Literary Texts:

Close Analysis and

Critical
Interpretation
Prepared by:
RAUL A. DANES
Teacher I / SHS
 Learning Competencies
melcs:
At the end of the lesson, the students should be able to:

1. write a close analysis and critical interpretation of literary texts, apply a reading approach,
and do an adaptation of these, require from the learner the ability to identify: representative
texts and authors from Asia, North America, Europe, Latin America, and Africa.

2. compare and contrast the various 21 st century literary genres and their elements,
structures, and traditions from across the globe;

3. produce a creative presentation of a literary text by applying multimedia and ICT skills;
and

4. do self-and/or peer-assessment of the creative adaptation of a literary text, based on

rationalized criteria, prior to presentation
 CLOSE ANALYSIS
Analysis
• It is a detailed examination of anything complex in
order to understand its nature or to determine its
essential features.
• It is the separation of a whole into its component
• parts.
• - Merriam Webster
 CLOSE ANALYSIS

Close reading
• It is a process of finding as much information as you
can in order to form as many questions as you can.
• It is a deep analysis of how a literary text works; it is
both a reading process and something you include in
a literary analysis paper, through in a refined form.
 CLOSE ANALYSIS
Example of close reading:
If an author writes a novel in the form of a
personal journal about a character’s daily life, but
that journal reads like a series of lab reports.

What do we learn about that character?

We learned that the character’s
profession is
medical/science-related.
 CLOSE
ANALYSIS
Example of close reading:

She murmured, “I don’t want you to go.”

What is the effect of picking of a word like “murmured”

instead of “said”? (word choice/diction)

• It gives a different feeling from “said.” A writer chooses a specific word over
general word–it can add description to and change the mood of your writing.
 CRITICAL INTERPRETATION

Critical
• It is exercising or involving careful judgment or judicious evaluation. –
Merriam Webster
• It is expressing or involving an analysis of the merits and faults of a
work of literature. – Oxford Dictionary
 CRITICAL INTERPRETATION
Interpretation
 It is an individual response that addresses
meaning.

 This is developed by an in-depth examination of a

text. It often will be the thesis of your paper.
How do you conduct an “in-depth”
examination of a text?
1. Before reading the work, make sure
to examine the title carefully (The title
is a clue to an important idea in the
work).
2. Make sure you look up in the dictionary
any words with which you are not familiar.
3. After reading the work the first time, ask
yourself the following questions:
How do you conduct an “in-depth”
examination of a text?
 What is the geographical, historical, and
social
setting? How does this affect the story or
poem?
 Who is/are the main character/s?
 Who are the secondary characters, and how
are they linked to the main characters?
 Does the main character change? If so, how
and
why? If not, why not?
How do you conduct an “in-depth”
examination of a text?

 What is the conflict? Can you trace

the
development and resolution of the conflict?
 Who is telling the story? How does
this
influence the story or poem?
 In poetry, can you find a
pattern of rhyme and
meter?
 How do you conduct an “in-depth”
examination of a text?
4. As you re-read the work, make sure you can
answer these questions. This may help you to
discover deeper meanings that will lead you to
an interpretation.
 Can you summarize the author’s meaning in
one paragraph? Specify.
 Can you state a theme of the work
in one sentence? Specify.
 Can you identify any symbols or metaphors?
What do they mean? Specify.
How do you prove your
interpretation?

