How to Read a Book #3
In which I discuss Mortimer Adler's classic guide to intelligent reading
Exploring the Stories of Our Lives
“The goal a reader seeks - be it entertainment, information, or understanding - determines the way he reads.” - Mortimer Adler
This is the third and final article in a series exploring the classic How to Read A Book by Mortimer Adler. While some of the material is dated, its guidance maintains its value. All quoted material is taken directly from the text.1 It is important to remember from the first chapter that Adler’s lessons in this book apply primarily to those books that increase our understanding. Reading for entertainment does not necessarily utilize all these tools. If you are just joining us, the previous articles in the series are linked below.
Part 2, Chapter 6 – The Third Level of Reading: Analytical Reading
Many readers aspire, in the ordinary course of their lives, to that level of reading known as Analytical Reading. While not the most advanced form of reading, it is sufficiently developed to give readers a detailed understanding of an individual work. Additionally, this level typically refers to reading whole books as these pose the most challenges for readers. Analytical Reading can be applied to other materials in a lesser way with some modifications.
This level is broken down into two stages, each with four rules.
Rule #1 – You must know what kind of book you are reading, and you should know as early in the process as possible, preferably before you begin to read.
The most basic delineation to ask is whether we are reading fiction (novel, play, short story, poem, etc.…) or reading an expository work (primarily concerned with conveying knowledge or understanding.) This rule is beneficial concerning non-fictional expository works and begins with an inspectional reading described in the Second Level of Reading.
Our inspectional reading should help us further determine the kind of book we are reading, and here, we are looking specifically at whether the book is practical or theoretical.
Practical books discuss things that work in some way. They are concerned with applying knowledge, solving problems, knowing how to do something, teaching us how to do something, or discussing what we should or how to do it.
Theoretical books discuss something to be seen or understood. They are concerned with communicating knowledge, knowing that something is true, and teaching that something is the case.
We might wonder why it is essential to classify the kind of book we are reading. The answer is that we must be responsive to the writer. Since different types of writing require different kinds of responses and engagement with the material, we must learn to read each type of book in its appropriate manner to be able to respond appropriately.
Part 2, Chapter 7 – X-Raying a Book
“Every book has a skeleton hidden between its covers. Your job as an analytical reader is to find it.”
To understand what a book is about, we must be able to look at it with X-ray eyes, look beneath the surface, and understand its structure.
Rule #2 - State the unity of the whole book in a single sentence, or at most a few sentences.
It is crucial to say what the book is about as briefly as possible. If we can do this, then we have grasped the work's unity, which is the key to unlocking the author’s more profound thoughts in what they have written.
Rule #3 – Set forth the book's major parts and show how these are organized into a whole by being ordered to one another and the unity of the whole.
The best way to think about this is to imagine a house. Every house has many different rooms, each with an independent purpose. The house has an internal structure that connects all the separate rooms and their purpose to one another, creating a unified whole.
In the same way, a great book is an architectural achievement. Each chapter may function like the room of a house, but within each chapter, there may be further subdivisions of ideas. Our goal is more than simply an enumeration of these parts. We want to be able to outline them and understand their purpose and subordinate complexities.
Adler goes on to explain how reading and writing are reciprocal arts. Whereas the writer starts with a skeleton of an idea or concept and then tries to cover it up with details, the reader sees the details first and attempts to uncover the skeleton the author has concealed within the work. When the writing has unity, clarity, and coherence, the author’s ideas will be communicated effectively to the reader, allowing knowledge transfer.
Rule #4 – Find out what the author’s problems were.
What is the central question the book is trying to answer, and what is the author trying to do by writing the book? We are not attempting to psychoanalyze the author here but rather understand the problem they are trying to solve.
Part 2, Chapter 8 – Coming to terms with the author
The second stage of analytical writing is one of the most complex aspects of advanced reading, and we should note these four rules apply almost exclusively to expository writing.
A term is the fundamental element of communicable knowledge and must be used unambiguously. Language contains many words, and an individual word may have multiple meanings. Likewise, numerous words may have the same meaning. Therefore, we need to come to terms with the author, i.e. agree on the specific meaning of words and phrases to ensure the communication of knowledge takes place. Where there is unresolved ambiguity in communication, there is no communication or, at best, incomplete communication. Coming to terms is the ideal to which writer and reader should strive.
