Lecture 2: The Concept of ‘Text’ and Close Reading

Ajouté : 2026-05-09

[00:00:15]Once again a very warm welcome you all in this 8week course entitled understanding literary genres and devices.

[00:00:27]I am Dr. Vishal Singh assistant professor in the department of English at Wasanta College for Rajgart Vanashi afflated to the Banaras Hindu University.

[00:00:39]This course has been designed in the collaboration with professor Mjari Zunjun Walla head department of English Wasanta College for women Rajart.

[00:00:49]Dear learners, in last session we discussed about what is literature and what is literary studies.

[00:00:59]In general, we talked about what does mean by this word literature and what is mean of literary studies and what comes under this. Now moving forward in the next lecture we are going to deal with lecture two entitled the concept of text and close reading.

[00:01:27]Before beginning the session uh let me make you familiar with the outline of the lecture. What are the topics which we are going to cover today.

[00:01:38]So list of the topics in this lecture is what is text?

[00:01:46]Types of text readers role in textual reading.

[00:01:52]textual layers of meaning.

[00:01:54]How to do close reading, key features of close reading and text for close reading. At the end we will explain a text a piece of work of art as an example where we will apply the method of close reading and we will see how we can do close reading of a particular text.

[00:02:22]Moving forward, let's take a question. What is text?

[00:02:29]When we hear this word text, what comes in our mind?

[00:02:37]If you are going to see, we are going to discuss general meaning of word text. So text is something which is just equal to any unit of meaning. It may be book, it may be film, it may be painting, poem or even a tweet. It means it can be as small as a message as a text message we used to call it or it may be as long as an epic like Mahabharata or Ramayana or anything.

[00:03:15]So text can be anything whatever is with certain script it will be in particular language it will follow certain structure language grammar all these things will come together and they will create text.

[00:03:40]But if you are going to understand its deeper meaning something in detail what is mean by text is it only either play novel poem or message or anything which is written that is only text or we can think something beyond this.

[00:04:07]So what I think text can be not only a the content which has been written in certain script but text is also that how you are going to perceive any text while you are reading how you are generating meaning of that text.

[00:04:32]I mean to tell you sometime we used to read between the lines. We used to infer meaning we used to introspect the text on the basis of our understanding on the basis of our background or maybe anything. So text is not something which is just limited within the boundary or margin of the two covers.

[00:05:00]Let's move forward.

[00:05:04]Before moving forward, we can see just remember a theorist Ronald Barist. What is his definition about the text? While he was talking about the text, this word text t what he said?

[00:05:21]He said in his theory the idea of text goes beyond this narrow view. He suggests that everything can be read as a text.

[00:05:36]Meaning the entire world itself can be interpreted as a text.

[00:05:43]So text is not something which is just within the boundary of two covers.

[00:05:49]It may be there in soft copy, maybe there in hard copy. Anything can be. But if you are going to read about the concept of Ronald Bartis he's saying even this world is a text.

[00:06:03]So whatever you can read means whatever you can understand from where you can infer meaning everything comes under this word text.

[00:06:13]Now moving forward let's talk about the types of text.

[00:06:19]If you are talking about this traditional meaning of the text which is within the boundary of two covers basically there are three types of text.

[00:06:29]The first one is readerly text. The second one is writerly text and autotellic text. Let's discuss it one by one. What do we mean by readerly text?

[00:06:43]Readerly text are actually those text where reader is just a passive person who just supposed to accept whatever has been written in the text. It may be from author point of view or it may be on the basis of language structure. So reader is a passive agent.

[00:07:12]He just have to read it and he have to grasp that meaning. He are not supposed to interpret it in a different way on the basis of his her own understanding.

[00:07:27]Readerly text are traditional works that presents fixed meaning for passive reading and easy understanding.

[00:07:39]Reader's role is just to receive meaning not to question it.

[00:07:45]Now moving forward about the writerly text. What is writerly text? Writerly text are those text which are open to interpretation.

[00:08:01]Meaning of these kind of text vary from person to person.

[00:08:05]Reader is an active agent in this kind of reading or in this kind of text. He can read it. He can interpret it according to his her own understanding, own perception.

