Close reading is a practice of reading literature in a way that allows one, as the name implies, to get closer to the text under analysis. This entails care and attention not only to WHAT a text is saying, but also to HOW the text says it and how one responds as the reader. In close reading, several factors (content, form, interpretation) are combined and put under scrutiny in order to produce readings of literature that transcend first impressions and instead seek to know and learn more about the text at hand.

In this option, we will first look into the tradition and practice of close reading as it has been understood in the history of literary criticism, and we will also consider its role in the advancement of literary theory in the 20th century. (This course is not highly theoretical, but it offers a good foundation for further courses in literary theory and methodology.)

After the background has been provided, the students will work in teams for the rest of the course and carry out a project assignment in close reading. The objective is to be able to work together, with defined tasks for each, choose a text for analysis, identify its vital factors, and negotiate how to present the results to the class. Assessment will be based on one's participation in the project assignment as a whole.

Recommended as a first literature option.