Status:: #🌱 Tags:: Links:: [[Three types of reading]] ___ # The four levels of reading According to [[How To Read A Book]] there are four levels to reading: - Elementary reading: the type of reading we learn to do in school. We read ON words but we don't read BEYOND or BETWEEN the words. - [[Inspectional reading]]: reading to quickly scope out a text and inform if deeper reading should be done. Also reading through a text without pausing for at confusions so you can understand the argument in context. - [[Analytical reading]]: reading to deeply analyze a single book. There are four main chronological question stages to analytical reading: - What is the book about as a whole? - What is being said in detail and how? - Is the book true, in whole or in part? - Why is it significant? - [[Synoptical reading]]: reading by putting multiple books in conversation with each other to further discussion on a subject. It's important to note these levels of reading are cumulative. Each level of reading encompasses the lower. To analytically read, you must elementary and inspectionally read. To synoptically read you must elementary, inspectionally, and analytically read. **This is why synoptical reading is the most difficult level of reading.**