You prove your interpretation by

finding a pattern of examples in the
literature that support your idea. You
find this pattern in the literary elements,
such as plot, point of view, character,
setting, symbol, tone and style. In
poetry, the uses of language (rhyme,
meter, and metaphors) are also
patterns that can support your
interpretation.
Where do you find evidence to support
your
interpretation?
It is mainly from the work you are
discussing. Secondary sources (published
critical analyses) may support your point of
view as well.
How much of the story should you
retell in a critical analysis?
You do need to locate your reader
to the scene or section of the poem that
you are discussing, some plot
summary is necessary, but re-telling the
story or a poem is not considered an
analysis.
 READER-RESPONSE CRITICISM
According to critics, literary texts do not
“contain” a meaning; meanings derive only from the
act of individual readings. Hence, two different
readers may derive completely different
interpretations of the same literary text; likewise, a
reader who re-reads a work years later may find the
work shockingly different.
 READER-RESPONSE CRITICISM
This approach takes as a fundamental tenet
that “literature” exists not as an artifact upon a
printed page but as a transaction between the
physical text and the mind of a reader.
It attempts “to describe what happens in the
reader’s mind while interpreting a text” and reflects
that reading, like writing, is a creative process.
 READER-RESPONSE CRITICISM
This includes how the reader:
o would respond to the text
o would make meaning out of it
o (reader’s) historical or social situation
might
affect ones reading
o (reader’s) response might fit or contradict an
author’s interpretation
 PROS
E
It applies a natural flow Types of Prose:
of and ordinary 1. Essays
grammatical
speech, structure, 2. Novels
rather than rhythmic 3. Short stories
structure, such as in the 4. Fables
case of traditional poetry. 5. Folktale
Its structure is in terms 6. Fiction/Nonfiction
of sentences and books
paragraphs.
 POETRY
It is a language Types of Poetry:
arranged in lines with 1. Epic
regular rhythm, meter 2. Ballad
and often with definite 3. Ode
rhyme scheme. 4. Elegy
It uses figurative 5. Sonnet
language (figures of 6. Song
speech, imagery, literary
devices).
It is the “rhythmical
creation of beauty.” (E. A.
Elements of
Prose
 01 Characters
They are the people who are
doing the action in the story.
Classification of Characters:
a) Flat (simple) – has the same
traits at the end of the
story as the start.
b) Round (complex) – changes over
the course of the story.
Character Roles:
1. Protagonist – the main character of the
story. This is the character around whom
the plot revolves, and may also be the
main point of view character in the story.

ex.
Katniss Everdeen from “The Hunger Games”
Lemuel Gulliver from “Gulliver’s Travels”
Character Roles:
2. Antagonist – the villain of the story, he/she
causes problems or conflict for the
protagonist.
*Anti-heroes are villainous people who function
in
a protagonist’s role (ex. Joker, Hamlet)
ex.
Pres. Coriolanus Snow from “The
Hunger
Games”
Blefuscu from “Gulliver’s Travels”
 02 Point of View
It is the angle from which the
story is told. It tells through whose
eyes we are seeing the story. It also
reveals the attitude of the writer
toward the characters.
o 1st person (The “I” POV)
o 2nd person (The “You” POV)
o 3rd person (The “He” or “She”
POV)
Example of 1st person POV
“It was times like these when I thought my
father, who hated guns and had never been
to any wars, was the bravest man who
ever lived.”
– To Kill a Mockingbird
by Harper Lee
Example of 2nd person POV

•“You are not the kind of guy who would be at a place like this
at this time of the morning. But here you are, and you cannot say that
the terrain is entirely unfamiliar, although the details are fuzzy.”
• – Bright Lights, Big City
• by Reading Peterson
 3rd person limited

It is when the narrator is not

involved in the story or is an outsider.
He or she relates the events, but is
not one of the characters.
 3rd person limited
When Jane and Elizabeth were alone, the
former, who had been cautious in her praise of
Mr. Bingley before, expressed to her sister how
very much she admired him.
“He is just what a young man ought to
be,” said she, “sensible, good humored, lively;
and I never saw such happy manners! – so much
ease, with such perfect good breeding!”
- Jane Austen’s Pride and
Prejudice
3rd person omniscient

