The paper will be a close reading (also known as an Explication de texte). Joyce Patton argues that a close reading of a text “operates on the premise that literature, as artifice, will be more fully understood and appreciated to the extent that the nature and interrelations of its parts are perceived, and that understanding will take the form of insight into the theme of the work in question.” In other words, a close reading asks you to focus your critical eye on one or more short passages of a text in order to better appreciate the whole. You will present your interpretation of the text in the form of a cohesive, narrowly-focused, and unifying thesis statement. In order to effectively draw such whole-text conclusions from the examination of shorter excerpts, close readings ask you to identify, “unpack,” and explain patterns in the text so that your reader will better appreciate the work you examine.
The first stage in doing a close reading is to carefully read and re-read your selected text with the goal of annotating it. Start by underlining, highlighting, or copying the words and phrases that you find to be particularly important or that encourage you to ask questions about the text. Take notes, either in the margin or on a separate sheet of paper. The second stage is evaluating and interpreting your notes and highlighted passages. Look for patterns and connections in your notes and ask yourself what they reveal about the text you are examining. Do you notice any repetitions, contradictions, parallels, inconsistencies, or stylistic shifts? The third stage in a close reading is to ask yourself questions about the patterns you have identified, especially how and why. How does the author explore a theme, for instance? Why does he or she choose to treat the subject in this way? Pay attention to patterns in the following areas: figurative language, diction, structure, style, characterization, and tone. Observe the context of each passage and text you analyze. Where does it fit in the larger work? The author’s literary career? The social or historical conditions surrounding its writing?
