Literary Analysis and Close Reading
Literary Analysis and Close Reading
Figurative language vs. Literal
Literal language – When artists use plain (or fancy) words to convey what they mean in concrete terms. For example: I am upset. I am in love. The dog died.
Figurative language – When artists use figures of speech to be more effective, persuasive, or impactful. For example: I see red. My love is like a red, red rose. The dog walked over rainbow bridge.
- metaphors, similes, allusions go beyond literal meanings to give readers new insight.
- alliterations, imageries, onomatopoeias appeal to the senses of the readers.
In our first reading of the semester, Martin Espada tells a story of 9/11 in his poem “Alabanza.” As a poet, Espada has done his job by crafting this poem, but it is up to the reader (us) to decide what it ultimately means. And, unlike the math textbooks of my younger days, there is no answer on page 527 at the back of the book to let us check to see if we got “the” answer right.
Before you continue, please enjoy a musical interlude.
Method
I do not want to give you the impression that interpreting a text is without challenge because part of interpreting a text is convincing your readers to accept your interpretation. And this can be tricky. Think of the case of Lil Nas X’s “Old Town Road.” Some have interpreted this song and have argued that not only does it fall into the Country genre, it should have been considered for the Country Music Charts. Others vehemently disagree. To make their case, each side might analyze not only structural elements such as beat, rhythm, and tempo but also content or lyrics.
In other words, their analysis and ensuing argument is highly organized. Much like these Lil Nax X fans, when we analyze literature, we are also trying to get at what something might mean, and we do so using some pretty specific methods.
To arrive at a particular meaning, we keep moving back and forth between understanding small points and the ways in which the small points build (even when they contradict) to create an overall point.
- Small moments – a small moment may be a line, word, character’s name, an exchange between characters, among other elements that hold additional meaning. For example, what does it mean that in the third stanza, the protagonist (speaker/narrator) insists that some anonymous person can’t tell them “nothing” (Line 13). By considering this assertion that no one can tell the main character anything about who they are at the start of this poem, we are reading this text very closely – or engaging in “close reading.” To fully analyze these small moments, we use literary devices (see below) to help us dig deeper.
- Larger meaning – as analysts, we pay attention to these small moments because they help us decide what an overall meaning for the text might be. You should know that even after we have decided what a text might “mean,” it is highly dependent on what we are feeling at that particular time. Think about those times when you have just have your heart broken and then you hear a particular song that you have heard hundreds of times. But on this particular day, as you wipe away your tears, you think to yourself, “yes, this is exactly how I feel.”
Author vs. Narrator vs. Characters vs. Literary Analyst
Author: The author is the creator/writer of the text (poem, short story, play, novel, painting, song, and so on).
Narrator: This is the person or people who are telling the story. As noted above, there are different types of narration – and some of those narrators are untrustworthy.
Characters: The people who exist in the text.
Literary Analyst: This is the person who analyzes a text and who makes a particular argument. The literary analyst will look at words and/or images and listen to sounds and then make the argument that something is a metaphor .. or a symbol ..or contributes to a theme.
- “Incorrect”: Poe’s use of metaphor in this particular scene means that the casket is a subconscious burden felt by the protagonist.
- Better: Here, the buried casket represents a subconscious burden that is felt by the protagonist.
