This is crucial. At its best, syntopical reading isn’t about collecting ideas, but about following your sense of meaning.
It’s really an act of humility: standing before a chorus of minds and listening long enough to catch the harmony hidden inside their disagreements.
When you read this way, you’re not trying to master books. You’re letting curiosity lead you toward what feels alive. Each author becomes part of a long conversation that’s been going on for centuries, and you start to notice where your own questions belong in it.
It’s slow work, but it changes how you see. Ideas stop being things you collect and start feeling like patterns you recognize. Inside yourself, and in the world around you.
Glad you brought Adler‘s book to the forefront here. I read it years ago and found it very helpful. However, his notions need to be expanded since books are no longer the most common form of reading that people encounter. Although some may howl that it’s books, books, books, and only books — and any other form of reading is to be deprecated! But that simply lives in the past, kicking against the goads… It’d be good and helpful to a brace of your readers if this substack could somehow grapple with the developing circumstance of reading. Or just ignore this comment …
Thanks for this article. I read Adler’s How to Read a Book recently and it made a great impression. One thing to note is that he describes two types of inspectional reading: systematic skimming (which you described) and superficial reading. He elaborates on superficial reading:
“The rule is simply this: In tackling a difficult book for the first time, read it through without ever stopping to look up or ponder the things you do not understand right away.”
When reading a Great Book for the first time, it’s often helpful to read through it quickly, while saving a more thorough, analytical approach for a later reading. All in all, solid article!
Very interesting read. 😉 I also wanted to share that the first painting is "A Decadent Girl, After the Dance" by Ramon Casas, in case anyone was interested. My favorite piece hanging in my home to date. ❤️
Most interesting but I wonder if that's the best image to illustrate analytical reading. It's from Coppola's annotated version of the Godfather novel, so the comments are specifically plotting the book's scene as a film scene, rather than analysing the book per se.
Thanks for writing this, it clarifies a lot. I really dig the idea of reading as an active conversaton. It makes so much sense! But sometimes, don't you just read for the pure joy or escape, not always to find the ultimate truth?
My relationship with reading has been deteriorating; however, the reading has helped me get more clarity on how I can move forward in my reading journey. I also understand why it was easy for me to read when young and why my reading takes time these days.
Brilliant synopsis. I'm going to use it as a framework for my young child who, inadvertently, uses step four to build a mind library referenced upon need. This will put everything into perspective.
I was a strong reader when I was younger, and I still think I'm decent, but I've noticed my attention span has been ruined. I'll find myself skimming five paragraphs after I started - reading is now more intentional than I remember it being as a kid. But I suppose that's a good thing. We get out of the books what we put into them. I don't think the audience was ever meant to be a passive observer.
This makes me feel so much better about being such a slow reader. I spend so much time analyzing while I read. And there’s nothing better than grabbing multiple titles on a topic and jumping through them, looking to understand.
Wow! This is a good break down. The teaching I do for GCSE English covers types 1 and 3 (a little) and it's hard to teach 3! I find I never do type 2 personally but I might try to implement it. I read a different substack this week that suggested that this type of reading helps with retention, something I'm altogether poor at.
Very cool. I didn’t know there was a word, albeit synthetic, for the kind of reading I’ve always been compelled to do. Makes me feel just slightly less weird.
A very interesting read; thanks for that. My reading habits usually stop at Level 3; only if I’m very interested in a subject - or doing research for a book idea - I go Level 4; generally in odd subjects .
With my next reads, I’ll try to be more conscientious.
This is crucial. At its best, syntopical reading isn’t about collecting ideas, but about following your sense of meaning.
It’s really an act of humility: standing before a chorus of minds and listening long enough to catch the harmony hidden inside their disagreements.
When you read this way, you’re not trying to master books. You’re letting curiosity lead you toward what feels alive. Each author becomes part of a long conversation that’s been going on for centuries, and you start to notice where your own questions belong in it.
It’s slow work, but it changes how you see. Ideas stop being things you collect and start feeling like patterns you recognize. Inside yourself, and in the world around you.
Glad you brought Adler‘s book to the forefront here. I read it years ago and found it very helpful. However, his notions need to be expanded since books are no longer the most common form of reading that people encounter. Although some may howl that it’s books, books, books, and only books — and any other form of reading is to be deprecated! But that simply lives in the past, kicking against the goads… It’d be good and helpful to a brace of your readers if this substack could somehow grapple with the developing circumstance of reading. Or just ignore this comment …
Thanks for this article. I read Adler’s How to Read a Book recently and it made a great impression. One thing to note is that he describes two types of inspectional reading: systematic skimming (which you described) and superficial reading. He elaborates on superficial reading:
“The rule is simply this: In tackling a difficult book for the first time, read it through without ever stopping to look up or ponder the things you do not understand right away.”
When reading a Great Book for the first time, it’s often helpful to read through it quickly, while saving a more thorough, analytical approach for a later reading. All in all, solid article!
Very interesting read. 😉 I also wanted to share that the first painting is "A Decadent Girl, After the Dance" by Ramon Casas, in case anyone was interested. My favorite piece hanging in my home to date. ❤️
Most interesting but I wonder if that's the best image to illustrate analytical reading. It's from Coppola's annotated version of the Godfather novel, so the comments are specifically plotting the book's scene as a film scene, rather than analysing the book per se.
Thanks for writing this, it clarifies a lot. I really dig the idea of reading as an active conversaton. It makes so much sense! But sometimes, don't you just read for the pure joy or escape, not always to find the ultimate truth?
My relationship with reading has been deteriorating; however, the reading has helped me get more clarity on how I can move forward in my reading journey. I also understand why it was easy for me to read when young and why my reading takes time these days.
Brilliant synopsis. I'm going to use it as a framework for my young child who, inadvertently, uses step four to build a mind library referenced upon need. This will put everything into perspective.
I was a strong reader when I was younger, and I still think I'm decent, but I've noticed my attention span has been ruined. I'll find myself skimming five paragraphs after I started - reading is now more intentional than I remember it being as a kid. But I suppose that's a good thing. We get out of the books what we put into them. I don't think the audience was ever meant to be a passive observer.
adler is an icon
This makes me feel so much better about being such a slow reader. I spend so much time analyzing while I read. And there’s nothing better than grabbing multiple titles on a topic and jumping through them, looking to understand.
Wow! This is a good break down. The teaching I do for GCSE English covers types 1 and 3 (a little) and it's hard to teach 3! I find I never do type 2 personally but I might try to implement it. I read a different substack this week that suggested that this type of reading helps with retention, something I'm altogether poor at.
Very cool. I didn’t know there was a word, albeit synthetic, for the kind of reading I’ve always been compelled to do. Makes me feel just slightly less weird.
I like checking for a truth process, which is missing nowadays but is foundation for critical thinking.
A very interesting read; thanks for that. My reading habits usually stop at Level 3; only if I’m very interested in a subject - or doing research for a book idea - I go Level 4; generally in odd subjects .
With my next reads, I’ll try to be more conscientious.
This is absolutely insane. This is literally a 3 credit graduate course worth thousands, in one article. My friend—Well. Done.
...and thank you.