This is a huge betrayal of trust. Jack promised to teach us how to trick people into thinking we’re smart about books - but instead he taught us how to actually be smarter about books. 😢

@o_o-lj1ym

7 ай бұрын

😂

@LaughingStockfarm1

6 ай бұрын

Deceptive packaging! 😆

@Colaman112

6 ай бұрын

Q: How to sound smart? A: Be smart Yeah, thanks :D

@radikl_ed

5 ай бұрын

@@LaughingStockfarm1 pretty packaging. But yes, deceptive lol

@radikl_ed

5 ай бұрын

@@Colaman112 next time on how to make people think you’re a good cook: go to culinary school!

Jack really said: “I’m giving masterclasses before I host the Booker Prize livestream.”

@Z_pixel

7 ай бұрын

frr, bro thought he could pretend he wasn't smart

@eveningpiano

7 ай бұрын

Ikr, like we shouldn’t be getting this for free

@maryseptihet

6 ай бұрын

literally he went to durham … one of the top 10 unis in the uk … and studied english literature … where you literally need A*AA and I’m pretty sure at the time Jack was there maybe A*A*A

@vansharora2178

6 ай бұрын

He has such sayana bacchaa top of the class vibe. 😂😂

-Did the author achieve what they set out to do? -think about the author's intention -Why? Why did you think it was good? what about it didn't you like? be specific What could've been done differently to make me like it more? how would I improve this? keep in mind perspective pacing how does this choice of pacing add to the overall impact tone who is the intended audience? genre how does it conform/deviate to its chosen genre? how does it communicate with other books in its genre? style structure is it told in a linear, chronological way are there time jumps setting time frame historical context political context political meaning whether the story is an allegory for something else or not characterization how re they brought to life through descriptions/dialogue/writing style/voice how it built to the climax words climax allegory fable explicit/implicit connotations equilibrium ostensible juxtaposition dichotomy catharsis elegy dystopian/utopia protagonist eponymous reliable omniscient narrative voice cliche archetypes faustian bargain machiavellian scarlet letter albatross around your neck jekyll and hyde kafkaesque

@timmmef

2 ай бұрын

ily

30 minutes of Jack explaining how to sound smart, I am so here for this

@guidoguido2245

7 ай бұрын

The one-eyed leading the blind /s

the thing you said about a book telling two stories, the one told by the author and the one you create while reading, is so true. i once gave a book of mine to a friend and after when she finished it she told me that it felt like she was reading it with me because i underline words and write stuff in the corners of the pages. it was heartwarming.

I hope you have the opportunity to host a TED Talk on this exact topic or how reading books can change your life. This was such an engaging and thorough presentation, well done! 🙂

@mitalishinde6890

6 ай бұрын

Right it Felt like a more casual friendly calm and helpful ted talk discussion

After not finishing a bok for over 20 years (I'm in my 40s), I started reading again last year and have finished 50+ books in the past two years. I forget the majority of the details about every single book though. Hopefully this video will help. Thanks Jack! Love your content. Just finished watching the video... absolutely loved it!!!

@allyson--

7 ай бұрын

Wow, how amazing!

@EmyN

7 ай бұрын

Could be because of your style of reading? Like how fast you finish the book, so less time sitting on it, and how fast you read, maybe you also don’t do subvocalization, which while it makes you read super fast, details can get lost on you

@_n_d_

7 ай бұрын

@@EmyN Quite possibly. I only read one book at a time, but I often start a new one as soon as I've finished one. I don't read very fast usually (~50 pages per hour) but I still don't always absorb what I'm reading.

@karakask5488

7 ай бұрын

I write a short paragraph with a summary of the book and how I felt about it when I finish. It helps me a lot with remembering what I read.

SIR, a thank you is in order. I have ADHD and have such a hard time remembering what I just read. You are teaching READING COMPREHENSION in the most bite sized and approachable way. Thank you for your service!!

