Dear Readers,

I heard a scholar talk about reading over the weekend, and he said that rather than ask what a text means, we should ask how a text works. I wholeheartedly agree.

Even the author of a text doen’t know the “true meaning” of a text she writes. So it’s foolish for us to look for it. And to be honest, figuring out how a text works is a lot more difficult and requires us to read much, much closer.

So today when we look at texts–like the Gettysburg Address–don’t just ask what it means. Ask how it works.

Sincerely,

Mr. Heimbuck