Adler, Mortimer J. and Van Doren, Charles. How to Read a Book: The Classic
Guide to Intelligent Reading

Guide to Intelligent Reading

Inspectional Reading
A. Systematic skimming or pre-reading
1. Look at the title page and preface: try to pigeonhole type of book
2. Study table of contents: look for structure/road map for trip
3. Check index: estimate range of terms and topics; look up some
passages that seem crucial
4. Check the dust jacket: read the publisher’s blurb
5. Look for chapters which seem most pivotal: read opening and/or
closing passages/pages carefully
6. Thumb through entire book, reading a few paragraphs and/or pages
here and there, esp. at the end, looking for the main argument(s)
1. Look at the title page and preface: try to pigeonhole type of book
2. Study table of contents: look for structure/road map for trip
3. Check index: estimate range of terms and topics; look up some
passages that seem crucial
4. Check the dust jacket: read the publisher’s blurb
5. Look for chapters which seem most pivotal: read opening and/or
closing passages/pages carefully
6. Thumb through entire book, reading a few paragraphs and/or pages
here and there, esp. at the end, looking for the main argument(s)
How to be a Demanding Reader A. Four basic questions a reader asks:
THE FOUR STAGES OF ANALYTICAL READING:
1. "What is the book about as a whole?" (Subject/Classification)
2. "What is being said in detail, and how?" (Terms/Interpretation)
3. "Is the book true, in whole or part?" (Truth/Evaluation)
4. "What of it?" (Significance/Response)
B. How to make a book your own:
1. Underlining key sentences
2. Vertical lines to mark key sections
3. Marginal doodads likes asterisks and stars
4. Numbers of other pages in the margin
5. Circling key words or phrases
6. Writing in margins, or top and bottom
C. Three kinds of note-making
1. Structural- about the content of the subject
2. Conceptual- about the truth and significance
3. Dialectical- about the shape of the argument in the larger discussion
of other people’s ideas
Part 2: The Third Level of Reading: Analytical Reading
THE FIRST STAGE OF ANALYTICAL READING
Pigeonholing a BookRULE 1. CLASSIFY THE BOOK: "YOU MUST KNOW WHAT KIND OF BOOK YOU
ARE READING, AND YOU SHOULD KNOW THIS AS EARLY IN THE PROCESS AS
POSSIBLE, PREFERABLY BEFORE YOU BEGIN TO READ."
THE FOUR STAGES OF ANALYTICAL READING:
1. "What is the book about as a whole?" (Subject/Classification)
2. "What is being said in detail, and how?" (Terms/Interpretation)
3. "Is the book true, in whole or part?" (Truth/Evaluation)
4. "What of it?" (Significance/Response)
B. How to make a book your own:
1. Underlining key sentences
2. Vertical lines to mark key sections
3. Marginal doodads likes asterisks and stars
4. Numbers of other pages in the margin
5. Circling key words or phrases
6. Writing in margins, or top and bottom
C. Three kinds of note-making
1. Structural- about the content of the subject
2. Conceptual- about the truth and significance
3. Dialectical- about the shape of the argument in the larger discussion
of other people’s ideas
Part 2: The Third Level of Reading: Analytical Reading
THE FIRST STAGE OF ANALYTICAL READING
Pigeonholing a BookRULE 1. CLASSIFY THE BOOK: "YOU MUST KNOW WHAT KIND OF BOOK YOU
ARE READING, AND YOU SHOULD KNOW THIS AS EARLY IN THE PROCESS AS
POSSIBLE, PREFERABLY BEFORE YOU BEGIN TO READ."
X-Raying a Book
RULE 2. RE-STATE THE POINT OF THE BOOK IN YOUR OWN WORDS:
"STATE THE UNITY OF THE WHOLE BOOK IN A SINGLE SENTENCE, OR AT MOST A
FEW SENTENCES.""Every book has a skeleton hidden between its covers.
Your job as an analytical reader is to find it."
RULE 3. OUTLINE THE BOOK: "SET FORTH THE MAJOR PARTS OF THE BOOK,
AND SHOW HOW THESE ARE ORGANIZED INTO A WHOLE, BY BEING ORDERED
TO ONE ANOTHER AND TO THE UNITY OF THE WHOLE."
The art of outlining a book: "A piece of writing should have
unity, clarity, and coherence… we must find it."
RULE 4. DETERMINE THE AUTHOR’S GOAL: "FIND OUT WHAT THE
AUTHOR’S PROBLEMS WERE." [WHAT QUESTION IS HE TRYING TO ANSWER?]
