Word choice: Think about both denotation (meaning) and connotation. (implication). Many words have similar meanings but
ENG 101-6-22 The Many Wests of the United States Garrett Morrison
Handout on Close Reading Ÿ 4/29/13 à CLOSE READING Close reading involves a detailed, sustained interpretation of a brief passage. Your analysis should plunge to the level of the sentence and go on to explain why certain details matter to the text as a whole.
Here is a (woefully incomplete) list of close reading “tools”: •
Word choice: Think about both denotation (meaning) and connotation (implication). Many words have similar meanings but convey different feelings: e.g., bronzed, tanned, brown; or vigorous, hyper, energetic; or slim, thin, emaciated. Notice that each of these words carries a distinctive set of associations.
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Word order: Many declarative sentences and clauses in Modern English follow the word order subject à verb à object, and adjectives come before nouns, adverbs before verbs. If a sentence departs from standard syntax, consider what effect this might produce.
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Verb forms: Conventional narratives unfold in the past tense and active voice, and usually stick with either the first person (“I”) or the third (“he,” “she,” “they”) – but not always. What might it mean if an author uses irregular or multiple tenses and voices?
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Point of view: Who is narrating? A central character? A peripheral person? Multiple speakers? A third-person omniscient narrator? Do we have reason to doubt the narrator’s version of events? If the point of view suddenly changes, try to figure out why.
Morrison / ENG 101 •
Imagery: In its literary usage, the term “imagery” refers not only to sight but also to any sensory impressions evoked by the text. Think of the five senses: sight, hearing, touch, smell, taste. Does the passage stimulate only one sense? All of them?
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Metaphor: The likening of one thing to another. Metaphors often lurk in the literal meanings or etymological origins of common words that at first seem unmetaphorical.
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Narrative sequence: Consider the sequence of events and think about how these events relate to those that occur before or after. Does the passage fit with what is around it or does it surprise you? Does it change how you understand what came before or reinforce what you have already learned?
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A few more of the many other close reading tools: tone, repetition, alliteration, figure of speech, rhythm, rhyme, allusion…
