature.