Close reading is a method of reading in which a reader focuses specifically on word choices
(diction) and other formal features of a text including but not limited to: tone; end rhyme,
internal rhyme, or flow of free verse; alliteration or consonance; repeated words or phrases;
and structural aspects of the text including organization, genre, identifying “speaker” and
intended “audience.”
In order to properly close read, you have to have the right mindset. I recommend thinking of a text as having a structure akin to an onion or pomegranate. Sure, the whole text is important, but the whole is composed of complex parts that fit together. Figuring out how all of these distinct layers or seeds of language and meaning come together to form a text is the goal of a close reading.
Why Close Read?
When you devote incredibly close and careful attention to a small portion of text, “small” meaning NO MORE (and ideally less) THAN
2 paragraphs of prose MAX!
You can often discover depths or layers of meaning that are not immediately apparent or significant in a quick read-through of a lot of material.But isn’t the whole the sum of its parts and therefore the real deal?
Sure, but by carefully examining a well-chosen small part you can learn more about the whole.
When attempting to close read, consider: the choices of language on the word, sentence, and phrase level; imagery; word order; any symbolic language – metaphors or puns; punctuation; and rhyme or rhythm.
Not every passage of a work or excerpt from a poem is created equal, but as you close read
more frequently your attention will be increasingly drawn toward paragraphs with interesting
language and formal aspects that can grant you greater insight on the author’s expression.
Close reading entire works is long hard work – these kinds of readings end up in critical literary articles or book chapters.
In order to get you to pay the right kind of close attention to language and meaning
and keep assignments relatively short, you have to start really small. Even two paragraphs is
probably too much prose – address one instead if you can.
If needed, use ellipses [...] to eliminate material that does not contribute to your reading.
How to close read:
Step 1: After you have read all of a selection – it's important to have a sense of general
meaning with which to inform your close reading, choose 1-2 paragraphs or a stanza or two
of poetry that you feel are important in terms of: the specific language used, making meaning in
the piece overall, new ideas being introduced or important words defined, places where
something is happening and you don’t know what it is, places where something is clearly
happening – a shift in the text. LESS IS MORE!
Step 2: Type out this selection yourself. Don’t just copy and paste from an online source, after
all, it shouldn’t be very long. Actually send your fingers over the words and you’ll find yourself
paying a different kind of attention to the way that the passage is constructed. Make it double
spaced – give yourself room to write by hand.
Step 3: Print it out and mark it up. Circle, underline or highlight key words. Draw arrows
connecting ideas or linking repeated words. Write questions you have about various parts of
the passage around it in the margins. You cannot be overly specific in a close reading. It is FAR
more likely that your initial treatments of the text will be overly vague.
Step 4: Using your marked up passage, start at the top. Explicate (analyze) the passage in your
own words, quoting KEY LANGUAGE from your selection. You should rarely quote a full
sentence in your close reading, if you do so, it should be to introduce words and ideas in their
original relation. General guideline: If you do quote an entire sentence, you should spend at
least two more taking it apart.
For more details see the Close Reading Assignment Sheet and Grading Rubrics.
Other resources:
- "How to Do A Close Reading" - Patricia Kain for the Harvard Writing Center
- Close Reading Poetry from the Purdue OWL (Online Writing Lab)
- A general, non-academic guide to "The Art of Close Reading" from The Foundation for Critical Thinking
- Tips for Close Reading (from an previous section of E314)
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