As a literature student, I found this really helpful!! Thank you ❤

Personally, I do actually like reading other people's reviews sometimes before I write my own review. I will already have an opinion formed, but sometimes something is bugging me about a book that I can't quite articulate, and reading other reviews from people who had similar thoughts helps me form my mushy thoughts and feelings into words. One of the slightly corny books but that I actually found really helpful in college when I was first really getting into analyzing literature for the first time, is "how to read literature like a professor" it does a good job of explaining how to spot metaphors and references, etc

@counsellor_718

6 ай бұрын

Any tips for the writing process if you don't mind me asking? I keep trying to sit myself down to write a review (cuz I wanna rmbr what I read and how I felt reading it the first time) but most times I can't get the words out and just give up. At one point I've tried watching reviews too in hopes that it'll kickstart the writing process but what always ends up happening is I regurgitate their views, OR, I think "Oh well, this person sums up my thoughts exactly, don't really need to write the review now I guess"

3:03 How to actually take in what you're reading 10:00 How to review books 13:40 What to consider while reading 21:40 Vocabulary to use while reviewing 27:53 Books that are often referenced

Great tips, but I would also like to point out that it's important not to obsess over sounding smart or having read all classic literature. Ask yourself why you want to sound smart. If you want to be a professional reviewer or otherwise work in literature, these tips might be very helpful. But if you're just reading for fun, you don't have to read classics, know fancy words to describe your tastes, etc. You don't even need that as a BookTuber, although it would be good if your reviews were at least a little more objective and thought out than "I loved it omg". On top of that, we should also remember why some ways of speaking or some books are looked down upon adn others elevated. The language we use is associated with upper-class, white people and much of the classic must read literature was written by white men. That doesn't mean poc, women or lower-class people have a harder time writing good books. But they may use very different writing styles, language, themes, etc., which may come across as strange to people used to the literature that is praised in western societies. This is not a criticism of this video, btw, I just know what it's like to feel pressured to sound smarter and I'd like people to remember that there isn't just one way to be smart. I guess that's why this video is called "how to sound smart" - you can talk with lots of filler words and haven't read a single classic and never annotate your books and still be much smarter than an articulated person who read every classic there is.

@moeshrooms385

6 ай бұрын

These are fantastic points! Some people get so caught up in a performance of reading they forget to read simply for the enjoyment of it- and that is the most important thing.

@BookishPlannerBabe

6 ай бұрын

Well said!!

@jmsl_910

6 ай бұрын

i think in the title he is being cheeky!

Thank you Jack for such a helpful, accessible, and informative video! I love how you can explain the basics of what, for many, can feel like an exclusive, even elitist world, all in a very non-patronising way. At the same time, as someone who has always loved studying literature, I was able to learn and think deeper about plenty of new stuff too. You are truly a gifted speaker and teacher!

Petition for Jack to start a podcast

Coming from an English lecturer, one more recommendation for books that are commonly referenced is the Bible. There are so many books with biblical references, and having even a general understanding of the bible and its stories can also help create a good literary foundation.

