Mortimer Adler describes four levels of reading:  Elementary Reading, Inspectional Reading, Analytical Reading and Synoptical Reading.   Our Great Books Discussion group embarked on a shared journey, in an attempt to digest Adler’s philosophy and prescribed techniques.   My previous entries summarized the stages of Elementary Reading and Inspectional Reading.  As Adler details the three stages of Analytical Reading, I find myself asking, “Is this detailed dissection of a perfectly good book really necessary?”  Adler dedicates several chapters in How to Read a Book to Analytical Reading.  He painstakingly examines a variety of elements in a book.  A resulting list of guidelines summarizes the first stage of Analytical Reading:

Rule #1:  You must know what kind of book you are reading, preferably before you read it.

Rule #2:  State the unity of the whole book in a single sentence or short paragraph.

Rule #3:  Outline the major parts of the book in their order and relation.

Rule #4:  Define the problem(s) the author is trying to solve.

I have to keep reminding myself, Adler is not proposing my romantic novels are worthy of such discernment.  However, if we are reading to learn, and we yearn to make a particular book part of our knowledge base, it is a worthy endeavor to learn the three stages of Analytical Reading. 

Finding out what a book is about is the first stage.  Suggestions include “pigeon-holing” a book.  Is it fiction, expository, practical or theoretical?  Adler uses the analogy of x-raying a book to describe outlining the skeleton of a book and its salient points.  Finally, begin asking questions about the author’s intent on writing the book, his perspective on issues to be resolved, and the adequacy with which he treats the subject as a whole.

I found the most interesting point in Chapter # 7 to be the reciprocal relationship of reading and writing.  Where reading is to uncover the skeletal outline which a book conceals; writing is building artistic layers upon an ordered theme.  A writer needs to craft a message which embodies unity, clarity and coherence.  These are the building blocks which strengthen the writer’s message.  Thus it follows, if we become better analytical readers, we can similtaneously become better writers.                                                                                                                 

Chapter #1 – my response notes

Chapter #2 – my response notes

Chapter #3 & #4 – my response notes

Chapter #5 – my response notes

Related Tags: Great Books, literature, Mortimer Adler, analytic reading