Knowing the author and his/her organization also helps you understand the book’s intellectual context. This includes the academic discipline(s) from which it draws, schools of thought within that discipline, and others who agree with or oppose the author’s viewpoint.
You’ll understand a book much better if you can figure out what, and who, it is answering — since a book is almost always partly one writer’s response to other writers. Pay special attention to points where the author tells you directly that s/he is disagreeing with other writers: “Conventional wisdom holds that x, but I argue instead that y.” (Is x really conventional wisdom? Among what group of people?) “Famous Joe Scholar says that x, but I believe that y.” (Who’s Famous Joe, and why do other people believe him? How plausible are x and y? Is the author straining to find something original to say, or has s/he genuinely convinced you that Famous Joe is wrong?)
Equally important are the people and writings the author cites in support of his/her arguments.
10) Use your unconscious mind.
An awful lot of thinking and processing goes on when you’re not aware of it. Just as with writing or any other creative thought process, full understanding of a book takes time to develop. The mind, like the body, can also get tired, especially when doing just one thing for many hours. Your ability to comprehend and retain what you read drops off dramatically after a couple of hours.
Therefore, you should read a book in several short sessions of one to two hours apiece, rather than one long marathon. If you follow the method given here, you’ll go through the entire book at each session. In between, your unconscious mind will process some of what you’ve read.
When you come back for the next session, start by asking yourself what you remember from your previous reading, what you think of it so far, and what you still need to learn.
11) Rehearse, and use multiple modes.
After you’ve read the book, rehearse what you’ve learned. Quiz yourself on its contents. Argue with the author. Imagine how you would defend the author’s position in your own writing.
The best forms of rehearsal use multiple modes of thinking. Don’t just contemplate privately. Instead, talk about the book with others. Bring it up in classes. Write about it. Visualize anything that can be visualized about its contents.
Using different modes of thought helps fix your memory and integrate it into the rest of your knowledge.
Knowing the author and his/her organization also helps you understand the book’s intellectual context. This includes the academic discipline(s) from which it draws, schools of thought within that discipline, and others who agree with or oppose the author’s viewpoint.You’ll understand a book much better if you can figure out what, and who, it is answering — since a book is almost always partly one writer’s response to other writers. Pay special attention to points where the author tells you directly that s/he is disagreeing with other writers: “Conventional wisdom holds that x, but I argue instead that y.” (Is x really conventional wisdom? Among what group of people?) “Famous Joe Scholar says that x, but I believe that y.” (Who’s Famous Joe, and why do other people believe him? How plausible are x and y? Is the author straining to find something original to say, or has s/he genuinely convinced you that Famous Joe is wrong?)Equally important are the people and writings the author cites in support of his/her arguments.10) Use your unconscious mind.An awful lot of thinking and processing goes on when you’re not aware of it. Just as with writing or any other creative thought process, full understanding of a book takes time to develop. The mind, like the body, can also get tired, especially when doing just one thing for many hours. Your ability to comprehend and retain what you read drops off dramatically after a couple of hours.Therefore, you should read a book in several short sessions of one to two hours apiece, rather than one long marathon. If you follow the method given here, you’ll go through the entire book at each session. In between, your unconscious mind will process some of what you’ve read.When you come back for the next session, start by asking yourself what you remember from your previous reading, what you think of it so far, and what you still need to learn.11) Rehearse, and use multiple modes.After you’ve read the book, rehearse what you’ve learned. Quiz yourself on its contents. Argue with the author. Imagine how you would defend the author’s position in your own writing.The best forms of rehearsal use multiple modes of thinking. Don’t just contemplate privately. Instead, talk about the book with others. Bring it up in classes. Write about it. Visualize anything that can be visualized about its contents.Using different modes of thought helps fix your memory and integrate it into the rest of your knowledge.
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