[00:08:21]So in writerly text what happens? Reader becomes an active participant or you may say writer of the text. Means meaning is not controlled by the writer.

[00:08:34]Once text is written and then it has been left free to interpret.

[00:08:42]You are not just uh supposed to understand what a writer has written.

[00:08:47]You are free to interpret it. I hope I'm making it clear. Those text are called writerly text.

[00:08:54]For example, James Joyce Ulyses or a portrait of the artist as an young man. You will see the text is free to interpret.

[00:09:10]Even there's a poem the wasteland by TS Iliot. You can read it. You can interpret it according to your own understanding.

[00:09:20]You are not a passive reader who will just read and understand whatever has been said by the writer. So here in a way you can say reader is also a kind of writer in this kind of text.

[00:09:34]I forgot to mention example of readerly text.

[00:09:37]I'm mentioning it here. Readerly text have you can take an example of readerly text like pride and prejudice by Jane Austin. You are reading a novel. You are visualizing the situation and you are just observing the meaning, accepting the meaning. You are not going to interpret it according to your own understanding.

[00:10:04]So for an example of readerly text, you can take pride and prejudice by Jane Austin. It was a and for writerly text you can take example of James Joy Ulyses or a portrait of the artist as Angman.

[00:10:23]Again autotilic text. So what are these kind of text?

[00:10:30]You must have heard the word aestheticism which means art for art's sake. There were people like Oscar Oil, Walter Patter.

[00:10:44]So what was the purpose of those writers? They were saying art has no uh moral duty. Art is not supposed to teach.

[00:10:57]Art has art is not mean to teach people.

[00:11:02]So what is the role of art? Just it should be good on the basis of language, structure and beauty. Especially they used to talk about the aesthetic beauty of art. So in autotelic text they are not supposed to teach they are not supposed to spread the moral message.

[00:11:25]They are focused only on the aesthetic beauty of art. For example, you can take to night angle by John kids.

[00:11:34]This is best example of autotellic textbook. Moving forward, let's talk about the reader's role in textual reading.

[00:11:44]What we are supposed to do as a reader while we are doing textual reading.

[00:11:52]So reading is active meaning is constructed not just absorbed. What does it mean? Means while you are doing close reading or while you are doing textual reading you are not just a passive reader who has to read and absorb the meaning.

[00:12:12]You have to apply your own understanding. You have to apply your wisdom to interpret the text in a different way to create different meaning. You can investigate text.

[00:12:29]You can recreate the same text even you are like a writer for the text. So as a reader you have very active role while you are doing close reading.

[00:12:45]What comes while you are interpreting a text?

[00:12:49]I mean what affects you in generating your own meaning while you are reading a text.

[00:12:56]So of course your personal background, your own belief system, your own understanding about certain issue about certain time.

[00:13:09]So all these things will come in between while you are reading a text and while you are in the process of meaning making. So of course your personal background, your understanding will affect or will play a role in the meaning making of a text.

[00:13:33]There is a line I'm just reading it here. A poem is not its words. It is the reader's experience of those words.

[00:13:47]Means It's not only the script which is creating meaning but it is the effect of that script on the reader which is providing meaning.

[00:14:00]So reader is very active in close reading.

[00:14:06]Now while we are talking about the textual layer of meanings.

[00:14:12]So there are different layer of the meaning. It's not that meaning is just same. There are types of meaning. You may say while you're studying semantics, you will find what are the points or what are the types of meaning. How we generate meaning. The first one is here literal.

[00:14:39]Just see this word. What is mean by literal? Literal means something just exact translation of the words. Exact meaning or you may say lexical meaning just you are translating from one language to another language means you are not going to look up the symbolic meaning metaphorical meaning figurative meaning you are just focused on the words on the text on the script which is in front of you that is literal meaning in that we have two kinds of meaning one is direct meaning another is surface Okay, direct meaning means we just need to look on the words. We just need to focus on the text. This is very similar to the literal meaning because this is a part of the literal meaning.

[00:15:29]So there's example call me Isabel. This is a dialogue from Herman Mel's work.

