How to Close Read

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1Focusing on the Text

2Analyzing the Text

3Putting the Text in Context

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Close reading is often taught in literature classes in school. Mastering the art of close reading enables you to engage more fully with anything you're reading. The goal is to think critically and develop a deeper understanding of the text itself and its relationship to other texts and larger philosophical questions.

Steps

Part 1

Part 1 of 3:

Focusing on the Text

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   1
   Read without any background understanding. When you close read, you start with the text itself. While you may already be familiar with the author, close reading requires you to initially view the text in isolation.

   • Try to put anything you already know about the history or background of the text to the side. For at least your first few readings, don't consider anything outside the text.
   • If the text is short, it’s best to read it at least 3 or 4 times. Read it through once, as you normally would, for comprehension. Then you're ready to dive into a close reading.
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   Identify the main ideas or themes. After a quick read-through, you should have a general idea what the text you just read is about. You may want to jot down a few words that describe the main idea or theme of what you just read.

   • You might also notice a particular image or idea that recurs throughout the text. A recurring image may have symbolic meaning. Make note of these as well.
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   Take notes as you read. If the text is short, you can take notes during your second read-through. If it’s long, you can take notes as you read the first time. Go slowly and annotate the text as you read, underlining key words and making notes in the margins.

   • If something is confusing to you or doesn't make sense, put a question mark next to the line. You may also want to jot down a thought or question that you have about it.
   • Make notes in the margins (or on a separate sheet of paper if you're reading from a library book) discussing your thoughts and reactions to the text as you read. Think of yourself as in a conversation with the author of the text.
   • Be careful not to highlight or underline too much. If you find yourself thinking that everything is important, stop and read through it again to find the purpose of the work before you start annotating.
4. 
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   Monitor your reaction to the text. As you're reading, the text will make you feel a certain way. Keep tabs on how the text is making you feel, and dig into why the text is affecting you that way. You might also make notes if it brings up things in your own life.

   • For example, if you are reading a passage about a young woman attending university for the first time, it might bring up memories of your own first days of school. Depending on how that experience was for you, the passage may make you feel wistful, anxious, or nostalgic.
   • Some passages you read may stir up feelings of anger or resentment based on your religious, political, or ethical beliefs. Note these as well. Later on when you're putting the work in context, you can evaluate the author's intentions or reasons for including those passages in the work.
5. 
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   Look up any words you don't know. Having to guess at the meaning of a word can destroy your understanding of the text. Particularly if you're reading something written hundreds of years ago, words used may have a different meaning than they do now. Be sure to specify the meaning based on the context of the work.

   • Some words also may have different meanings depending on the context in which they are used. In some disciplines, such as sociology or law, you may encounter common words that are actually terms of art that have a specialized meaning within that field.
   • Keep a list of words you have to look up so you can refer to it later. This can also help you increase your vocabulary.
6. 
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   Formulate your initial reaction to the text. At this point, you'll have a general reaction to the text as a whole. You may like it or dislike it, or you may have a more emotional reaction to the subject matter. In some cases, you may find that you enjoyed reading something that you ordinarily wouldn't have been interested in.

   • You can use deductive reasoning, inductive reasoning, or a mixture of both. Take note of your process and the reasons behind your reasoning when considering how to react to the text or parts of it.
   • Dig into your reactions and think about why you had the reaction you did. For example, you may have related to the subject matter personally. It may be something you know a lot about or have strong feelings about.
   • If your reaction is based on something outside the text, such as your personal feelings or beliefs, you may want to put that aside while you analyze the text itself. You can come back to it later when you're putting the work in context.
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Part 2

Part 2 of 3:

Analyzing the Text

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   Evaluate the form and structure of the text. When you're looking at the basic form and structure of a piece of writing, consider how that affects the telling of the story. Ask yourself if the story could have been told in another format and how it could have been told from a different perspective.

   • For example, you may be close reading an epic poem. The poem tells a story, but the fact that it's written in poetry rather than prose may detract from the story rather than enhance it.
   • You might also consider whether that particular form or structure is unpopular or uncommon. If the text is written in some rare form, that may make it less accessible and detract from the story or the message the author is trying to convey.
   • Consider also any disruptions or differences between the author's use of the form and the traditional form. Any deviations from the standard may be intended to set a particular tone, or they may serve a purpose within the writing itself. If you notice this deviations, think about whether they help or hurt the piece.
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   Describe the author's writing style. Great authors have a distinct personal style that they bring to their work. Beyond that, a particular style may lend itself more to one type of story than another. Punctuation, sentence length, and paragraph structure are all part of the writer's style.

   • For example, Ernest Hemingway wrote direct, concise sentences. His writing style lent itself well to the action-packed stories that he wrote. However, that sort of writing style might not work very well in a romance novel.
   • Assume that every aspect of the author's writing style was carefully and deliberately chosen to serve the story as a whole. Ask yourself how the style works with the subject matter and theme of the work itself.
3. 
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   Look for patterns in the text. Poets and fictional prose writers are more likely to use patterns and repetition to reinforce themes in the work or make particular details stand out. Patterns can also be used to evoke a particular mood in the reader.

   • When you identify patterns, ask yourself why the author employed that particular pattern. Judge whether it actually serves the purpose the author intended, or whether it's distracting.
   • You may also notice patterns in non-fiction writing, in terms of a particular item or event that keeps coming up over and over again.
4. 
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   Assess the effect of the author's word choice. Out of all the tools in a writer's toolbox, word choice can be the most powerful. Particularly if the author has used an unusual or archaic term, think about why that particular word was chosen over any other.

