Pre-Reading

Front and End Matter: Working with References or Bibliography, Preface and Introduction

References or bibliography
Glance through the bibliography.
What readings do you have in common with the author?
Are there writers he lists that you really appreciate?
Writers you wish you had time to read?
Do questions come to mind about their writing that you hope the author will address?

Preface and Introduction
Read each introductory segment. Underline as I go and notice questions that arise as you read. Do some anticipatory reading – that is ask yourself what the author is going to talk about in the next paragraph. Or ask yourself what you would like him/her to talk about in the next paragraph, in the next passage, or in the book.

Introduction
Write a short summary for the introduction or for each paragraph of the introduction …whichever better reveals what you understood from the reading or what you feel is important.

Be aware of or even write down questions you have as you read. What would you especially like to hear the author talk about?
Does your desire promise to be fulfilled from what appears in the Introduction?

In this particular introduction, rephrasing the points regarding “understanding the nature of human beings” as questions would be especially helpful.

Preface and Foreword:
For each paragraph in the preface or foreword, write a summary or topic sentence.

Consider also writing questions that arise as you read each paragraph.

When the preface indicates what different parts of the text will cover, make notes about it within the text, on the cover pages of segments described.

Having done all these procedures, you are well prepared to receive the message of the text whether you actually read it yourself or hear someone else’s comments or summary of the reading. Such extensive and possibly mundane preparation will make reading of the text much easier. You are also likely to be pretty excited about getting on with the “real deal!”

Strategies for directly dealing with text will come a little later.