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Mastering Close Reading Techniques with Texas State Writing Center

Improve your close reading skills with The Writing Center at Texas State University. Learn the 4 steps of close reading, including selecting the text, annotation, interpretation, and outlining. Discover tips on what to focus on and how to organize your analysis effectively.

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Mastering Close Reading Techniques with Texas State Writing Center

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  1. The Writing Center • Flowers Hall G09 • 512-245-3018 • M-Th 9 am – 9 pm, Friday 11 am – 5pm • Bobcat Chat Online Tutoring: Sundays & weekday evenings. • McCoy Hall Room 226: M 2-5 & T 3-6 • Appointment basis • www.writingcenter.txstate.edu

  2. Close Reading Techniques Presented by The Texas State Writing Center

  3. What is a close reading? • A specific and detailed examination of a particular passage of a text or the text as a whole.

  4. 4 Steps of Close Reading 1) Select the text 2) Annotate 3) Interpret 4) Organize an outline

  5. 1) The Text • Select a short passage. • Make sure it is significant to the text as a whole. • Poems & Plays: Make sure to read the text aloud.

  6. 2) Annotate • Use a pencil. • Underline key words and phrases. • Make notes in the margins.

  7. What are you looking for? • Gut reaction, especially for poems. • The Important - What are the themes of the passage? - What are the themes of the entire text? • The Unusual and Unexpected - Contradictions - Omissions

  8. What else? • Patterns and Repetitions - Images - Symbols - Narration Styles - Sentence Structures - Stage directions (plays) - Sounds (plays & poems) - Line Breaks (poems) “serpent-like”  Temptation -------------------- “light blue pair” “some lavender” “some all black” “various shades of tan and gray”

  9. And… • Vocabulary and Diction - What words stick out? - What words have double meanings? - What words are unfamiliar to you?

  10. 3) Interpretations • Examine the patterns - How are they connected? - Why? - What is significant? Senses Emotions Emphasis Theme Biography

  11. 4) Organize an Outline • Include a closely argued thesis. • Use precise citations for illustrations. • Select only the pertinent details. • Organize the paragraphs according to issues and meaning.

  12. Do • Read the text multiple times. • Read aloud plays and poems • Look up key words. • Take a step back after annotating.

  13. Don’t • Don’t highlight too much. • Don’t write a plot summary. • Don’t pad your paper with quotes. • Don’t organize your paragraphs to follow the order of the text.

  14. “A Pair of Silk Stockings” • Written in the late 1800s by Kate Chopin. • First published in Vogue magazine. • Summary: Mrs. Sommers, a poor mother of numerous children, receives some unexpected money. She plans on buying items for her children but ends up spending the money on herself.

  15. Consider • Tone • Style • Context • Theme • Figurative Language • Diction • Literal Content • Structure • Characterization

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