What is close reading?

Relax. You do close readings all the time, you just never had to write it down and give it to me. Think about
arguing with a friend over whether a song or video or TV show is “good” or not, or contending that someone
(maybe a politician or public figure) doesn’t really mean what they say. That’s close reading—using one part of
an image or text and using that part to say something about the text as a whole.

Strategies/Tips for close reading:

Everyone works differently, but you might find these tips helpful.

1. You might want to begin by picking out the key words or phrases of the passage, particularly the ones
you have ideas about or interest in. Make notes on your text so that you can go back and look at it when
it’s time to write your paper.
2. Remember to limit your time on the plot!
3. The analysis: Remember that you can’t cover every possible thing. Focus in on one or two parts.
4. Be specific rather than general. Think of your close reading as a bit of (legal) evidence. Your
paper/response should suggest how this piece fits into your case’s argument as a whole; that argument has
to be believable, and on a scale that matches the limits of the text we’re reading.

One more thing: Be creative in your reading! Don’t feel pressured to do a reading that you think I want you to
do, or one that you think is easy. In other words, be excited and invested in your close reading! Be interested in
whatever you’re writing about—your writing will be much better if you enjoy your topic.

Some Questions to Ask While Close Reading

* word choice – what kinds of words are used? active or passive? abstract or concrete? Common, elegant, or
crass? Emotional or rational? Do nouns, verbs or adjectives predominate? What verb tenses are used? is there repetition
of words or similar words? Names or pronouns? Are there many nouns of one type (i.e., physical, bodily, liquid, natural,
negative, etc.)?
* who is speaking? – is this important? Whose perspective is presented? How can you tell grammatically?
What is the focus of the narrative voice? Is there an interaction between two (or more) voices? Is this important? How
can you characterize the interaction?
* images – are there any images included with the text, or separately? How are they framed? What about the use
of color, lighting or layout? Does the image seem to have a distinct representational strategy?
*allusions/references—especially examine names, places, or specific references whose origin or background may
be relevant. Are any metaphors being used? Look up any words or references that seem complicated or that may have
more than one meaning. Alternate definitions may help support a reading.
* sentence structures – Are the sentences long or short? Does the rhythm vary from one sentence to the other or
even within the sentence itself? Are the sentences expository, rhetorical, questions, analytical, argumentative, or
emotional? What might a rhetorical question suggest? (one that does not expect an answer)
* punctuation – Are there many commas, commas or semi-colons? Exclamation points, question marks, dashes,
or any other marks? What might that suggest? Think about why these marks are used.
* tone – what is the tone of the text? How does it pitch itself? What strategy does it have for “selling” us on its
various meanings? This is somewhat dependent on the previous textual elements to prove, so you may want to include
your discussion of tone in the same paragraph as one of the other elements.
* form & structure—Do you notice anything distinct about how the text is put together, visually or otherwise?
How might this connect to the larger meaning/themes of the text?

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