It is also referred to as the

“know- it-all” narrator; the narrator
knows the innermost thoughts and
feelings of each character. He or she
explores the mind of every character.
 3rd person omniscient
“All the same, he’s a good man, truthful, kind, and
remarkable in his sphere,” Anna said to herself, going back to her
room, as if defending him before someone who was accusing
him and saying that it was impossible to love him. “But why do
his ears stick out so oddly? Did he have to have his hair cut?”
Exactly at midnight, when Anna was still sitting at her
desk finishing a letter to Dolly, she heard the measured steps of
slippered feet, and Alexei Alexanderovich, washed and combed, a
book under his arm, came up to her. “It’s time, it’s time,” he said
with a special smile, and went into the bedroom.
“And what right did he have to look at him like that?”
thought Anna, recalling how Vronsky and looked at Alexei
Alexandrovich.
- Anna Karenina
 03 Plot
The arrangement of events in
logical and causal manner.
Some plots do not follow the
regular structure of a story. Authors
may use flashbacks to highlight
previous events or foreshadowing
to create suspense.
•FREYTAG’S PYRAMID
 Elements of Plot
 Exposition: introduction, including the
primary
characters’ names, setting, mood, and time.
 Rising Action: all of the events that lead to
the eventual climax, including
character development and events that create
suspense.
 Climax: the most exciting point of the story,
and is a turning point for the plot or goals of
the main character.
Elements of Plot

Falling Action: everything

that happens as a result of Resolution: completes the
the climax, including story; it can leave a reader
wrapping-up of plot points, with questions, answers,
questions being answered, frustration, or satisfaction.
and character development.
 04 Setting

Examples of fiction set in local

It tells when and where the
color: Amador Daguio’s The
events occurred. It is a device
Wedding Dance Manuel
used to help the readers in
Arguilla’s How My
creating a mental picture of the
Brother Leon Brought homea
setting.
Wife
05 Atmosphere/Mood
This is the overall psychological
and emotional feelings invoked in a
reader while reading the story.
e.g.
“I’d rather stay here and wait,
than go
into that dark room.”

“I called my friend at their

house, her brother said she’s not home,
but I heard the voice come over the
05 Atmosphere/Mood
Words that describe
mood:
a. alarming j. light
b. brooding k. melancholy
c. buoyant l. ominous
d. comical m. oppressive
e. confining n. relaxed
f. cool o. spooky
g. dark p. suspenseful
h. fantastical q. warm
i. hopeful
 06 Conflict
It refers to the problem or
complication that the characters must face.
It may be the clash between characters in
the story, or against forces.
Two Main Types of Conflict:
a. Internal – shown through the
character’s inner struggle . He or
she may be torn between varying
emotions or differing plans of
action.
b. External – shown through the
character’s outer struggle.
Kinds of CONFLICT
man vs. self (dilemma, mental illness)

man vs. man (superhero vs. villain)

man vs. society (societal norms, culture, tradition)

man vs. nature (natural disasters)

 07 Irony
It is the expression of one’s
meaning by using the language that
normally signifies the opposite,
typically for humorous or emphatic
effect.
Types of Irony:
a) verbal
b) situational
c) dramatic
 Verbal Irony
It is the disparity between what a
character says and what he/she mean.
ex.
“How nice!” she said, when I told her I
had to work all weekend.

Meet my tiny Chihuahua, Brutus.

 Situational Irony
It is the disparity between what
a character or reader expects and
what actually happens.
ex.
A fire station burns down.

The police station gets robbed.

 Dramatic Irony
It is the disparity between what
character
a knows and what the reader
knows.
ex.
In a scary movie, the audience knows that
the killer is hiding in the closet, but the
actors do not.

In Romeo and Juliet, the audience knows

Juliet is in a drugged sleep, but Romeo
thinks that she is dead so he killed himself.
 08 Theme
It is defined as the main idea or
an underlying meaning of a literary
work (stated directly or indirectly).
Subject is a topic that acts as a
foundation for a literary work, while a
theme is an opinion expressed on the
subject.

Subject: dreams
Theme: make your dream a
reality
 09 Tone
• The attitude of the writer towards
his/her material.
ex.
• “I’d rather stay here and wait, than go
into that dark room.”

