《How to Read a Book》ⅩⅤ

The other half

不知道大家的圣诞节过得怎么样，可能是我是老了，蹦不动了。。。。

《How to Read a Book》ⅩⅤ

From this chapter, we can learn:

There are, as we have seen, three groups of rules for reading expository books.

The first set consists of rules for discovering the unity and part-whole structure;

the second consists of rules for analyzing the whole into its component terms, propositions, and arguments;

the third consists of rules for criticizing the author's doctrine so that we can reach an intelligent agreement or disagreement with him.

We have called these three groups of 

rules structural, interpretive, and

critical. If there is any analogy at all

between reading expository and

imaginative books, we should be able

to find similar sets of rules to guide us

in the latter case. 

Then to sum up,

Ability to read anything well may be 

the goal, but the goal does not indicate

the best place to begin acquiring the

art.

        For the same reason, reading good 

books, or better, the great books, is the

recipe for those who would learn to

read. 

        The place to begin, then, is on the 

great books. They are so apt tor the

purpose, it is almost as if they were

written for the sake of teaching people

how to read. They stand to the

problem of learning how to read

almost as water does to the business of

learning how to swim.

(continuing…)