TAKING IN WHAT YOU READ📚 1. TAKE A MINUTE AFTER FINISHING TO CONSIDER WHAT YOU READ BEFORE SWITCHING ACTIVITY. 2. READ WHILE TRACING THE WORDS USING PEN/ PENCIL/ FINGER. 3. ANNOTATE BY UNDERLINING AND HIGHLIGHTING. 4. THINK ABOUT THE IDEAS CONVEYED IN WHAT YOU READ. THEY CAN BE A PART OF YOUR ANNOTATIONS. 5. LOOK UP THE DEFINITIONS OF WORDS YOU DINT UNDERSTAND. HOW TO REMEMBER WHAT YOU READ📚 1. WRITE YOUR NOTES WHILE YOU READ AS IF WRITING A REVIEW. 2. FOCUS ON IDEAS UNDERSTOOD BEFORE ALONG WITH SPECIFIC SCENES THAT YOU FEEL TOUCHED BY. 3. FORM A PLOT SUMMARY FROM YOUR UNDERSTANDING. 4. CAN WRITE REVIEWS ON A SOCIAL MEDIA SITE/ READING JOURNAL. 5. RE-READ THESE REVIEWS FROM TIME TO TIME TO REVISIT THE IDEAS. HOW TO REVIEW BOOKS📚 1. DID THE AUTHOR ACHIEVE THEIR INTENTION. WHAT YOU THOUGHT IS SECONDARY. 2. WHY? WHAT MADE THE BOOK GOOD OR BAD? 3. FOCIS ON SUBJECT AREAS, PROSE, PACING OF THE STORY ETC. WAS THIS A PART OF AUTHOR’S INTENTION. 4. WHAT WOULD YOU HAVE LIKED PORTRAYED DIFFERENTLY IN THE BOOK. 5. READ OTHER PEOPLE’S REVIEWS AFTER YOU HAVE FORMED YOUR OWN OPINION AND COMPARE AND CONTRAST THE IDEAS AS A DISCUSSION. WHAT TO CONSIDER WHEN READING📚 1. PERSPECTIVE- RELIABILITY OF THE NARRATOR, FIRST PERSON NARRATOR OR SECOND PERSON NARRATOR CONVERSING WITH READER, THIRD PERSON FROM A BIRD’S EYE VIEW (FREE INDIRECT DISCOURSE) 2. PACING- HOW DOES IT IMPACT THE NARRATIVE? ANECDOTAL OR MEDITATION? DYNAMICS BEING FORMED AS A PART OF PACING BETWEEN CHARACTERS. 3. TONE- SARCASTIC/ INFORMATIVE/ MELANCHOLIC/ EXISTENTIAL/ NIHILISM 4. WHO IS THE TARGET AUDIENCE? 5. GENRE- CONFORMITY AND DEVIATION FROM SET STANDARDS OF THE GENRE. 6. WRITING STYLE/ PROSE- DETAILED OR EMBELLISHED WRITING. 7. STRICTURE- ORDER OF THE STORY- LINEAR OR TIME JUMPS. 8. CONTEXT- POLITICAL SATIRE OR SOCIAL CONDITIONS/ CRITICISM. 9. CHARACTERISATION- HOW ALIVE AND CONNECTED DO YOU FEEL TO THEM. HOW ARE THEY PORTRAYED. CAN YOU EMPATHISE. VOCABULARY OF REVIEW📚 1. LITERARY DEVICES 2. BUILDUP 3. EXPLICIT OR IMPLICIT NATURE IF IDEAS 4. CONNOTATIONS OF THE WRITING 5. DISRUPTION OF EQUILIBRIUM 6. OSTENSIBLE/ JUXTAPOSITION/ ALLEGORY/ CATHARSIS/ ELEGY/ DYSTOPIA OR UTOPIA/ IRONY 7. DICHOTOMIES DISCUSSED 8. PROTAGONIST (EPONYMOUS- TITLE) 9. NARRATOR- RELIABLE OR OMNISCIENT 10. CLICHE 11. FAUSTIAN BARGAIN (Trade-off to get something material in place of something spiritual) 12. MACHIAVELLIAN (cunning or unscrupulous) 13. SCARLET LETTER (symbol- albatross) BOOKS TO READ FOR REFERENCE📚 1. Metamorphosis by Franz Kafka 2. 1984 by George Orwell 3. Animal Farm by George Orwell 4. The Great Gatsby by F Scott Fitzgerald 5. Lolita by Vladimir Nabokov 6. Lord of the flies 7. Mythos by Stephen Fry 8. Frankenstein

Love you jack

i LOVE this. ❤

I find that depending who I'm talking to, it's sometimes necessary to add "um" before a pause unless I want to be interrupted 😭

This is genuinely one of the most useful videos anyone could watch to not only improve their reading, but also their writing and public speaking skills. By the title I thought it might be short-cut tricks to appear smart, but following these steps will actually make you smarter and a better reader, writer and speaker. Well done! Succinct and extremely useful.

When it comes to looking up words, 1) I fully support, 2) having your phone nearby to look up words can be a very dangerous trap because, you know, tiktok is right there, and 3) I highly suggest having your phone nearby with wifi and cellular turned off. Just have the dictionary app on your phone, so that way you’re not getting notifications and you’re slightly less tempted to accidentally scroll on social media for an hour (tooooootally not speaking from personal experience). I guess you could use a dictionary book, but those suck so probably don’t.

How I wish I had this video when I was doing my A Level in Literature! Alas, ten years too late. Will have to make do with that B...!

I love how he apologises for "spoiling" Romeo and Juliet but just casually drops Snape's character development 😂😂

Thank you Jack for summarizing the entire introduction to literary studies course I did, but then so much more fun haha

jesus christ I'm learning so much

This is one of the videos that I wanted to hit like button 100times if not more!