• “I called my friend at their house, her brother said she’s not

home, but I heard the voice come over the line.”
09 Tone Words that describe
tone: k. resigned
a. amused l. optimistic
b. angry m. pessimistic
c. cheerful n. playful
d. horror o. pompous
e. clear p. sad
f. formal q. serious
g. blooming r. suspicious
h.
i. humorous
informal s. witty
j. ironic
k. light
10 Meaning
How the reader is moved
after reading, and his/her
realizations.
Elements of
Poetry
 01 Stanza
It is the grouping of lines or
the succession of lines arranged
together according to substance.
It is separated from another
stanza through the use of space.
Kinds of Stanza

a) tercet – three lines

b) quatrain – four lines
c) quintrain – five
d) sestet – six lines
e) septet – seven lines
f) octave/octet – eight
lines
 02 Form
It is the style of the poem or how
the poem is structured. Poetry is divided
into two:
a) Classical – shows metrical pattern,
has specific number of lines,
and has rhyme scheme
b) Contemporary – “blank verse,” it
does
not have rhyme, nor pattern
*free verse – does not have
meter,
 03 Rhyme
It is the repetition of similar
sounds. Rhyme is classified into
two:
a) End rhyme – words with similar
sounds that appear at the end
of the lines.
b) Internal rhyme – found in the
middle of the lines or a
rhyme within the lines.
Example of Rhymes
End rhyme
Tyger, tiger burning bright,
In the forest of the night.
- “Tyger, Tyger” by Blake

Internal rhyme
The moon never beams without bringing
dreams… me
And the stars never rise but I feel the bright
eyes.
- “Anabelle Lee” by Poe
 04 Theme
It is defined as the main idea or
an underlying meaning of a literary
work (stated directly or indirectly).
Subject is a topic that acts as a
foundation for a literary work, while a
theme is an opinion expressed on the
subject.

Subject: dreams
Theme: make your dream a
reality
 05 Tone
• The attitude of the writer towards
his/her material.
ex.
• “I’d rather stay here and wait, than go
into that dark room.”

• “I called my friend at their house, her brother said she’s not

home, but I heard the voice come over the line.”
 Words that describe
06 Tone tone:
a. amused
k.
l.
resigned
optimistic
b. angry m. pessimistic
c. cheerful n. playful
d. horror o. pompous
e. clear p. sad
f. formal q. serious
g. blooming r. suspicious
h. informal
i. humorous s. witty
j. ironic
k. light
 Format for Close Analysis/Critical
Interpretation PowerPoint Presentation
I. Continent:
II. Title of the text:
III. Author:
IV. The literary text: Important Events
V. Analysis: Elements of Prose/Poetry
VI. Critique: Merits of Faults
VII. Reference/s: APA format (
https://www.citationmachine.net/bibliographies/ad
3af717-4027-4e90-9c7b-02c93bbf0a6b)
Reference/s
Ancheta, L. R. (2017) Creative Writing. Quezon City: Vibal
Group, Inc.
A Short Guide to Close Reading for Literary Analysis.
(n.d.). Retrieved November 04, 2020, from
https://writing.wisc.edu/handbook/assignments/closere
ading/

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Reference/s
Guidelines for Writing a Literary Critical Analysis (n.d.).
Retrieved from
https://www.sierracollege.edu/_files/resources/student-
services/academic-support/writing-
center/documents/LitCrit.pdf

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Reference/s
Guidelines for Writing a Literary Critical Analysis (n.d.).
Retrieved from
https://www.sierracollege.edu/_files/resources/student-
services/academic-support/writing-
center/documents/LitCrit.pdf

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by Stories

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Reference/s
Kinds of Poetry and Prose. (n.d.). Retrieved November
04, 2020, from https://
www.scribd.com/doc/68134949/Kinds-of- Poetry-
and-Prose

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