In-Class Writing: Close Reading

As the Close Reading assignment sheet states:

"Close reading involves selecting a manageable amount of text (1-2 paragraphs of prose, 1-3 stanzas of poetry) and carefully examining the author’s diction (word choice), syntax (sentence structure, punctuation), symbolic language, imagery, and other formal features in the small selection in light of the rest of the text.

Close reading is a vital skill for becoming a highly effective reader. In general, close reading does not generally address larger ideas, themes, or overarching symbols in a text, though you should address them if they appear in your selection.Textual meaning has to come from somewhere. Close reading is where you discover its origins. It is the literary equivalent of taking and studying a sample with a microscope or a magnifying glass."

Spend the next 20-25 minutes identifying a passage you plan to close read for the 1-page SINGLE SPACED or 2 pages DOUBLE SPACED assignment due by midnight on Sunday, April 8th.


Create a word document and IDENTIFY the passage you have chosen. You do not have to type it up. Then write up around 200 words of notes on how you will close read the passage. If you can, identify the words you will define. When you are finished, either print out two copies or email them to yourself and to me. 

In selecting a passage, focus particularly on situations in the novel that are linguistically or rhetorically intriguing. These do not have to be key passages in the plot, but situations with interesting description or language. The passage you select should have at least two nuanced words that lend themselves to OED definitions. Keep in mind that these definitions should not define words that are simply unfamiliar, but terms that contribute significantly to your reading of the passage.