Study Skills > Close Reading

Readers often engage in some form of close reading. More than just reading the words on a page, close reading involves actually thinking about the author’s purpose, word choice, and tone. This reading approach is especially useful for reading literary texts but can definitely complement a critical reading of informative texts. Not only does close reading help you understand the texts better, it can also help you organize and synthesize your ideas, which prepares you for the writing stage.

Close reading often involves taking notes while, or shortly after, you read, and these notes are the beginning ideas for writing essays or critical analyses of works. The following links guide you, step by step, to ask questions about the text in order to grasp the more complex meanings often embedded in writing. The last link is specifically designed to help readers thoughtfully process an article or persuasive text.

What is Close Reading?
Click here for a thorough analysis of close reading. The authors categorize the elements of close reading and show what kinds of thinking are required for each element. You will find a handy checklist and, best of all, an example of close reading with a brilliant Charles Dickens excerpt.

Close Reading of a Literary Passage
Though fairly short, this linked website offers some excellent questions to ask as you’re reading but at times demands a fairly good understanding of literary terms. A novice could use this well but may need to look up some terms in a dictionary.

Critical Reading: What is Critical Reading, and why do I need to do it?