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Reading a lot it satisfies some desire to categorize what I’ve read,
what I’ve learned, just as it is to categorize books for my own library system.
(I use a combination of subject and chronological order. This still leaves many
questions unsettled: which books should have the best showcase – the most
impressive looking (the coffee table books) or the most valuable (which are
usually not the most impressive looking); questions of subject – is Augustine
theology or literature (his Confessions are both); and which books have to be
boxed up because I can’t fit any more bookcases in my apartment?) Categorizing
led me to think about reading for breadth, rather than to specialize my
interest, as is one of the goals of the liberal arts education – to study a
breadth of subjects, to gain some breadth of knowledge. The result is a reading
plan I have developed and practiced since June, 2015. I have categorized Three
Motifs of Learning and Five Methods of Learning:
Motifs of Learning
1.
Science and Social Science
2.
Philosophy and Theology
3.
Arts and Literature
Methods of Learning
1.
Informational
2.
Motivational
3.
Theoretical
4.
Lyrical
5.
Narrative
The plan is to read four texts at a time. They should fit under different
categories as shown above. I try to read one from each Motif of Learning and
the fourth text may fall under any. I try to pick books that differ in Method of
Learning. I may read a work of literature – poetry (3.4) or fiction (3.5); a
history book (1.1); a work of theology (2.1, 2.2 or 2.3); and a book of
literary criticism (3.1 or 3.3).
When designing the plan I take into account book length so as to try to
finish a book every 7-10 days. I plan start and finish dates for each book.
The plan is not only to read this way, but also includes taking notes
and writing a summary or a review after finishing each book.
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