Close Reading

Close reading, also known as close textual analysis, investigates the relationship between the internal workings of discourse in order to discover what makes a particular text function persuasively. A text is an artifact that stimulates meaning. To infer about such meanings, one needs to conduct a close reading. Close reading may be related to the hermeneutical triangle since three important traits are examined: the rhetor, or author, of the text; the audience(s); and the message itself. Close reading attempts to reveal the detailed, often concealed, tools that give a particular text stylistic consistency and rhetorical effect. By conducting a close reading analysis, hidden themes may surface that have been overlooked or underestimated. In the United States, close reading has been linked to the New Criticism, which took place after both World Wars. In academic fields such as communication, English, and literature, close reading analysis served as a new manner of analyzing and interpreting. Instead of considering external traits of a text (such as its historical time period), a close reading considers only the internal traits of the text. The purpose of a close reading is to examine what the text contains at various levels such as linguistic and visual.

It is imperative to be able to read closely to view the dynamics of a text, such as repetitions, that influence and affect reasoning of both the rhetor and audience. Not only do close readings assist communication socially, in one’s public life, but also personally, in one’s close relationships. Students, in particular, may benefit from close reading. Having close reading as a skill will help students understand others, such as their classmates and professors, as well as aid them during lectures. In addition, knowing how to closely read the syllabus will help students do well in their courses. For these personal and academic reasons, close reading may positively affect the communication, and overall lives, of college students.

This entry discusses close reading as an approach that requires essential techniques of noticing a text and analyzing such traits as the message of the text. As observations become solidified, a critic can then adopt a specific theory and method. First, the role and requirements of the critic will be discussed. Second, theory, method, and technique will be addressed. Lastly, this entry will discuss how close readings can be effectively conducted.