/lit/ - Literature

[Anonymous No.16136520]

I really like to read, and I understand the books I read and think about them, but if someone asked me about what I've read I wouldn't be able to tell you much more about it than a summary and the basic themes. I that normal? how do I change this?

[Anonymous No.16136531]

Depends. Is it fiction? Yeah then it‘s bad you can‘t summarize the plot and characters.
If it is non-fiction then maybe the concept is just extremely hard to put into words and summarize and the people asking would do better to just read it themselves.

[Anonymous No.16136545]

>>16136520
Tell us about a book you've read that you claim to understand.

[Anonymous No.16136554]

>>16136520
just read and move on some things will stick others will not who gives a shit about explaining it to some random faggot

[Anonymous No.16136584]

>>16136520
If it’s a good book, it’s something that can’t be conveyed just talking

[Anonymous No.16136625]

>>16136520
Most people only care about basic themes. Very unlikely you'll encounter someone who will derive much interest in you expanding upon deeper themes in the literature in question.

But if you care about more than conversational functionality, then it is normal to retain limited information on a book you've read through once. You'd only know more sophisticated themes and be able to describe them to others if you studied the text in depth.

[Anonymous No.16136706]

>>16136520
write essays and self quizzes on them after reading

[Anonymous No.16136998]

>>16136520
It's hard to talk about a book (if you view reading as an experience) with someone who hasn't read it. You won't have common reference points and, if you try to further explain them, you might spoil the book for them. Also, aside from an academic setting, you don't need to able to write a full essay on a piece of literature. Going that in depth into a written work outside of your own amusement would be pointless.

Imo if a piece of work has affected you in some way or changed your worldview it's way more important to articulate why and how that happened over trying to write some indepth character study or something. Most people would be more interested in how you've been personally affected by the work than the lifestory of some fictional character.

[Anonymous No.16137058]

it's common not to retain all but broad strokes if you never reflected upon or used the knowledge.

try summarising a text in your own words after you've read it.

[Anonymous No.16137114]

For a more in depth look at how to read books analytically, you could have a read of the book "How to Read a Book" by Mortimer Adler. The book goes over what questions you should ask when reading depending on the type of reading material, whether it be an expository work like a practical writing, or an imaginative work like a novel or poem. Just finished the book and feel like I learned a few things I can use when I read. If you read analytically you will have a better understanding of what you read and will be able to articulate your thoughts on a book much better.

[Anonymous No.16137180]

>>16136520
read secondary literature on the stuff you've enjoyed. i spent far too long not doing this because i thought it would interfere with my naturally-formed opinions. but it doesnt, it just helps you articulate better what is going on in the works. secondary lit is basically effortposts.

[Anonymous No.16137184]

>>16137114
I read that book awhile ago and I felt like it didn't give much advice in the way of reading fiction. Like the only takeaway I remember is that you should read through fiction in one sitting or as few sittings as possible.

[Anonymous No.16138069]

>>16137180
do you mean like book reviews?

[Anonymous No.16139278]

>>16137184
it also mentions that you should try to really dissolve yourself into their world to try to see things from the MCs perspective and not to criticize it like how you would a regular expository book

[Anonymous No.16139423]

>>16137184
Why, because It's supposedly a waste of time?

[Anonymous No.16139473]

>>16138069
oh no sorry i mean like, fully published books that are about the influences and themes of a writer or a work, biographies of the writer, things like that.

[Anonymous No.16139495]

>>16136545
Seconded