Reading Difficult Texts
Contents Writing Tips Who to Read?
| Explicit (factual) Reading | Implicit (implied) Reading | Philosophical (or theoretical) Reading | Interpretive (response) Reading | Application (action) Reading |
| What is the author literally saying?
Stick to the facts of the text.
Look up words and concepts you don’t know | What is the author saying indirectly, figuratively metaphorically?
Look at structure, examples, word choice, argument. | What are the author’s assumptions?
What is the author’s perspective?
How does the text connect to philosophical traditions, turns, developments? | What is your interpretation?
Use examples from the text to support your claims. | What actions are appropriate given the text?
How does the author inspire you? |