Doing Close Reading (Print)

This publication supports advanced level English Literature students in understanding what it means to analyse texts closely, providing:

• activities to develop and hone skills of close reading in different ways
• a set of practices and a methodology that they can confidently use.

Includes:

•  20 approaches for developing the skills of close reading, ranging from close stylistic analysis to re-creative writing, with a focus on language, structure and form
• ways of doing close reading on unseen texts
• 58 texts (prose fiction, poetry, drama, non-fiction) from Sir Philip Sidney to Billy Collins, Shakespeare to Sam Shepard, Jane Austen to Hilary Mantel and Mary Wollstonecraft to Alan Clark
• 20 close readings by academics, critics and writers including Emma Smith, Nigel Wheale, Sean McEvoy and Professors John Mullan, Judy Simons, Nicolas Tredell and David Punter – and the winning entries from the emagazine close reading competition for advanced level students
• CD with full publication in PDF format, plus printable A5 anthology of texts.

Reviews

'A superb new photocopiable resource for close reading … not just providing a set of classroom activities but also modelling for teachers a nuanced approach to drawing out student response whilst at the same time building the kind of complex literary knowledge and awareness that students should then be able to transfer to a range of texts.' 

Gary Snapper, Nate

'The Doing Close Reading resource looks fantastic – so much stuff that will be useful!'

Laura Quinn, Graveney School

'So good to have innovative, practical ideas that can be applied, not just to close reading papers, but to the teaching of any literary text.'

Andrea Varney, Esher College

'Brilliant! Creative and practical.'

Jemima Kettle, Guildford High School

'This well-planned and very timely book brilliantly combines an anthology of excellent examples with activities and explanations of the core skills and approaches you need.'

Robert Eaglestone, Professor of Contemporary Literature and Thought, Royal Holloway, London University