close reading
Careful text examination
Close reading is careful, detailed analysis of a text, examining word choices, structure, imagery, and patterns to uncover meaning.
The technique is central to literary study: A close reading of the poem reveals its ambivalence about mortality.
The term implies attention to what's actually on the page rather than biographical or historical context.
Added explanatory comment
- exegesisCritical textual interpretation
- hermeneuticsStudy of interpretation methods
- textual analysisSystematic examination of writing
- line-by-lineProceeding through each row
word-by-word · marginalia · highlighting · underlining · note-taking · rereading
Metrical literary composition
- proseUnversified language
- narrativeAccount of events
- stanzaPoem's line grouping
- verseMetered poetic passage
paragraph · passage · excerpt · text · novel · short story · essay · sonnet
What something signifies
- subtextImplicit meaning beneath words
- symbolismRepresenting concepts through images
- metaphorImplied identity comparison
- ironyMeaning opposite to words
ambiguity · inference · connotation · imagery · diction · syntax · tone · allusion
Focused mental awareness
- focusConcentrated attention point
- concentrationSustained single-minded attention
- immersionState of being submerged
- absorptionProcess of taking in
contemplation · reflection · discernment · comprehension · sustained attention · critical thinking
annotation
Added explanatory comment
- exegesisCritical textual interpretation
- hermeneuticsStudy of interpretation methods
- textual analysisSystematic examination of writing
line-by-line · word-by-word · marginalia · highlighting · underlining · note-taking · rereading
poetry
Metrical literary composition
verse · paragraph · passage · excerpt · text · novel · short story · essay · sonnet · monologue
meaning
What something signifies
- subtextImplicit meaning beneath words
- symbolismRepresenting concepts through images
- metaphorImplied identity comparison
irony · ambiguity · inference · connotation · imagery · diction · syntax · tone · allusion · figurative language
attention
Focused mental awareness
- focusConcentrated attention point
- concentrationSustained single-minded attention
- immersionState of being submerged
absorption · contemplation · reflection · discernment · comprehension · sustained attention · critical thinking
- readingfluency, read, comprehension, readers, books
- analysisanalyze, analysis, evaluate, data analysis, examine
- humanitiesphilosophy, history, literature, philosophy class, novels
- language artsgrammar rules, vocabulary building, phonics, spelling bees, writing prompts
- literacyliteracy, spelling, alphabet, writing, vocabulary
- researchstudy, research papers, researching, archive, peer review
close readingskimming
Passing lightly over
speed reading · scanning · browsing · glancing · once-over
close, reading, closed, closing, exclude, exclusive, closer, closely, closure