Rule #5 – Find the essential words and, through them, come to terms with the author.
“If language were a perfect medium for thought…if words could not be used ambiguously…language would be a diaphanous medium. The reader would see straight through the writer’s words to the content of their mind.”
Coming to terms with an author starts with identifying which words in a text are most important. These are usually the words we struggle to understand, but not always. The author will use language to the best of their ability to convey meaning and knowledge. Since every field of expertise has its technical vocabulary, everything begins to tie together. Knowing what type of book we are reading, understanding the topic, knowing the questions the author wants to answer, and grasping the specific terms of that subject matter are all critical components in transferring knowledge from author to reader.
Part 2, chapter 9 – Determining an author’s message
“The greatest error you can make in applying these rules is to suppose that a one-to-one relationship exists between the elements of language and those of thought or knowledge.”
Once we have grasped the author's terms, we must learn to determine the message they are trying to convey. Here, we examine the difference between sentences and propositions.
A sentence can be interrogative, declarative, or filler information. A single sentence could contain multiple propositions. A proposition is an answer to a question, a declaration of knowledge or opinion.
In differentiating between the two, it is vital to have a good understanding of grammar and to be concerned with the order of words in sentences. If words, sentences, and paragraphs are opaque, they become a barrier to communication. Our goal is to penetrate beneath the surface of language to gain a broader understanding of our topic.
Rule #6 - Mark the most important sentences in a book and discover the propositions they contain.
Finding the key sentences can be challenging, but usually, they are the ones that are most difficult for us to understand. We must approach this task from the author’s perspective. Meaningful sentences are those upon which his whole argument rests.
“The heart of the author’s communications lies in the major affirmations and denials he is making and the reasons he gives for doing so.”
Some authors will assist the reader by underlining, bolding, or italicizing to highlight the critical sentences. However, many readers will still go slowly over the wrong sentences. They pause over the sentences that interest them rather than those that puzzle them. It is essential to be perplexed while reading.
To find the author's propositions, use surrounding sentences for context to elucidate the more complex ideas. When we can restate the idea in our own words, that is a key indicator that we understand the material.
Rule #7 - Locate or construct the basic arguments in the book by finding them in the connection of sentences.
An argument is a sequence of propositions, some giving reasons for another. A good author usually summarizes their arguments at the end of a chapter, but if they do not, it is up to us to discover their arguments to determine if the author has answered them.
Rule #8 - Find out what the author’s solutions are.
The previous seven rules lead us to the final rule, finding the solutions. Here, we are looking to see if the author solved the problems they set out to answer. In the process, did they raise any new questions? Were any questions left unanswered, and if so, was the author aware?
If you started with a book over your head and have completed these eight steps, you have come a long way toward analyzing the book. Next time, we will explore how we, the readers, can question the author by asking questions about the text.
Chapters 10-21 - The rest of the story
Over the course of three articles, we explored the first half of this classic work. Those chapters discuss the first three levels of reading which can be widely applied to most readers who want to achieve an elevated skill in reading and understanding. Chapters 10-19 explore specific situations in which Analytic Reading is applied and the nuances involved in each of those scenarios. Chapters 20-21 discuss the fourth level of reading, Syntopical Reading. Since the second half of the book is going to apply to very few people or to some people situationally, I will leave it to you to pick up this ready reference and peruse those sections as desired.
I believe that Adler was a very intelligent individual and a reader of the highest caliber. His seminal work How to Read a Book has been appreciated by scholars and lay readers alike for many years. It is worth picking up a used copy and having it on your shelf as a reference to refer to now and again throughout your reading life.
Until next time…
How to Read a Book: The Classic Guide to Intelligent Reading by Mortimer J. Adler & Charles Van Doren. Published 1972 by Simon & Schuster.
“In the same way, a great book is an architectural achievement. Each chapter may function like the room of a house, but within each chapter, there may be further subdivisions of ideas.”
I really resonated with the points made in chapter 7! I struggle horrendously to remember the content of nonfiction books, so a family friend recommended writing down a summary of each chapter before moving onto the next. I did that last year with a political history book, and it helped a lot actually. I don’t remember every major point, but I can remember the main ideas of each section. Thanks for sharing these tips, Matthew!
Thank you for this wonderful summary of great book. It’s good to think about how we read books and how to get the most out of them.