Do You Think About What You Read?

Hey y’all. T Van Santāna here. That’s ‘T’ for Teresa (or Tracy), ‘Van’ for ‘from,’ and Santāna as in ‘continuity’ (or something like that). Most people call me T, though some call me TVan, a handle I did not originate.

Adventures in Secrecy is my flagship newsletter for my fiction, as well as some perzine sorts of material. I keep a copy of every newsletter in The Caverns, which is just to your left there.

Thank you for being here! And for those kind souls who speak back, a special heartfelt thanks. I know most readers are readers and do not necessarily want to talk. That’s beautiful. Those who do talk, though, help me during the times when it feels like no one is reading or thinking about what I’m up to in letters. Speaking of, we have today’s topic …

Do you think about what you read?

Before you simply answer ‘yes,’ ‘no,’ or ‘I dunno,’ take a second to think now. I know it’s hard if you’re reading at the speed of scroll or if you’re glancing at this between breaks or whatever. But you can do it!

If you do nothing else with this, in fact, do simply that: think about whether, how, and to what degree you think about what you read. Or not.

What do you mean by ‘think about,’ T? you may ask.

I guess I tend to think in terms of what I was taught in grade school as ‘reading comprehension’ or at university as ‘literary analysis.’ It needn’t be that stuffy. But I wonder about it sometimes cos much of what I write and the way in which I write (fiction) is working off the idea that you do think about things and try to comprehend them beyond action beats and surface narration or dialogue.

Can you give us an example? you might ask.

Certainly! In fact I got this idea from a post by over at Lissen. (Thanks, Ana!) I took my most recent installment of Teresa’s Backbone—“The Death of Wil Florencemachen”—and asked ChatGPT to analyze it.

Here is the chapter, in case you missed it:

Here’s what da bot had to say about it:

This text appears to be an excerpt from a narrative, and it seems to focus on a conversation between two characters, the narrator (referred to as “me”) and Kammin, about the death of someone named Wil Florencemachen. Here’s a brief analysis of this passage:

1. Character Dynamics: The text establishes a conversation between the narrator and Kammin, and it hints at their past connections with the deceased, Wil Florencemachen, and his family. The narrator seems to have dated Wil’s sister, Telluria, and mentions another person named Dazne, whom they deeply cared for.

2. Emotional Complexity: The passage touches on complex emotions, such as nostalgia, regret, and the fleeting nature of relationships. The narrator reminisces about their friendship with Wil and hints that it didn’t last, reflecting on the impermanence of connections.

3. Setting and Atmosphere: The setting is described, primarily in the kitchen, and later, outside by the truck. The presence of a peacekeeper suggests that something significant has occurred, possibly related to Wil’s death. The mention of the peacekeeper and the kid adds an element of mystery or intrigue to the narrative.

4. Character Exploration: While Kammin and the narrator are discussing Wil’s death, there is a sense of detachment or indifference in their conversation. This could indicate that they have a complicated relationship with the deceased or that they are processing their emotions differently.

5. Symbolism: The mention of cigarettes, the truck, and the peacekeeper cruiser could carry symbolic meaning. Cigarettes might represent a coping mechanism or a search for solace, while the truck and the peacekeeper could symbolize the broader context of the story.

Overall, this passage provides a glimpse into the characters and their reactions to Wil’s death while setting up a potentially intriguing narrative with layers of emotion and mystery. The tone appears reflective and somewhat detached, leaving room for further development and exploration of the story’s themes and characters.

Comparing notes

Is that what you got from the chapter? Did the Chatbot pick up on things you didn’t? Or did it miss things you saw? Let us know in the comments.

Final thoughts

Look, life is busy and crazy, and I am truly grateful to anyone who reads a word of what I write. I have realized, though, that I may not be reading the same way you are. That’s okay. It might be interesting to explore, if you’re down.

And I may begin appending ChatGPT’s analysis to the end of certain chapters, especially if I feel like they come off as vague or disconnected. They never are (well, almost never) actually disconnected, but I get that it isn’t always easy to see how one fits with the others.

Thanks for reading. Hope you are doing well out there, wherever you are.

Xoxo

T

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