Every language has a grammar, a set of rules that govern usage and meaning, and literary language is no different.
-- Thomas C. Foster (Introduction paragraph 7)

Importance: Right away, Foster explains that even literature has a language of its own, and a set of rules that govern its usage. He will elucidate these rules, and engage the reader to use these rules when reading literature. His own book will be a sort of guide to that effect.

The real reason for a quest is always self-knowledge.
-- Thomas C. Foster (Chapter 1 paragraph 9)

Importance: Foster explains that, while trips may only sometimes just be trips, sometimes they are much more, and become a quest to achieve something in the end. But no matter what is being sought, knowledge is acquired, and this is always the real reason the author has in mind.

Ghosts and vampires are never only about ghosts and vampires.
-- Thomas C. Foster (Chapter 3 paragraph 9)

Importance: Foster reveals that ghosts and vampires often have deeper meanings than mere horror...