Yes! Be An Active Reader!📚✌😊

Jesus Christ this is thorough. That reading list at the end OMG I've been wondering what classics are most prevalent but the list is so long😭. Oooh, just a suggestion but you should totally feature on crash course literature or do something with John Green cos boy did this bring me flashbacks of studying for O Level lit. I would absolutely shit myself if you collab.

While listening to the part of the vocabulary, I'm glad my education was good in high school lol

I study literature in another language. And I will definitely have to come back to this video and take some notes, I think it's super helpful to be able to talk about literature in English. Thanks Jack :)

Something I just want to add about the topic of filler words is that often they appear more in "femininized" speech and it's worth maybe thinking about why that is perceived as "less smart" in society at large.

@dissidentcrusher

7 ай бұрын

I find that to sound smart (as women) we have to speak like men, but that also makes them uncomfortable in my experience

this video is gold dust

This is gold. And I wouldn't mind if you mentioned your Literature Degree, lol. It does show. 📚👌🏼

As someone who LOVES books and talking about books this is SO helpful!! Thank you for posting yet another video that I didn't know I needed! ❤🐱

Something about the title and thumbnail is giving Jenna Marbles "How to trick people into thinking you're hot" og youtube energy, but then you are being serious and actually helpful lol.

Jack I've been begging for an Emma Watson video for ages

Great video! Truly

i dont buy any of the books i read, instead borrowing them all from the library. however, note taking on the side or using sticky notes as i go are both strategies i plan to start enacting!

This is a very accessible guide to more mindful reading and reviewing. Well done Jack.

I have a physically reading journal that I log every book I read and buy in, and I write a review of every single book I read. My favourite way to review novels is to use CAWWPPER (my own version of a review method used by a booktuber, can't remember who). This is how it works: I rate every element on a scale of 1 (terrible) to 10 (outstanding). For example, my review of my most recently read book, The Wolf and the Woodsman by Ava Reid (which I adored) looks like this: Characters - 10 Atmosphere - 9 Writing - 9 World - 10 Plot - 9 Pace - 9 Enjoyment - 9 Relationships - 9 I then add all these numbers up and divide by 8 to get the average (in this case, my final number was 9.3). This then corresponds to my star rating scale, which looks like this: 0 - 1 = 0.5⭐ 1.1 - 2 = 1⭐ 2.1 - 3 = 1.5⭐ 3.1 - 4 = 2⭐ 4.1 - 5 = 2.5⭐ 5.1 - 6 = 3⭐ 6.1 - 7 = 3.5⭐ 7.1 - 8 = 4⭐ 8.1 - 9 = 4.5⭐ 9.1 - 10 = 5⭐ So in this case, The Wolf and the Woodsman gets 5 stars! I then go through every category and write out more detailed thoughts about how each element was handled (e.g the characters were really well developed, the world was flat and poorly developed (not the case for this book but as an example), the relationships between the characters were mostly strong, the pacing was slow but even). This system really forces me to get specific about what made the book good or bad or just okay. It seems like a lot but it has made my love of reading even deeper.

@allyson--

7 ай бұрын

Very cool system you've created / utilized!

Thank you Jack this was very educational. I wrote down all the questions you recommend to ask ourselves on the front of my reading journal and will be using them in my future book reviews.

@allyson--

7 ай бұрын

:~) reading journal, nice

@nuzhatchowdhury5385

4 ай бұрын

@@allyson-- yes reading journal, as a women in physics there are many other forms of literature other than books that I like to reflect on.

You’re ostensibly AND actually smart!!!

i'm taking notes but now i'm at the vocabulary part and need to translate every word to german 💀

This was eye opening

I love that this exists.

Part of me is super interested in engaging with my reading, reflecting, taking notes, etc, but another feels it takes some of the fun out of it, overthinking it, while I find interesting to just notice my feelings about a book as it is so subjective but still valid? 🤔 Not that knowing why we feel things isn't interesting or good but it feels like work and often requires extra effort

I recently got into the habit of annotating my own books lately and now i cant stop lmao. I swear the paper they use for books is lovely to write on.