   • For example, suppose you're close reading a passage in which the protagonist has entered a library. The author refers to the volumes on the shelves as "tomes" rather than "books." This word evokes an entirely different image in most readers' heads. Ask yourself if that image is in keeping with the overall feel of the book itself.
   • Word choice and language in dialogue is used to create characters and tell you something about their personality. In a good piece of writing, the characters won't all talk in the same way. They'll each have their own rhythm and verbal tics, just as real people do. Think about how the language of the characters helps build those characters into individuals, and if the characters are dynamic or flat.
5. 
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   Read aloud to highlight syntax. Syntax is, generally, the way a piece of writing is arranged using grammar and punctuation. You'll notice this more when you read aloud than when you're reading silently. Reading a passage aloud gives you a better sense of the rhythm and flow of the words. Just be sure to pay attention to the punctuation so you know when to pause.

   • If you notice any unusual sentence structures, think about what effect this is meant to have on the reader.
   • You might also notice an abrupt change in sentence structure, such as a one-word sentence. Typically the change is intended to emphasize or draw your attention to something. Think about what your attention is drawn to and why that might be important.
6. 
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   Consider the point of view from which the passage is told. Particularly if you're reading poetry or fiction, someone is telling you a story. Who is telling that story, and why, and what their limitations are, can impact the story itself.

   • If you're reading a story written in first person, think about the narrator and their reasons for telling this story. Separate aspects of the story they would know from other parts of the story that are merely speculation or conjecture on the narrator's part. Ask yourself whether the narrator is reliable, and why or why not.
   • If you're reading something written in third person, determine whether the narrator is limited or omniscient. If you have an omniscient third-person narrator, consider whether knowing the inner thoughts and motivations of all the characters helps or hinders the story.
   • It can also help your analysis to imagine the story being told from a different point of view. For example, how would the story of "The Great Gatsby" be different if it was told from Daisy's point of view?
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   Ask questions to uncover deeper meaning. Questions that start with how and why are some of your most valuable questions as you explore a text more deeply with close reading. Don't take anything as assumed, or trust it just because that's what you were told by the author (or the narrator).

   • Don't worry about getting the "right" answer to these questions. While there may be an interpretation of a text that is commonly (or even universally) accepted, that doesn't make it the only correct interpretation, as long as you can support your interpretation with information from the text.
   • You may have access to the author's interpretation, and what they intended when they wrote the text you've read. However, the author's interpretation is not the only interpretation. It's perfectly legitimate for you to get something different out of the text than what the author intended.
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Part 3

Part 3 of 3:

Putting the Text in Context

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   Determine the author's purpose. Every author who sits down to write something – be it a work of non-fiction, a poem, or a work of fiction – has a reason for doing so. They have information they want to convey to you, or a story they want to tell.

   • Sometimes the author's true purpose is obscured within the writing itself. For example, fiction writers may use an allegory or satire to make a political point or say something about society.
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   Research the author's background. Understanding who the author was and the time period when they were writing can help you better analyze the text and place it in context with other works.

   • The author's background can be important in evaluating your own reaction to the work. For example, historical attitudes about gender, sexuality, and religion may seem strange or even offensive to modern-day readers.
   • As part of your research into the author's background, you should also try to find out what other authors they were associated with. You may want to read some of the work of those other authors to better understand how your author's style developed and evolved.
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   Look for connections to other things you've read. Different pieces of writing often borrow ideas, images, and themes from other works that came before. If you're reading something written more recently, you may find connections to films or television shows as well.

   • Think about the purpose behind those connections. Consider whether the connection was intentionally made by the author, or was just circumstantial.
   • Sometimes authors connect to pre-existing works as a short-cut to build a particular mood or image in the reader's mind. For example, if you're reading a short story about a mad scientist who is designing a theme park, one of the characters might mention Jurassic Park. Assuming you're familiar with Jurassic Park, you already have a fully formed image in your head that the author didn't have to create from scratch.
4. 
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   Relate the text to larger philosophical questions. A text that is a candidate for close reading typically is one that speaks to a particular aspect of existence and of the human condition. After you've gone deep into the text itself, bring it back out into the world and think about what it contributes to human understanding.

   • Ask yourself what the text as a whole causes you to think or wonder about. In some cases, it may be that after reading the text you're left with more questions than you have answers.
   • If you're tasked with writing an essay or other paper on the text, this sort of big-picture thinking can help you find the theme for your paper.
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Expert Q&A

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• Question

  How do I understand the text better?

  

  Jake Adams
  Academic Tutor & Test Prep Specialist

  Jake Adams is an academic tutor and the owner of Simplifi EDU, a Santa Monica, California based online tutoring business offering learning resources and online tutors for academic subjects K-College, SAT & ACT prep, and college admissions applications. With over 14 years of professional tutoring experience, Jake is dedicated to providing his clients the very best online tutoring experience and access to a network of excellent undergraduate and graduate-level tutors from top colleges all over the nation. Jake holds a BS in International Business and Marketing from Pepperdine University.

  

  Jake Adams

  Academic Tutor & Test Prep Specialist

  Expert Answer

  Don't rush through your reading. Read at a pace that works for you. You'll comprehend the text better that way.

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