How to remember books, plays, tales, et cetera. In the preceding
chapters we have given you suggestions for the development of the principal forms of memory.
But there are still other phases or forms of memory, which, while
coming under the general classification, may be still considered as worthy of special consideration.
For instance, there may be suggestions given regarding the memorization of the contents
of the books you read, the stories you hear, et cetera. And
so we have thought it advisable to devote one chapter to a consideration of these
various phases of memory that have been left out of the other chapters. Many
of us fail to remember the important things in the books we read, and
are often mortified by our ignorance regarding the contents of the works of leading authors,
or of popular novels, which, although we have read, we have
failed to impress upon the records of our memory. Of course, we must
begin by reminding you of the ever present necessity of interest and attention. We
cannot escape from these principles of the memory. The trouble with the majority of
people is that they read books to kill time as a sort of mental narcotic
or anesthetic, instead of for the purpose of obtaining something of interest from them.
By this course, we not only lose all that may be of importance
or value in the book, but also acquire the habit of careless reading and
inattention. The prevalence of the habit of reading many newspapers and trashy novels is
responsible for the apparent inability of many persons to intelligently absorb and remember the contents
of a book worthwhile when they do happen to take up such a one.
But still even the most careless reader may prove himself and cure the habit of
inattention and careless reading. Noah Porter says, we have not read an author
till we have seen his object, whatever it may be, as he saw
it. Also read with attention. This is the rule that takes precedence of
all others. It stands instead of a score of minor directions. Indeed,
it comprehends them all, and is the golden rule. The page should be
read as if it were never to be seen a second time. The mental
eye should be fixed, as if there were no other object to think of.
The memory should grasp the facts like a vice. The impressions should be
distinctly and sharply received. It is not necessary, nor is it advisable,
to attempt to memorize the text of a book, excepting perhaps a few passage
is that may seem worthy to be treasured up word for word. The principal
thing to be remembered about a book is its meaning. What it is about,
then may follow the general outline and the details of the story, essay,
treatise, or whatever it may be. The question that should be asked
oneself after the book is completed, or after the completion of some particular part
of the book is what was the writer's idea? What did he wish to
say? Get the idea of the writer. By taking this mental attitude,
you practically place yourself in the place of the writer, and thus take part
in the idea of the book. You thus view it from the inside rather
than from the outside. You place yourself at the center of the thing instead
of upon its circumference. If the book be a history, biography, fee
autobiography, narrative, or story of fact or fiction, you will find it
of value to visualize its occurrences as the story unfolds. That is, endeavor
to form at least a faint mental picture of the events related, so that
you can see them in your mind's eye or imagination. Use your imagination in
connection with the mechanical reading. In this way you build up a series of
mental pictures which will be impressed upon your mind and which will be remembered,
just as are the scenes of a play that you have witnessed or an actual
event that you have seen, only less distinct. Of course, particularly you
should endeavor to form a clear mental picture of each character, until each one
is endowed with at least a semblance of reality to you. By doing this,
you will impart a naturalness to the events of the story, and you
will obtain a new pleasure from your reading. Of course, this plan will
make you read more slowly, and many trashy tales will cease to interest you,
for they do not contain the real elements of interest. But this is
no loss, but as a decided gain for you. At the end of
each reading, take the time to mentally review the progress of the story.
Let the characters and scenes pass before your mental vision as in a moving picture,
and when the book is finally completed, review it as a whole.
By following this course, you will not only acquire the habit of easily remembering
the tales and books that you have read, but will also obtain much pleasure
by re reading favorite stories in your imagination. Years after. You will find
that your favorite characters will take on a new reality for you, and will
become as old friends in whose company you may enjoy yourself at any time,
and whom you may dismiss when they tire you without offense. In the case
of scientific treatises, essays, etc. You may follow a similar plan by
dividing the work into small sections and mentally reviewing the thought, not the words,
of each section until you make it your own, And then by adding
new sections to your review, you may gradually absorb and master the entire work.
