How do I understand and remember what I read?

Answer 1

A few different tips I can give you here.

For one thing, re-reading goes a long way- even if you think that you have a full understanding of a piece of writing, re-reading it once or twice will more often than not have you noticing things you hadn't before and thinking about the piece in a new way.

For another, there's no shame in looking up the meaning of a work; it's always helpful to hear how another person has understood a piece, even if you may have had a different interpretation.

Last tip, take it slow! Try to break your reading into chunks and take your time with each, waiting until you have a good understanding of a certain portion before you move on to the next. The chunks could be paragraphs or chapters, as long as you're taking a methodical approach to understanding each part that makes up the whole.