Hyperbole In How To Read Literature

410 Words2 Pages
In How to Read Literature, Miller gives us two options on how to read literature correctly. The first way, he describes as “allegro,” which was his fancy way of saying quick reading. This way recommends letting your imagination take control. Read the story without thinking too deeply about what is happening behind the scenes. Enjoy or do not enjoy the story for its superficial content. Go into the reading with a “positive effort,” to imagine the scene the author has laid out with their sentences. To dissect the novel into its parts - metaphor, irony, personification, or hyperbole – is to stop enjoying the book for its story. The second way described is termed “lento,” or a slow, close reading. This is to find all the elements of the