Close Reading

Close reading looks at the specific literary devices, diction, and repetitive instances to understand a character, a theme, a motif, a conflict, or any part of a literary text. In many AP prose prompts, you will be given a short selection and will use direct and indirect characterization to analyze a character and his or her context. Dialogue, body language, movement, and character interaction all play a part in detailing a character's meaning. 

An example -

"A woman stood in the doorway of the shop, her arms crossed, a woman made entirely of precisely ruled lines. Her face was long and stern, its planes sharpened by iron-grey hair tightly pulled back from the crown. Above the two angles of her cheek-bones, her eyes were curt incisions, while her nose was a narrow triangle, pinched to a white tip. Her plain white cap was so crisply starched it might have been folded from paper, while beneath the jutting lines of her collarbones, the rigid bodice of her plain dark dress made another precise triangle of her chest...." - Clare Clark

Here I have highlighted key words creating her character:

"A woman stood in the doorway of the shop, her arms crossed, a woman made entirely of precisely ruled lines. Her face was long and stern, its planes sharpened by iron-grey hair tightly pulled back from the crown. Above the two angles of her cheek-bones, her eyes were curt incisions, while her nose was a narrow triangle, pinched to a white tip. Her plain white cap was so crisply starched it might have been folded from paper, while beneath the jutting lines of her collarbones, the rigid bodice of her plain dark dress made another precise triangle of her chest...."

How would you describe her character from these details? In brief, her body language constructs a harsh, distant woman and her physical description conveys calculating angles. She is described in mathematical terminology, which is diction not connected to the female stereotype. I could go on here, but that would take away from your observations. 

With characterization, you should know the key types: protagonist, antagonist, round, flat, dynamic, flat, stock, foil, antihero. 

Lastly, the ability to describe tone in mature, precise language will help you immensely in understanding the text, writing analyses, and completing multiple choice passages. With that in mind. I thought 5 tone words a week will help with AP Lit Preparations.

• Jingoistic - extreme patriotism
• Reverent - respectful
• Laudatory - praising
• Kowtowing - obsequious, brown-nosing
• Vituperative - harsh, bitter criticism

Welcome to AP Lit

Even though we do not have required summer reading this year, I have already torn through two novels: one that I would not recommend, even though it used a great deal of asyndeton (lack of conjunctions) with the characters, and Brooklyn, the sweet novel that inspired the beloved film.

With AP Lit, the analysis of literature is at the forefront of each prose text: characterization, the relationships between characters in dialogue, physical movement, setting, narrator point of view, comparative techniques via the much beloved similes, metaphors, conceits (extended metaphors), motifs and symbols, gender roles, class roles, psychology, and many other literary elements that create the overall theme.

As you read this summer, pay attention to the characters and the conflicts. Notice how a character changes around other characters, how he or she develops or stagnates throughout the text, and what role the character plays in the overall plot and theme. Even when reading for fun, you can pull these details together to understand a text at a higher level.

I will be bonus blogging once a week with background, tips, and hints for AP Lit. I can't wait to hear about your readings this summer - especially since one of the writing prompts in class requires you to choose a novel of literary merit and write about it.

And on a personal aside, after three weeks of a torn pool liner with one foot of water, a thousand tadpoles, and moping of the highest level, the new pool liner is in and I can swim in a half hour! Finally, reading on the pool steps - my favorite place to tan, read, and relax.