Close reading technique
A fundamental analytical method involving careful, detailed attention to specific words, phrases, sounds, structures, and formal features. Close reading asks how particular choices create meaning, examining texts at multiple levels simultaneously.
Real World
When literary critics dissected Sylvia Plath's 'Lady Lazarus', they didn't summarise the poem's subject — they analysed specific word choices like 'peel off' and 'Herr God' to show how Plath constructs a defiant, survivor identity through language.
Exam Focus
Quote precisely, then zoom in: name the technique, explain the effect, and link to theme — never paraphrase.
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