REDAING & WRITING NOTES

Development of a Text

CONTEXT - The Oxford Dictionary defines context as “the circumstances

that form the setting for an event, statement, or idea, and in terms of
which it can be fully understood.” Such circumstances, which can be
cultural, historical, political, social, or economic events, shape or
influence a writer in writing his or her work.

Questions to ask to understand the context of the text:

1. When was the text w ritten? What was the society like back then?
2. Where was the text written? How did the place influence the
author’s writing?
3. What were the political, social, cultural, economic, or even religious
influences in the author’s life that are reflected in his or her writing?
4. What were the influences of the genre and the author’s
contemporaries in his or her work?

INTERTEXTUALITY - Writers often reference another literary, media, or

social text in their own writing. The relationship formed between their
work and the other text is called intertextuality.

Questions on author’s choice of reference in his or her writing:

1. Why did the author reference another text in his or her writing?
2. How is the text incorporated in the author’s writing? How did the
author reimagine it?
3. What effect does the tex t have on the author’s writing?

HYPERTEXTS - in literature derive from hyp o texts through a process

called transformation. In this process, the hypertext transforms, modifies,
elaborates on, or extends the hypo text.

Applications of Text Development in Critical Reading Guidelines in reading

a text critically

1. Analyze the context of the text. Determine its subject, purpose,

audience, and the occasion or situation in which it was
produced.
2. Determine the thesis of the text.
3. Analyze the given evidence.
4. Examine whether the text references another text.
5. Examine the reasoning used in the text by looking at the
organization of its ideas.
6. Evaluate the text.

COUNTERCLAIM - a statement that goes against/disagrees with stated

claim.

To formulate meaningful counterclaims, a reader should look at a

text with a critical eye.
The reader should consider the different sides of the issue that the
author excludes from his or her argument.
Being able to formulate meaningful counterclaims helps one
become better at argumentation.