What Happens After I Close Read?

Close reading is really a method, a process, a means to an end. . . One close reads before they begin thinking about a thesis, an argument, or the writing process. It is the evidence necessary to support your argument within a literary analysis.

Once you've close read several passages, try finding connections within your results.

• What is the text doing for you?
• Can you formulate an argument?
• What is that argument, and is it related to a major theme in the text?
• What is your thesis? Does it combine the results of your close readings with an argument about a major theme in the text? Why or why not?

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