"Pre-reading a book is a sign of serious intent to understand an entire book. When you pre-read a book you are seeking to find out the overall thematic content of the book and to see how the author is structuring his/her material to develop the thematic intent."
Robert Clinton, Reading On The Run, p.40
You have made the decision to pursue a serious read of the book. The pre-read step is designed to get you familiar with the author's main thesis and structure in advancing this thesis.
The pre-read, like the scan and ransack, is a survey of the book. You should look for short-cuts to getting the author's intent. Use the dust jacket, the preface, the conclusion, the table of contents, summary headings and so forth. Do a fast read of the book as a last resort (thumbing through at a speed of no longer than 10 seconds a page).
The goal is to uncover the thematic intent. Thematic intent refers to a single statement that weaves together the main subject of the book and each major idea developed about the book. Structural intent refers to a recognition of how the author uses each portion of the book to contribute to the subject or major ideas of the book.
Clinton identifies five statements you should be able to write after your pre-read.
The end result of your pre-reading will be:
1. A statement describing the kind of book being pre-read.
2. A statement giving the author’s intent and methodology.
3. A single statement which identifies the major subject and weaves it together with the major ideas developed about the subject in the book.
4. A series of statements indicating the intent of each major section (or minor where necessary) and its contribution to either the major subject of the book or major ideas about the
book.
5. An evaluation of miscellaneous helps (e.g. indices, bibliography, footnotes, glossary)
You should write out these five answers.
Your pre-read will set you up to do an in-depth reading. After your in-depth reading, you may need to revise your statements.
Pre-reading, perhaps more than any of the other steps in the continuum, takes the most practice. It is difficult to get a thesis down to a simple statement. Also, some books are not well organized and it becomes arduous to dig out the purpose of a chapter without resorting to reading it. For those kinds of books, move through quickly and use a pencil to make a mark in the margin when you come to what looks like major points or conclusions. Those will help you dig out the purpose for the chapter. If the chapters are not naturally grouped together in sections, take a shot at trying to group them (in step 4).
You are now ready to do the in-depth read.
Comments