[00:15:39]Protagonist is introducing himself. Call me Isamil. So what does it mean? It mean he's just introducing himself to the audience to the people. There is no hidden meaning. We don't need to find meaning between the lines or we don't need to apply your our brain to find out what does it mean in metaphorical sense or symbolic sense. That is literal meaning. It's not very complex. It is very simple.

[00:16:05]Again surface meaning. Surface meaning is what the straightforward message or idea conveyed without deeper interpretation.

[00:16:19]So as it is also part of literal meaning. So there is no need to focus on c on certain deeper issues or in depth it is just on the surface. We need to understand what does it mean. There is example the house was still but for the ticking of the clock. This example is from Harper Le's to kill a mocking bird.

[00:16:46]So this is also very much similar to the literal meaning because it's a part of that. Uh moving forward what we have figurative meaning. So what does mean by this word figurative?

[00:16:58]Where we are going to talk about the figures about the forms about the literary forms especially what are those like simile metaphor allegory hyperbolymoran antithesis as consonants there may be so many.

[00:17:21]So when we are reading especially a poem or any work of art and we are looking for the figurative meaning we are looking the use of figure of speeches about literary forms then we are studying this figurative meaning what is there well there is an example from uh William Shakespeare's great makbath what is that all the perfumes of Arabia will not sweeten this little hand.

[00:17:54]This line has been said by Lady Magbet in the play.

[00:18:01]This was a a scene in the play when Lady Magbet and Magbet killed Duncan to become king.

[00:18:13]And after that because of that crime because of that guilt lady magbet is continuously thinking she's washing her hand again and again and she's thinking that still there is a stain of blood on my hand. Why? If you are going on a literal meaning they will find that just she's washing her hands that's it. But if you are talking about the figurative meaning, you can see how symbol have been used. How she's talking about her guilt. She's talking about her crime. How she's not able to free from her crime. How she's not able to move from her past. Whatever she did, whatever she committed, what was an heinous act. So this uh kind of study when you are going to study when you are going to find out the meaning of text in this way is this called figurative meaning. Moving forward we have a cultural meaning. What does mean by cultural meaning?

[00:19:15]Culture word itself is uh symbolizing or giving indication that we need to understand about certain culture certain uh society while we are going to produce meaning because certain text have been or has been produced in certain situation. So we need to understand what was the situation at that time in that locality.

[00:19:45]Then only we can analyze the cultural meaning. For example, we have Charles Deakons.

[00:19:53]If we are going to read a tale of two cities or we are going to read about Oliver Twist any novel by Deakons, you will find that he's talking about the industrialization of the Victorian society. He's talking about the class ridden society. How society was divided into two part.

[00:20:12]It was a feast for some person and fast for more person. I quote it.

[00:20:19]So means we need to understand what was the situation of England at that time especially Victorian England. Then we can understand the meaning of those text Oliver twist or a tale of two cities that is cultural meaning.

[00:20:34]Moving forward, how to do close reading?

[00:20:37]What is the process of close reading?

[00:20:41]As a reader, what we are supposed to do while we are making close reading, we should be focused.

[00:20:47]Our reading should be detailed and it should be analytical. What we need to focus, we need to see it one by one.

[00:20:56]Read the text carefully. Means we need to see each word very carefully.

[00:21:04]And we need to find out the lexical meaning of that uh those terms, those words. What does it mean?

[00:21:12]Annotate important details. We can underline, we can make notes of important details while we are doing close reading. Identify plot, characters and setting. It means either it is a play or novel or short story. It may be anything, any form of art. But we need to find out elements of the form. What is that? What is the plot?

[00:21:38]Stories based on what? What is theme?

[00:21:40]What are the characters?

[00:21:43]What is the setting? We need to look everything while we are making close reading.

[00:21:48]Then analyze language and tone. We need to find out what kind of language have been used and what is tone. Either it is written in sad tone or it is written in a happy tone.

[00:22:02]We need to find out that what kind of tone have has been or have been used in this text. Next moving forward consider context. As I just said while you are reading for cultural meaning you are reading a text.