I just finished watching this and you have very good points. I tend to be lazy and just give star ratings and not elaborate too much because I am afraid I'm just bland with my thoughts. I have always wanted to discuss books more in depth and I think this video has helped me. I'm looking forward to actually having a more intelligent conversation with my daughter who knocks me out of the park with her thoughts on books. Thanks 😊

The tip of thinking about what could be changed in the book to make it better for us should be used together with taking in the book for what it is. It‘s also important to think „why specifically did the author write it like this?“ even though we would’ve done it differently.

@meikusje

7 ай бұрын

This is so important! If you really want to appreciate literature as literature, and not just as something you personally enjoy, you need to be able to take a step back and look at a novel for what it is and how it is. And then that might actually help you appreciate it more. Even if you didn't enjoy it, you might appreciate it just for the work that went into it, and the intent behind it.

@mariam19554

7 ай бұрын

@@meikusje Yessss! We all have different tastes and preferences, and it’s completely okay if is book is not to our liking, that doesn’t mean anything needs to be changed. However, if we look at it from the perspective of „did the author manage to convey what they wanted to convey?“ then I feel like making those suggestions does make sense in a way. At the end of the day, it still starts a conversation about the book!

"Hey, Siri. Remind me to return to Jack's video to make notes."

My main concern when talking about books is that I read and write book reviews in English, which is not my first language. As a result, when I converse with my friends, I struggle to express my thoughts and emotions in my native language since I cannot find the right analogies immediately. Thank you for the helpful video! I'm glad to see that I'm doing some of the things right. However, I'm going to try to get rid of those annoying filler words :)

I just have to say as someone who has a degree in Linguistics and specialized in Discourse Analysis filler words or the more technical term "discourse markers" such as "like" and "um" are not bad. We say those words because that's us trying to process our thoughts and keep a conversation going. Every language has filler words. I just hate that people think they make us sound dumb when it shouldn't be that way. Anyway, this was a great video with a lot of good tips. I cant wait for when you release your book Jack 😊

I loved this Video! ❤

am i one full semester into ap lit? yes. do i believe this video will make me a more effective reader than that whole semester of lectures from a teacher with over 30 years experience? quite possibly

she's only cryptic and machiavellian because she cares🥲🥲

Thank you, Jack, for this encouragement to be more involved in reading 🥰 from someone who've just got out of her reading slump 🥳

you cheeky man have you been tricking us this whole time? ;) * takes copious notes *

4:18 This actually might be great for me since I sometimes involuntarily take peeks at the rest of the page when there is a tense scene, thus spoiling myself

One big factor that affects my review of a book is how subtle or heavy handed the author was in the themes. I really dislike when authors smack you across the head with the point they are trying to make rather than trusting the reader to figure things out for themselves. I suppose that would fit into writing style.

in my third year of an english degree and still taking notes, diss is gonna go so hard thanks jack x

@rat-xo7mj

7 ай бұрын

I'm also in my third year of an English degree sending support 🌷

Jack, have you done a video about Stephen King books yet?

i love you for this

Introduction to Literary Studies (Jack’s Version)

how, exactly, do you know what an author intended?

Even though it's not common in the channel I'd really enjoy seing some spanish literature like the Quixote or a hundred years of solitude. There are great translations for books in spanish and they are some of the best books ever written in my opinion

such an insihtful video!

A master class in reading by Jack!! I can't tell you how much I loved this ♥👏👏👏

i work at a bookstore and this video feels godsend. notes will be taken

i don't know what I am doing here, if anything I need to talk less about books

I actually improved my English (I‘m not a native speaker) by NOT looking up every word I didn’t understand. I just tried to understand the meaning of the sentence and mostly it was enough to understand when this specific word is used in sentences. After being able to read whole physical books and being able to give accurate summaries about what‘s happening, I started to watch a lot of KZread videos so that my listening comprehension was good, too. I may have been watching a lot of your videos though, because my friends keep pointing out that I started sounding british 😂😂

