Before and after: Spirit in the act of reading an exploration of John Green's "Looking for Alaska".

In my thesis I argue that the intangible mystery of the spirit is a vital dynamic in reading. When I use the word 'spirit,' I mean the vital animating essence within us. I develop my argument using the metaphorical lens of a labyrinth and show how this symbol replicates the spiritual component of reading. The labyrinth is a metaphor that has room for the mystery of spirit and for the rational thinking required in academic research circles. The text I have chosen to support my argument is John Green's Looking for Alaska. My analysis of reading builds on the work of reader-response theorists and educators who view literature as a transitional object. I argue that the process of loosening the boundaries which exclude the visceral from the public realm will strengthen scholarship directed to the education of our youth. --Leaf ii.