Engagements with Close Reading

This book offers an introduction to literary reading, how to perform a close analysis of an unfamiliar text, and how to articulate responses. It is a valuable resource for those entering the conversation about literary reading as it is being reshaped by humanists and literary scholars in the wake of cultural studies, critical theory, historicism, and new media, presenting a framework for understanding the ways critics, writers, and readers have talked about the literary experience. Making sense of the past, present, and future of reading, she teaches the key concepts of close reading while facilitating conversations among different approaches and media, and opening paths to new inquiry.