Close Reading: Literature

Module Leader:
Boldizsár Fejérvári
Status:
Confirmed
Year/Term:
2020-2021 Autumn
Level:
Immersion 1
Division:
Arts and Humanities
Credit:
8

Close reading is a technique pioneered by the so called “New Critics” of the mid-20th century. It consists in reading a text carefully, paying attention to all textual and structural elements including imagery, voice, narrative technique, vocabulary, themes, as well as ellipses. Though there is no one single method that can be used to approach any text, there are some skills students will learn in the course of this module that will help them analyse most texts they will come across. In addition to the stories read, a toolkit for their interpretation will also be provided. Focusing on attentive reading and linguistic as well as pragmatic analysis, students will become more sensitive to divergent tendencies and tensions reflected in literary works. The course will also intensify students’ perceptiveness of nuances and details. Reading literature is also an instrumental device in the development of language competence, which the students will profit from in terms of vocabulary, grammatical versatility, accuracy, and appropriacy.

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