Can I Get to Know You? An Introduction to Close Reading

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Close reading is the technique of carefully analyzing a passage’s language, content, structure, and patterns in order to understand what a passage means, what it suggests, and how it connects to the larger work. A close reading delves into what a passage means beyond a superficial level, then links what that passage suggests outward to its broader context. One goal of close reading is to help readers to see facets of the text that they may not have noticed before. To this end, close reading entails “reading out of” a text rather than “reading into” it. Let the text lead and listen to it.

The goal of close reading is to notice, describe, and interpret details of the text that are already there, rather than to impose your own point of view. As a general rule of thumb, every claim you make should be directly supported by evidence in the text. As the name suggests this technique is best applied to a specific passage or passages rather than a longer piece, almost like a case study.

In this class, we will apply close reading techniques to one short story (1 week), one novella (2 weeks), and one novel (3 weeks). Students will then write a close reading analysis on one of the three texts.

This course has discount registration fees for UNLV Staff and Alumni! Visit the discounts policy page for more information. Otherwise, email us at lifelonglearning@unlv.edu to see if you qualify for a discount.

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