The term “Dialectic” means “the art or practice of arriving at the truth by using conversation involving question and answer.” Think of your dialectical journal as a series of conversations with your book as you read it. This process is meant to help you develop a better understanding of the novel as we read. Use your journal to record your personal responses to the texts, your ideas about the themes we cover and our class discussions. You will find that it is a useful way to process what you’re reading and to better understand the book’s content.