Close reading - University of Warwick.
So, the close reading essay outline is the following: Introduction, where you explain why you have selected the topic. The central part, where you analyze the parts that have touched you. Conclusion, where you give the general impression from the literary work and give the summary of all that has been written in the introduction and the main part.Organizing your close-reading essay In writing your close-reading essay, you may wish to start by introducing the book and describing your chosen passage’s importance within it. You could then offer relevant details to support your thesis.How to Begin: 1. Read with a pencil in hand, and annotate the text. 2. Look for patterns in the things you've noticed about the text—repetitions, contradictions, similarities. 3. Ask questions about the patterns you've noticed—especially how and why.
Accurate transcription of quotations is, for some, the first and last rule of close reading. If your passage isn’t transcribed meticulously, down to the last comma and (with poetry) spacing on the page, you can’t read it closely.Example close reading Below is an example of a close reading written for the module by a now-graduated student. It demonstrates how to focus on the text and balance close reading with cultural context (although is slightly longer than the essays we now ask you to write).
Your Elevator Pitch for your essay should sell the idea of it to a reader, leaving them wanting to read the essay in question. This is quite a tough exercise, as it forces you to be ruthlessly concise in your thinking and choice of words; but you can use this summary to help you write your introduction, and it’ll help you achieve clarity in what you’re trying to say.
