Overview
Reading for meaning and argument is different than reading for pleasure. In academia, we want to read to get the most out of a source as quickly as possible. This process will defer depending on the type of source you are reading, and it often times involves more active thinking than you would typically do while reading for pleasure.
The two primary types of sources are secondary sources and primary source. Primary sources are written by an author who experienced the period or events under study or is the closest available source to the period or event under study. These sources include letters, memoirs, diaries, autobiographies, diplomatic papers, novels, etc. Secondary sources, however, use primary sources to study an event or period. We call them secondary because they rely on primary sources. They are two degrees away from the event or period. For instance, a textbook, article, and a monograph on the Fall of Rome are all secondary sources. It is important to recognize that the difference between a primary source and a secondary source is not a matter of genre. Instead, it is a function of the relationship between the author and the subject under study. For instance, Edward Gibbon’s The Decline and Fall of Rome is a secondary source writte in the 18th century about the fall of the Roman Empire. Historians of the Roman Empire might read it for information on the Roman Empire to understand what has already been said. In contrast, a historian of the 18th century might read Edward Gibbon as a primary source to explore how people in the 18th century viewed and related to the Classical past in thier own time. What did Rome mean to them? Depending on how the historians is planning on using the text will change their approach to reading it. The Classicist or historian of Rome will read Gibbon much differently than the 18th centuryist would. Let’s explore how to read a secondary source first.
How to Read Secondary sources
When you read in college, you will be asked to read texts to digest their argument. This approach differs from what is taught in primary and secondary school. Typically, we were taught to read a text for information, that we need to understand the entire text and read it carefully for all the facts and information it contains. This approach is perfectly valid under certain circumstances, for instance while reading a textbook for content. Reading for argument differs significantly from reading for content. Every non-fiction text has an argument. The argument is the purpose of a text. It is not just providing raw information. It organizes that information in a specific way and chooses which information to include based on the argument the author is trying to convey. The argument is the primary point the author wants the reader to accept when they are finished reading. When we read for the argument, the goal is to understand what the argument is, how the author makes the argument (what is the logic used to establish the argument), and what evidence does the author use to substantiate the argument.
When reading for argument, some paragraphs will be more important than others, and some sentences are more important than others. The introduction and the conclusion are the most important parts of the text. This where the arguments is going to be located explicitly. In addition, the author will likely indicate why the argument is significant in these locations as well.
Do not lose the forest through the trees.
In summary, feel free to skim the text when reading for argument. When skimming, you should:
- Read the introduction and conclusion with particular care to understand the argument and its significance. Some people even choose to read these two sections first.
- Focus on topic sentences of paragraphs.
- Read enough of each paragraph to understand its role in the argument. What is the main point of the paragraph? How does it support that point? This process can involve reading only a few sentences or the whole paragraph.
- Remember all sentences are not created equal, just as all paragraphs are not created equal. Location is a major indicator of significance.
- Remember not all authors write the same. Some might bury main points that make reading for argument more work while others have very good, concise topic sentences that make it really easy.
I do not expect you to read every word or even every sentence of a text. Instead, I expect you to read the text in a way that allows you to understand the argument and how the author supports that argument. The point is to see the entire forest, not to be able to describe every tree that is in it. Often when we focus too much on each individual tree, we miss what the forest looks like.
Further Reading on reading secondary sources:
How to Read Primary Sources
Reading primary sources is not the same as reading secondary sources. Here you are expected to read closely and carefully. Typically, you will read every sentence and every word.
- Who is the author?
- Why are they writing this text?
- Who are they writing the text for? Who is the intended audience? How does that impact the text?
- Does the author have a vested interest in the topic? Does that impact their message?
Often times in history we need to read against the grain, which is a process of reading a source for unintended information. Whenever an author writes, they write from a perspective of