Close Reading

In literary studies called close reading, careful interpretation of a text, ie a precise, all text details, nuances of meaning and linguistic effects nachspürendes reading, provides the text as an object in the center of interest. Such an approach places great emphasis on the Special compared to the general, pays close attention to individual words, syntax, and the order of the sentences and words.

Close reading was developed by the so-called New Critics in the middle of the 20th century and is now considered a basic method or a conditio sine qua non of modern literary criticism and interpretation.

Among the methodological pioneers of close reading include the English literary critic IA Richards and William Empson his pupil: Empson's Seven Types of Ambiguity study is considered a classic of the New Criticism.

Attentive close reading of a 200 -word poem could bring forth thousands of words to exhaust without all the possibilities of observation and knowledge. So devotes about Jacques Derrida's essay Ulysses Gramophone the interpretation of the word " yes" in James Joyce's novel Ulysses more than 80 pages.

Following Richards, the principle of " close reading " in England was also well known under the heading of practical criticism and became a "milestone" on the way from even the 19th and the early 20th century formative rather impressionistic, highly on subjective impressions moment constructive nature of the literature observation and interpretation towards a critical, scientific and thorough interpretation method that is now regarded as indispensable in the not the approach of the New Criticism following literary theory and literary orientations.