THE SECOND STAGE OF ANALYTICAL READING
RULE 2. RE-STATE THE POINT OF THE BOOK IN YOUR OWN WORDS:
"STATE THE UNITY OF THE WHOLE BOOK IN A SINGLE SENTENCE, OR AT MOST A
FEW SENTENCES.""Every book has a skeleton hidden between its covers.
Your job as an analytical reader is to find it."
RULE 3. OUTLINE THE BOOK: "SET FORTH THE MAJOR PARTS OF THE BOOK,
AND SHOW HOW THESE ARE ORGANIZED INTO A WHOLE, BY BEING ORDERED
TO ONE ANOTHER AND TO THE UNITY OF THE WHOLE."
The art of outlining a book: "A piece of writing should have
unity, clarity, and coherence… we must find it."
RULE 4. DETERMINE THE AUTHOR’S GOAL: "FIND OUT WHAT THE
AUTHOR’S PROBLEMS WERE." [WHAT QUESTION IS HE TRYING TO ANSWER?]
THE SECOND STAGE OF ANALYTICAL READING
Coming to Terms with an Author
RULE 5. INTERPRET KEY WORDS: "FIND THE IMPORTANT WORDS AND
THROUGH THEM COME TO TERMS WITH THE AUTHOR."
1. Find the key words (words which are emphasized, repeated,
defined, and/or italicized; ‘fighting’ words)
2. Find the meanings of those words from the context, like
"putting a jigsaw puzzle together"
RULE 5. INTERPRET KEY WORDS: "FIND THE IMPORTANT WORDS AND
THROUGH THEM COME TO TERMS WITH THE AUTHOR."
1. Find the key words (words which are emphasized, repeated,
defined, and/or italicized; ‘fighting’ words)
2. Find the meanings of those words from the context, like
"putting a jigsaw puzzle together"
Determining an Author’s Message
RULE 6. GRASP THE MAIN PROPOSITIONS: "MARK THE MOST IMPORTANT
SENTENCES IN A BOOK AND DISCOVER THE PROPOSITIONS THEY CONTAIN."Propositions are the author’s judgments about what is true or false. They are also
the author’s answers to questions, his or her major affirmations and denials.
These are the heart of his/her communication. They are the most important
things the author has to say. Unless these propositions are supported by reasons,
they are nothing but expressions of personal opinion.
RULE 7. FIND THE MAIN ARGUMENTS: "LOCATE OR CONSTRUCT THE BASIC
ARGUMENTS IN A BOOK BY FINDING THEM IN THE CONNECTION OF SENTENCES."
Arguments are statements which offer the grounds or reasons
for the author’s judgments and conclusions.
RULE 6. GRASP THE MAIN PROPOSITIONS: "MARK THE MOST IMPORTANT
SENTENCES IN A BOOK AND DISCOVER THE PROPOSITIONS THEY CONTAIN."Propositions are the author’s judgments about what is true or false. They are also
the author’s answers to questions, his or her major affirmations and denials.
These are the heart of his/her communication. They are the most important
things the author has to say. Unless these propositions are supported by reasons,
they are nothing but expressions of personal opinion.
RULE 7. FIND THE MAIN ARGUMENTS: "LOCATE OR CONSTRUCT THE BASIC
ARGUMENTS IN A BOOK BY FINDING THEM IN THE CONNECTION OF SENTENCES."
Arguments are statements which offer the grounds or reasons
for the author’s judgments and conclusions.
How to find the key sentences and propositions:
1. Look for signs: underlining; italics; location
2. Look where you seem "to be perplexed"
3. Look for statements containing key terms
4. Look for a sequence in the argument(s)
5. Separate complicated sentences into more than one proposition
6. See if you can state the author’s argument in your own words
7. See if you can give your own example to make the same point
1. Look for signs: underlining; italics; location
2. Look where you seem "to be perplexed"
3. Look for statements containing key terms
4. Look for a sequence in the argument(s)
5. Separate complicated sentences into more than one proposition
6. See if you can state the author’s argument in your own words
7. See if you can give your own example to make the same point
RULE 8. DETERMINE THE AUTHOR’S SUCCESS/FAILURE: "FIND OUT
WHAT THE AUTHOR’S SOLUTIONS ARE."
WHAT THE AUTHOR’S SOLUTIONS ARE."
No comments:
Post a Comment