@rebekah_706

6 ай бұрын

Omg same my accent is really mixed cuz of all the KZread videos I watch lol

Each to their own, I don't think I'd enjoy reading with a pen in my hand, making notes and so on. I read to switch off rather than to feel smart. My brain is full of knowledge from work and I don't want to stress myself trying to over fill it with stuff about books

needed this thank u 🙏 i always sound like a psychopath talking about books 😭

“actually look up the words you don’t know” OH MY I’ve been saying this. When I first started reading classics I hated them because I could not get into them. The reason was because I was just reading mindlessly, to be able to say I’d read the classic, rather than engage with it and enjoy it . I picked up multiple books and dropped them cause I was in the habit of skipping over words I didn’t know. Looking up multiple words at a time ANNOYED me. I would sacrifice the meaning of a sentence just to finish the book quicker. I finally realized I wasn’t enjoying these books BECAUSE I didn’t understand half my of what was being said. Then I tried a new method of reading, I read Frankenstein by Mary Shelley and forced myself to stop EVERY SINGLE TIME a new word was mentioned. It took me like 2 weeks to read it like that, and yet it completely changed how I read now. I do it with EVERY book. In fact now I’m a lot more familiar with Victorian language which actually enables me to read books from that period way faster. I’ve since read all books this way and I realize it helps me catch into things that other people may have missed.

Love seeing how serious and passionate you are about this. Thanks for all your help ❤

Thank you so much, reading is my fav hobby but I'm the only avid reader in our friend group so I have to resort to online spaces to find a community. Here reviewing is the way to go but it is not my forte. You really eased my anxiety around this 💗 definitely this pointers will help in enhancing the reading experience too. Again thank you!

this video should be called "how to BE smart when you talk about books" because these are some really good tips after the video was over i closed youtube, got out some paper, and wrote down everything i could remember (very much in the spirit of the first few tips) and i feel like i got so much more out of it definitely going to be adding a lot of these to my reading routine

20:42

I would love a jack edwards podcast

i'm thinking this could also apply to me as a writer, because every time someone asks what my book is about, i either shrug or go into a plot summary, which is so far from what i want people to take away from it!! despite being an avid reader for my whole life, i just haven't trained the book talk muscle as much

Brilliant

how did you know i needed this???

i made a page full of notes from this 30 minute video. jack this was so informative! appreciate it so much! a much needed video!

This video has left me with a huge smile from ear to ear because I’ve learnt tons in just 30 minutes! And, as always, I’ve ended up with and extended wishlist of books to read 🤭 THANK YOU!!! 🙌

great video!

very informative and a video I feel like I've been searching for forever!

Thank you so much for this! I'm always so impressed with how eloquent your reviews are so it's cool to see behind the curtain of your process.

What he said about a physical book with annotations telling the story of us reading the book really struck me. It’s so true. I never really thought about it but that’s precisely why I buy physical books. I always read books from my library on the Libby app first and highlight them digitally. If a book was particularly amazing, I’ll spend the money to buy the physical book so I can transfer all of my highlights and keep it forever. That way my home library is only filled with memorable favorites I’d love to revisit again.

@SummarizingtheClassics

6 ай бұрын

Getting thrifted books with someone else's notes in it, is also so interesting!

@chloemarban31

6 ай бұрын

⁠​⁠​⁠@@SummarizingtheClassicsI would love that! It’s fun to see what was impactful to other people. I like reading in the Fable book club app sometimes because you can see everyone else’s notes and highlights while you’re reading the book. I love stopping to read what others had to say about the same parts I’m reading and what quotes they wanted to highlight

you are so smart, jack. i admire you.

Thank you very much for putting complicated words on the screen! My English is not good enough to understand such words as those,so it would be hard to translate it just by hearing them. Now i can learn and use them, thanks again!

What I need cause I sound stupid when I talk about my favourite books

Being part of this channel has inspired me to pick up reading. Thank you for having this channel ❤

I shouldve sat with a pen and paper for this video because I learned so much. wish my 13 year old self had this video when she developed the love for reading for the first time

Every time someone lends me a book, I put notes all throughout on sticky notes so they can see what i thought all throught

Jack is such an icon (: I’m sending you love!

Jack honey, what happened to your novel? Every time anyone asks me what’s my favourite book I tell them it hasn't been published yet

I can't wait for jack to write a fiction book. I'm literally gonna devour it.

This is just one of those videos that are really worth while.

Just when I thought my struggle with remembering pages was related to ADHD, turns out it's a normal human trait, AAND fixable.

I missed this kind of content. Thank you very much

this is the most helpful video i’ve seen in a long long time thank you Jack! I’m definitely someone who loves reading then can’t remember specifics about books i read or how i felt. Being in a book club where we actually have very in depth discussions has also helped! I always remember those books very well.