Reading culture: how to understand complex books. Fiction
We continue to talk about the culture of reading. Last time we discussed how to read non-fiction. In this article, we will tell you about fiction: how to read correctly, what to look for, and how to criticize.
The main difference between nonfiction literature and fiction is that the former teaches which can be found on kitabnagri.pk and communicates, while the latter creates the mood. Because of these differences, authors use the literary language differently.
The author of a work of art seeks to put as many hidden meanings as possible in his words in order to achieve the richness and power of images.
The scientist appreciates the accuracy of meaning in words klusster.com/portfolios/crisslyn/contents/213338. The logic of a scientific text strives for the ideal of clarity and unambiguity. Fictional text is based on what is said rather than what is said. That is why there are completely different rules for high-quality reading of fiction.
Rules for reading fiction
The American philosopher and teacher Mortimer Adler, the author of How to Read Books, tried to formulate the rules for fiction books. Here they are.
1. Do not try to find the "main idea"
A school habit that is incredibly difficult to get rid of is to look for the "main idea" everywhere wizdeck.teachable.com/blog/269839/why-fiction-reading. In fact, if you have read at least a dozen of literary texts, you may notice that they are not primarily didactic. No great work can be reduced to a sweetened morality, as they try to convince us. And if The Grapes of Wrath is good literature, it will remain so, despite the attitude of society towards the ideas that it preaches.
2. Don't look for terms, statements and arguments
All of these tools are related to logic, not poetry. They are characteristic of scientific texts, but they are completely alien if the language is a means of expressing something inexpressible - that is, when it is used creatively. As Mark Van Doren says, "Utterance in poetry and drama is one of the most incomprehensible means."
3. Don't Judge Fiction by Honesty Standards
Many centuries ago, Aristotle noted that “the standard of correctness is not the same in poetry and in politics,” or, for that matter, in physics and psychology. Distortion of facts and inaccuracies are unacceptable in non-fiction, but in fiction they are quite possible if the narrator manages to make it believable.
How to analyze fiction books
So you've opened a fiction book. Perhaps you are just starting to read it or have already finished. Try to parse the text in the following way.
1. Determine the genre
What's in front of you: detective, fantasy, family saga? Each genre has its own laws, so it would be nice to know how the author treats them: for example, is he a classic detective story, in the style of Agatha Christie, or does he completely break all the rules? Now many genres are mutating, which is why new interesting hybrids appear. This is how, for example, auto-fiction appeared - in this genre , Patrick Svensson's "Saga of the Eel" and Karl Uwe Knausgaard 's "Farewell" were written . So genre is something to keep in mind.
2. Retell the plot and essence
It is important to do this with one or two sentences. Sometimes a book murrayblog.tistory.com/20 is so confusing and inconsistent that you cannot understand its plot and make sense of it. And sometimes you - bam! - missed something important. Try to articulate the content as clearly as possible. By the way, here's an interesting example for you: translator Anastasia Zavozova makes lists of books she read every year and writes a short annotation to each one (here is the list for 2019). It turns out very aptly and in detail.