In this continuing series, I provide concrete dos and don’ts for a variety of writing and reading practices.
Do THIS: Read the introduction to an article / chapter provided by the editors.
Not THAT: Ignore everything in the book but the assigned reading.
Explanation: This is a companion to the previous entry in the series.
If I wanted to drive to Lookout Mountain, GA from my home in Fountain Inn, SC, it would be silly not to look at a map, either before I leave home or during my trip to check my progress.
The prefatory notes provided in your textbooks are a map. They point out the destination and even mark some interesting sites worth seeing along the way.
In other words, the prefatory notes should give you the main idea from your reading. If you read those notes first, you’ll enter the piece knowing what’s most important and what points are complementary at best or not worth remembering at worst. If you read those notes after you’re done reading (another legitimate practice), you’ll have something to compare your own sense of the assignment against.
If your interpretation of the reading assignment clashes with the introductory notes, fantastic! ! You have something interesting to write about. If your interpretation of the reading assignment is in concert, congratulations! Write down the supporting pieces of evidence that confirm the conclusions both you and the prefatory note writers have reached.
The introductory material is a road map. No, looking at Google Maps directions to Lookout Mountain, GA is not the same as driving those windy Georgia backroads, but I’m much more likely to get to my destination if I use the guide than if I try to go it alone.