Question

This is a study technique question more than anything else -

I have a large amount of reading to accomplish in a short period of time, and each assignment is for dense classic lit that takes concentration to really absorb. As a result, I tend to read these assignments very slowly - which means I end up cutting deadlines pretty close.

Does anyone have any suggestions for reading thick texts in a quicker amount of time?

Answer 1

My recommendation, if you have such a short period of time, is to first scan-read, read the books looking for setting, main events, main characters, main changes of plot direction and get an overall feel for the personalities of the characters. Don't waste time marveling at the beautiful prose or getting emotionally involved in the story. Make notes about these key things (setting, events, characters, etc) chapter by chapter or with pg numbers so that you will later still be able to recall the overall flow of the story and the essentials of what happened.

I have found resources like Cliff Notes and Spark Notes useful at times like this, since they summarize for you all of the characters, relationships, key quotes, and they summarize the flow of the story, including symbols and themes. After reading one of these sources, if available, you can then scan the book even more quickly.

If these resources are not available, you can still get an awful lot out of scanning. I have done this before by setting myself a specific amount of time per chapter per book, since you know how much time you have. Make them pretty short, because it is still advantageous to actually read as many of the books as you can. If you are scanning or reading, and you find entire paragraphs that are not useful (like someone expounding on the raising of sheep, for example), skip it. It is not likely to be important.

If some of what you are reading is non-fiction, here is an interesting article on how to quickly get through it: http://pne.people.si.umich.edu/PDF/howtoread.pdf

Good luck!

Answer 2

Thanks so much for the feedback. I think this will work much better for me - to first scan read, then go back and read at my own pace without having to worry about catching each detail. That way even if I do end up taking forever to read it in full at my own pace, I'll have the info. I need to participate in class. Thanks again.

Answer 3

You're welcome. Good luck! I think you will refine the technique as you use it to fit your style.