[00:22:17]Let's take example of any historical text. So you need to understand the background of the text in which time it was produced in which time it has been written and who was the writer and what was his situation at that time. So it always affects meaning it always background of the writer background of the time locality situation is responsible behind producing a text. So we need to understand that also. Then identity, theme and motive means what was the purpose of writing this text and as I said about the theme. So on which theme it is based, what is the central idea of that poem if it is a poem and what is the theme on which a story has been written means major idea on which a story is based. So we need to focus on all these things and we have to make uh focused reading as I said reading with attention to a specific aspects or details of the text that is focused reading. Detailed reading means careful reading of the entire text to understand every part thoroughly.

[00:23:35]And analytical reading means examining the text critically to interpret meaning, structure and deeper significance.

[00:23:46]So it's very clear while we are doing close reading we need to very very focused, we need to be analytical. We have to read it in a very detailed way.

[00:23:57]Now what are the key features of close reading?

[00:24:01]What are the elements to which we can say these are the key features of close reading? So of course the first one is a diction.

[00:24:10]Diction means words vocabulary. Words have been used in this text.

[00:24:18]We need to find out collocation of the words. we need to read about the denotative meaning, conotative meaning and of course literal meaning of those words. So diction is a very important and the first thing while we are doing close reading. Then the second thing is syntax. Syntax is about the structure of language about the form of language in which pattern it has been written.

[00:24:47]What kind of tense has been used? what kind of verb has been used.

[00:24:56]So we need to look on tense form verb everything in the structure in the pattern of writing language of the text.

[00:25:08]I mean we have to focus on the script of the text that is syntax. Now moving forward figurative language. Figurative language I already told you that what is there?

[00:25:22]What kind of figures have been used?

[00:25:24]What kind of literary forms have been used?

[00:25:28]Is it simile, metaphor or oxymoron or hyperbol? What are these?

[00:25:35]We need to focus about all these elements while we are reading for the figurative language. This is also one feature among all of the closed reading.

[00:25:47]Then rhythm.

[00:25:49]What is rhythm? flow and pattern of sounds in the text. What kind of flow is there? What is the pattern of writing?

[00:26:00]We need to focus on that also. This is also one of the key features of close reading. Then repetition.

[00:26:10]Repetition means what?

[00:26:12]Repeating words, phrases or ideas for emphasis.

[00:26:18]Especially if you will read a poem you will find that there are certain lines which is repeating again and again and again again maybe end of the all stanja the same line is coming or maybe the opening of the stanza is the same line.

[00:26:36]So why this is a repetition? It may be to create certain musical uh aspect in the poem or may maybe to insist on certain idea to focus on certain idea. So generally it happen in the poem but there are repetition in pro also in some different way.

[00:26:58]Then tone and mood. What is tone?

[00:27:02]Author's attitude and the emotional atmosphere of the text.

[00:27:10]Means what is approach of the writer in which mental status he is writing this text.

[00:27:19]So that is called tone about the mental situation of the writer about his idea about his approach what he's doing there.

[00:27:34]Now just take an example for the close reading.

[00:27:41]We can read this uh a small poem or you may say a part of poem to understand the elements and characteristics of the close reading and how we should approach a text in a practical way. So let's uh read this poem together.

[00:28:01]I am not that woman selling you socks and suits.

[00:28:08]Remember me.

[00:28:10]I am the one you hid in your walls of a stone while you roamed free as the bridge not knowing that my voice cannot be smoothered by stones.

[00:28:25]This poem has been written by Kishwar Nahid. You can see it.

[00:28:30]And just by one reading you can understand what kind of message and what kind of theme on which this poem is based or which message this poem is spreading. What is the tone you can understand just by one reading because this is written in a very simple language while you're talking about the diction what we just discussed about the uh key features of the close reading.

[00:28:58]So diction is very simple and direct. It is written in everyday language not in a very difficult words for which we have to refer dictionary.

[00:29:11]So this is very much clear. We all can know easily the meaning of these words that is diction about the syntax. You can see this is written in short lines and in direct way.

[00:29:29]There is one interesting thing what we can see here. This is written in enjambed lines. What is this enjam lines?