All this requires time, work, and patience, but you will be
repaid for your expenditure. You will find that this plan will soon render you
impatient at books of little consequence, and will drive you to the best books
on any given subject. You will begin to begrudge your time and attention and
hesitate about bestowing them upon any but the very best books. But in this
you gain. In order to fully acquaint yourself with a book before reading it,
you should familiarize yourself with its general character. To do this, you
should pay attention to the full title and the subtitle, if there be any,
the name of the author, and the list of other books that he
has written, if they are noted on the title page or the one preceding
it. According to the usual custom, you should read the preface and study
carefully the table of contents that you may know the field or general subject covered
by the book. In other words, endeavor to get the general outline of
the book into which you may afterwards fill in the details. In reading a
book of serious import you should make it a point to fully grasp the meaning
of each paragraph before passing on to the next one. Let nothing pass ask
you that you do not understand, at least in a general way. Consult
the dictionary for words not familiar to you, so that you may grasp the
full idea intended to be expressed. At the end of each chapter, section,
and part. You should review that which you have read until you are
able to form a mental picture of the general ideas contained therein. To those
who wish to remember the dramatic productions that they have attended, we would say
that the principles above mentioned may be applied to this form of memory as well
as to the memory of books. By taking an interest in each character as
it appears, by studying carefully each action and scene, and then reviewing each
act in the intervals between the acts, and by finally reviewing the entire play
after your return home, you will fasten the whole play as a complete mental
picture on the records of your memory. If you have acquainted yourself with what
we have just said regarding the recollection of the contents of books, you will
be able to modify and adapt them to the purpose of recollecting plays and dramatic
productions. You will find that the oftener you review a play, the more
clearly you will remember it. Many little details overlooked at first will come into
the field of consciousness and fit into their proper places. Sermons, lectures,
and other discourses may be remembered by bestowing interest and attention upon them, and
by attempting to grasp each general idea advanced, and by noting the passage from
one general idea to another. If you will practice this a few times,
you will find that when you come to review the discourse, and this you
should always do. It is the natural way of developing memory, the little
details will come up and fit into their proper places. In this form of
memory. The important thing is to train the memory by exercise and review.
You will find that at each review of a discourse you will have made progress.
By practice and exercise, the subconscious mentality will do better work and will
show that it is rising to its new responsibilities. You have allowed it to
sleep during the many discourses to which you have listened, and it must be
taught new habits. Let it know that it is expected to retain that which
it hears, and then exercise it frequently by reviews of discourses, and you
will be surprised at the degree of the work it will perform for you.
Not only will you remember better, but you will hear better and more intelligently.
The subconsciousness, knowing that it will be called upon later on to recollect
what is being said, will urge you to bestow the attention necessary to supply
it with the proper material. To those who have had trouble in remembering discourses,
we urge that they should begin to attend lectures and other forms of discourse
with the distinct purpose of developing that form of memory. Give to the subconscious
mentality the positive command that it shall attend to what is being said and shall
record the same in such a way that when you review the discourse afterward,
you will be presented with a good synopsis or syllabus of it. You should
avoid any attempt to memorize the words of the discourse, your purpose being to
absorb and record the ideas and general thoughts expressed, interest, attention, practice,
review. These are the important points in memory to remember stories, anecdotes,
fables, etc. The principles given above are to be employed. The
main thing in memorizing an anecdote is to be able to catch the fundamental idea
underlining it and the epigrammatic sentence or central phrase which forms the point of the
story. Be sure that you catch these perfectly, and then commit the point
to memory. If necessary, make a memorandum of the point until you have
opportunity to review the story in your mind, then carefully review it mentally,
letting the mental image of the idea pass before you in review, and then
repeating it to yourself in your own words. By rehearsing and reviewing the story,
you make it your own and will be able to relate it afterward.
Just as you would something that you had actually experienced. So true is this
principle, that, when carried too far, it endows the story with a
false sense of actuality. Who has not known men who told a story so
often that they came actually to believe it themselves. Do not carry the principle
to this extreme, but use it in moderation. The trouble with many men
is that they attempt to repeat a tale long after they have heard it,
without reviewing or rehearsing in the meantime. Consequently, they omit many important points
because they have failed to impress the story as a whole upon the memory.
In order to know an anecdote properly, one should be able to see its
characters and incidents, just as he does when he sees an illustrated joke in
a comic paper. If you can make a mental picture of an anecdote,
you will be apt to remember it with ease. The noted story tellers review
and rehearse their jokes, and have been known to try them on their unsuspecting
friends in order to get the benefit of practice before relating them in public.
This practice has been called by flippant people trying it on the dog, but
it has its good points and advantages. It at least saves one the mortification
of being compelled to finish up a long drawn out tale by er Well.
Ah, I'm afraid I've forgotten just how that story ended, but it was
a good one.