How do you guys read quickly?

[boomah]

Since most of y'all are students of literature, how do you read quickly? (Novels/papers/essays/books etc.)

 

Sometimes I feel that I read too slowly. If I force myself to read fast, I'm bound to miss important details.

 

Any tips or techniques?

[Kamisha]

I don’t read articles quickly, so I pre-read first and it makes me move a lot quicker. I mean that I read the intro, conclusion, topic sentences, and any bolded or italicized phrases, then go back and read the whole thing. It helps with reading comprehension and helps to guide your reading.

[elizabethevrhrt]

I don't read articles quickly either, but I like was Kamisha suggested!

 

When I have to read novels quickly, I read words in small groupings, about five - eight words per group depending on the size of the words. If I see anything that seems like it matters, I slow down and read each word.

Edited February 20, 2014 by elizabethevrhrt

[andrewcycs]

I don't read quickly either!! I feel if anything English people read slower in order to find meaning.

I usually do a once through to get a feel for the shape of whatever it is I'm reading and then I read again in order to garner more details I find important!

[jazzyd]

I don't. Trying to improve on that. For now it's just a matter of budgeting enough time to get it all done... or at least enough done to fake it! 

[toasterazzi]

I took a speed reading class in high school, and while I don't remember all the details of the techniques they taught us, the main thing I'd say I still do is skip a lot of the inconsequential words and rely a lot on context clues. Granted, that doesn't always work as well for complex journal articles and theory, but novels usually go by fairly quickly. I've also found that I read faster on my Kindle than I read actual hard copies.

[brod]

I like all the suggestions of the above posters and use many of the same methods.  To add to that, I've also learned to speed read by means of various online courses, videos.  I was compelled to learn speed reading on account of another graduate student in my MA program who always impressed me with his ability to read all the material for each week with reasonable understanding.  As a new graduate student I often felt overly rushed to keep up with the required reading and could only glance at some of the articles, essays, novels.  This student consistently appeared to not only have read the material but was able to demonstrate this by speaking to it in classroom discussions with insight. His secret: speed reading!   

 

Speed reading is wonderful for articles and essays, as well as general reading you might do online - newspaper articles etc. However, it's not as helpful in reading the types of novels you're likely to encounter in upper level literature classes as these novels are not written in the style or with the same sort of intellectual clarity as modern scholarly research.  These novels are written as, well, novels and therefore tend to require nuanced, close readings to reveal their inner-workings and subtleties.  As for novels, I try to do as much work up front as possible, such as reading through any appropriate wikipedia articles as well as any other summaries I can get a hold of. Afterwards, I use the speed reading method whenever possible while novel reading.  All this is only for reading that must be done or self-study or something of general interest, meaning, I also do just sit down and read novels for enjoyment, wherein I take my time; however, when it comes to the pressure of reading for a class I can't recommend enough the use of any comprehension strategies one finds useful.

Edited February 20, 2014 by brod

[Between Fields]

Honestly, I use a lot of summaries and read critical sources before I read the novel that's assigned, to help me go for key ideas. Reading every single word of Sidney's Arcadia is... unnecessary. 

[ProfLorax]

The most helpful tip I've received from my current and former professors is that I should learn what to read, what to skim, and what to skip. Several professors pointed out that at the PhD level, assigned coursework reading is secondary to my own research. So, when I'm reading for class, I look at the abstract, closely read the introduction. From there, I decide if I am going to just skim through and find the main ideas, or spend more time really absorbing the article and thinking about how it applies to my own research questions.

 

Also, I annotate the crap out of anything I read. That may take up more time in the initial read, but it saves time during class discussions and my writing. 

[iExcelAtMicrosoftPuns]

Why read quick when you have a time machine that is bigger on the inside? 

I like to take my time. Annotate. Yeah... just make more time.  

[shortstack51]

I've always been a quick reader, thankfully. I've developed a method where I can "automatic read," where I read (usually novels) while also being able to think about something else. When something particularly interesting happens, I stop and go back and read in more detail. Journal articles and theory take me forever, though. I have also learned that most people don't actually do 100% of the reading, which lowered my anxiety.

[Between Fields]

My thesis advisor told me that she was shocked to learn that one woman had actually read the entire scholarly book that came out of her dissertation.

[boomah]

Hey thanks everyone for the replies! They were quite helpful. So, basically: Don't read fast, know what you should be reading, skip/skim what's of limited interest, do previous research. 

 

brod, do you have any recommendations for particularly helpful online videos?

[brod]

boomah, this is one of the online resources I found most helpful: 

 

Edited February 20, 2014 by brod

[crazyhappy]

I have 5 kids ranging from a baby to a 9 year old.  I think I personally tended to not realize how much I procrastinated (I would get up and get something, check something  . . .) until I had all of these kids.  Now I must make every free second count without getting distracted.  I usually start with a summary of what I need to read (if I can find one) and then make sure to use every second I have.  

 

*Note: Procrastinating or getting distracted  without realizing it was my problem with reading and writing; I'm not implying that it is anyone else's

 

ETA:  I also find those post it strips that I can put exactly on important phrases or info very helpful.

Edited February 20, 2014 by crazyhappy

[NowMoreSerious]

http://bigthink.com/videos/literary-criticism-the-art-of-slowing-down

[ExponentialDecay]

Granted, that doesn't always work as well for complex journal articles and theory

 

on the contrary, theory and journal articles are the easiest to read quickly. those pesky novelists tend to hide their greatest insights in the most innocuous scenes, whereas in your average journal article, you can get away with reading the introduction, conclusion, noting down who was namedropped, and improvising the rest. the other day, i gave an hour presentation on the multicultural politics of seyla benhabib while knowing nothing but what i read in a 2-page book review.

Edited February 23, 2014 by exponentialdecay

[davidipse]

on the contrary, theory and journal articles are the easiest to read quickly. those pesky novelists tend to hide their greatest insights in the most innocuous scenes, whereas in your average journal article, you can get away with reading the introduction, conclusion, noting down who was namedropped, and improvising the rest. the other day, i gave an hour presentation on the multicultural politics of seyla benhabib while knowing nothing but what i read in a 2-page book review.

 

May I stamp this with an unsolicited seal of confirmation, agreement, and approval. I don't know how (I do actually know but am making a rhetorical point)— I don't know how so many people have somehow come to the conclusion that theory and criticism are somehow "harder" to get than literary prose (or verse).