How to Read Literature Like a Professor Lesson Plan

How does violence in mysteries differ from violence in literature? What does Foster mean about it having greater weight in literature?

In mystery novels, violence and death is very nearly meaningless and is simply necessary for the plot. In literature, violence is about more than the act—it represents larger themes and carries weight. One example Foster provides is the Robert Frost poem “Out, out___” about a boy who dies after a terrible accident with a saw. The violent accident in this poem is symbolic of the fragility of human existence and the indifference of the universe. Another example is Toni Morrison’s novel Beloved, in which an escaped slave kills her infant...