Getting More From the Literature You Read

Key to using the Four Levels of Reading is your intention. You have to intend learning and getting more than a surface, fun read from the class material. The following are the Four Levels of Reading:

1. Recreational: This is the sort of reading you are doing when you read a newspaper, magazine, short story, AND you are reading pretty much to be entertained. There is nothing wrong with this kind of reading, but it really won’t prepare you too well for college level discussions.

2. Overview Reading: When you are lightly skimming through the book, getting an idea of what happens where, you are doing this reading. It is a good idea to do this when encountering totally new concepts or ideas.This is a good idea when you are reading a new chapter in a textbook.

3. ACTIVE: Through Reading: Use this for reading course material. Read slowly and systematically to allow your brain to process the information.

• When you are reading actively, it is a good idea to read with a pen in hand, and take notes as you go along. This will allow you to stay focused on the information/story you are reading.
• Note the ways author plays with language, and introduces new vampire characteristics into the genre.
• Look for distinct themes in the work.
• See how the plot progresses.
• Take a look at the characters and note how they interact with each other, what sort of people they are (you should note more than "nice" or "evil"). How exactly has the author created them to create that idea in your head? What language has he/she chosen to use? What words have been used -- and no, a good writer doesn't just let random words fall into their creation, they craft it very carefully -- to create their story and create that impression upon you?
• What is the setting, and why did they chose to set their work there? What in the setting creates the atmosphere where the character's interact?
• See how the author’s word choice works to create tone, voice, and the overall world you are entering.

4. Comparative Reading: Read two or more approaches to the same topic or subject, and compare the ways the two are similar or different. For instance, in one of the many anthologies of vampire stories, what specific tools has the author used to set their created world apart from the pack? Being part of the pack is not cool here. They want to create an "A" story, one unique enough to be remembered.