Close Reading of a Novel * - from Leah Fowler see below

1. Choose a single scene. (Defined as an event occurring in one

particular place at one particular moment in narrative time.)
2. First reading: Listen to and comment on the narrator. Make
observations about the narrators perceptions, assumptions, degree of
self-knowledge, attitudes and emotions as they relate to the scene.
How are we being invited to read/experience the scene?
3. Second Reading: Read the text very closely to see what is going on.
Make a list of all the nouns and the active verbs. Find metaphors and
other figurative language. Examine your lists and link
words/metaphors together to see if you can find clusters or patterns.
What do these patterns reveal? Do they express any hopes, dreams,
wishes, or fears?
4. Third Reading: Put your ideas about narrator and your analysis of the
patterns to see how the two work together to help us understand the
scene in the context of the whole novel.
5. Fourth Reading: Look closely at the stylistic elements that create a
specific experience for the reader. Does the language create a certain
tone? Does the sound or rhythm (smooth, disjointed) of the words
create a certain emotion, suspense or other desired response?
Consider the description and dialogue. Do the sentence lengths vary?
Are there special syntactic features? What is the effect of the
punctuation? Are there repetitions? How is emphasis created?
*With thanks to Virginia Puddicombe via Rebecca Luce-Kapler that led to this assignment.
Carol Shields (2002, (Unless, p. 224-225)) writes:
Novels help us turn down the volume o our own interior dis!ourse", #ut unless the$ !an provide an alternative,
hopeul !ourse, the$%re &ust so mu!h narrative !rum#le... .
Unless is the worr$ word o the 'n(lish lan(ua(e. )t lies li*e a moth around the ear, $ou hardl$ hear it, and $et
ever$thin( depends on its #reath$ presen!e. +nless , that%s the little su#&un!tive mineral $ou !arr$ alon( in $our
po!*et !rease. )t%s alwa$s there or else not there.
+nless $ou%re lu!*$, unless $ou%re health$, ertile, unless $ou%re loved and ed, unless $ou%re !lear a#out $our
se-ual dire!tion, unless $ou%re oered what others are oered, $ou (o down in the dar*ness, down to despair.
+nless provides $ou with a trapdoor, a tunnel into the li(ht, the reverse side o not enou(h. +nless *eeps $ou rom
drownin( in the presidin( arran(ements... +nless is mira!le o lan(ua(e and per!eption.. )t ma*es us an-ious,
ma*es us !unnin(.... /ut it (ives us hope."
Close Reading of a Short Story*
1. Choose a single scene, brief dialogue, several lines which you think are significant, or
paragraph that reveals something key about a character. (an event can be occurring in one
particular place at one particular moment in narrative time.)
2. First reading: Listen to and comment on the narrator/storyteller. Make observations about
the narrators perceptions, assumptions, degree of self-knowledge, attitudes and emotions as
they relate to the scene. How are we being invited to read/experience the scene?
3. Second Reading: Read the text very closely to see what is going on. Make a list of all the
nouns and the active verbs. Find metaphors and other figurative language. Examine your
lists and link words/metaphors together to see if you can find clusters or patterns. What do
these patterns reveal? Do they express any hopes, dreams, wishes, or fears?
4. Third Reading: Put your ideas about narrator or main character and your analysis of the
patterns to see how the two work together to help us understand the scene in the context of
the whole story.
5. Fourth Reading: Look closely at the stylistic elements that create a specific experience
for the reader. Does the language create a certain tone? Does the sound or rhythm (smooth,
disjointed) of the words create a certain emotion, suspense or other desired response?
Consider the description and dialogue. Do the sentence lengths vary? Are there special
syntactic features? What is the effect of the punctuation? Are there repetitions? How is
emphasis created?
Close Reading of a Poem
1. Choose a poem that startles, moves, or interests you.
2. First reading: Read the whole poem. Make observations about the poets perceptions, main
experience, assumptions, degree of self-knowledge, attitudes and emotions as they relate to the
poem. How are we being invited to read, experience, make sense of the poem ?
3. Second Reading: Read the text very closely to see what is going on. Make a list of all the nouns
and the active verbs. Find metaphors and other figurative language. Examine your lists and link
words/metaphors together to see if you can find clusters or patterns. What do these patterns
reveal? Do they express any hopes, dreams, wishes, or fears?
4. Third Reading: Reader Response what personal connections are there to the poem?
5. Fourth Reading: Look closely at the stylistic elements that create a specific experience for the
reader. Does the language create a certain tone? Does the sound or rhythm (smooth, disjointed)
of the words create a certain emotion, suspense or other desired response? Consider the
description and dialogue. Do the sentence lengths vary? Are there special syntactic features?
What is the effect of the punctuation? Are there repetitions? How is emphasis created?