[00:29:39]when lines in poetry that carry a sentence or frag over into the next line without a pause or punctuation creating a sense of continuation.

[00:29:55]You can see here I am not that woman selling you socks and suits. Remember me. I am the one you hid in your walls of stone. From here I am the one you hid in your walls of stone. So one line moving in another line.

[00:30:16]It's a kind of sense of continuation jumping from one line to another line.

[00:30:22]This is called in jam line. You can see it in in this poem very much. It is clear here also. while you roamed free as the breeze not knowing that my voice cannot be smoothed by stones.

[00:30:35]So this is called in German line. Now moving forward what is that figurative language?

[00:30:41]We can read this poem and we can find out what kind of figure of speeches have been used in this poem. Metaphor, simile, symbolism. How you just see I am not that woman selling you socks and s remember me. I am the one you hid in your walls of stone while you roamed free as the bridge. Using this word as the bridge. What is similarly where we are using as and like. So it is comparison. She's comparing herself or comparisoning uh the person in front of her with bridge. This is simile symbolism. You can see these words are not only for the literal meaning. They are written for the symbolic meaning also. In simple way you can see that this is just breeze. This is just wall. This is just a stones. But not it is not like that. This poem has a kind of tone which is assertive but rebellious.

[00:31:47]She's not going to accept whatever has been decided by the patriarchy. whatever has been decided by maybe by her husband maybe someone who is a male in the society maybe anyone so she's saying that I'm not that woman who going to sell socks and suj means I am someone who is different from these things remember me I am the one you hid in your walls of a stone walls of a stone is what it's kind of metaphor it's kind of symbol also walls of a stone maybe the simple wall in literal sense But in metaphorical sense it may be a kind of you know that boundary under which a person wants to put her so that she cannot move out of that boundary that is also wall of stone while you roam free as the bridge so he's telling you are roaming freely while I am here like bird in a cage you know So tone is assertive but rebellious. And now see the rhythm free verse natural speech. Rhythm reverse we all know. Then repetition just see the repetition of this line. I am not that woman. If you'll read entire poem this is just part of that poem. You will find that how this line has been repeated again and again. So this is a way how we have to do close reading of certain text. It may be in pros, it may be in even poetry, maybe anything. But what are the things what we have to focus while we are making close reading?

[00:33:36]These are the thing diction, syntax, figurative language, repetition, rhythm, tone and mood. While summarizing the class, what we tried to cover today, what we read today, we discussed what is text, what is the meaning of this word text.

[00:34:02]So text is not just written but interpreted. It is not something which is just scripted. It may be in any language. Whatever is written as I told you anything which is within the boundary of two covers within the boundary of the margins it may be in soft copy may be in the hard copy may be anything whatever is written that that will be text it can be as small as a tweet a text message and it can be as long as like epic or anything but we have to understand text is not something which is just written but what we are trying to interpret the process of meaning making that is also called text where you are reading between the lines.

[00:34:56]We also discussed what a reader is supposed to do while he's doing close reading. A reader should avoid overreading and underreading.

[00:35:06]It means while we are reading a text we need to be careful on our personal background also we should not get influenced completely by our own belief system while we are reading a text. So neither there should be overreading nor there should be underreading that should be in a way neutral while you are reading then subjective views and grounded evidence in the text should be handled in the balance.

[00:35:33]Subjective views means which can vary from person to person.

[00:35:40]Everyone has their own subjective view.

[00:35:42]There may be text with objective views also but there are certain text with subjective view. And it may be also in the same text we have sometimes subjective views and sometime objective view. So while you are going through subjective views you should handle it in a very balance.

[00:35:59]what I just said that you should control your belief system. You should not move away with your understanding or with your belief system while you are reading a text. Then last but not least, close reading trains attention and builds analytical skills. So while we are doing close reading, it it is really going to help us to know how to read a text and how to produce meaning of text. What is the process of meaning? So as much as you read will you will become a extensive reader. You will become a good reader who can easily observe the meaning interpret the text and will be able to produce right meaning I means or will you will be close to the actual meaning of the text if you'll practice on it close reading.

[00:36:54]So for now uh it's all. Thank you so much. Happy learning.