Different methods of reading fiction depend on the reader’s purpose, such as enjoying the story or analyzing the structure, content, or linguistics. Fiction includes literary and genre works, and can be analyzed through semiotics, sociological studies, or psychology. Immersive reading is for enjoyment, while speed reading is for saving time.
There are many methods of reading fiction. The best method for a reader depends primarily on why he is reading the book or story. The reasons can be divided into two categories: to enjoy the story or to analyze the play. The analysis of fiction can be further divided into the study of structure, content and linguistics.
The term fiction covers a broad spectrum of written works. A work of fiction is a made up or imagined story about individuals who tend to be creations of the writer. These can be set in the real world, in an altered version of the real world, or in a totally created world such as Middle-earth or Narnia. Anglo-American fiction is usually divided into literary and genre fiction. Asian and French literature rarely distinguishes between the two.
Immersive reading is where the reader doesn’t try to analyze the book, but to enjoy the story. In this sense, the reader is only interested in what happens. The best way to do this is to read the book in one sitting, in a comfortable place with a good source of light. This isn’t always possible, so many books are divided into manageable chapters or blocks that can be devoured when time permits.
If time is at a premium, readers can use speed reading or speed reading techniques. This includes Evelyn Wood’s Reading Dynamics program, which teaches people to read works very quickly. This is usually employed for nonfiction and has found great favor with US presidents such as John F. Kennedy and Richard Nixon.
Semiotics involves the study of the use of language when reading fiction. This form of analysis looks solely at the language and does not concern itself with the details of the content. Grammar and syntax are not as interesting to the student here as archaisms such as those found in Shakespeare and Chaucer, or the regionalisms and slang found in other novels.
Reading fiction to examine the structure of a novel aims to see how the writer has put the story together. This may include detailed examinations of textures. The crime novel and the thriller are two genres well placed for structural examinations.
Sociological studies while reading fiction aim to examine how the writer presents the society in which the story is set. For such students, the setting of the novel is more important than the story itself. This includes how societies and cultures are portrayed and whether historical information is accurate.
When reading fiction, some students and analysts look to the psychology of the book and its author. This includes a psychoanalysis of the characters and their motivations. He may also regard characters as archetypes, an idea expressed by psychologist Carl Jung. Many critics also try to find elements of the writer’s psyche left in the novel.
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