English 12 / Unit 7: Literary Criticism and Analysis
7.1 Critical Lenses and Close Reading
Notes
A critical lens is a way of reading that asks a particular set of questions about a text. Using a lens helps you move from summary to interpretation.
- Close reading (formalism or New Criticism) studies the text itself: word choice, imagery, structure, tone, and how they create meaning.
- Other lenses bring in context: history, gender, the mind, class, or the reader.
- To apply a lens: (1) choose a lens, (2) ask its key questions, (3) find evidence in the text, (4) explain what the evidence suggests.
- A lens gives a perspective, not the only correct reading. Strong interpretations are supported by the text.
Practice
What does a critical lens do?
A lens focuses your reading on certain aspects of a text.
A reader analyzes only the poem's images, word choices and structure, ignoring the poet's biography. This is:
Formalism focuses on the text itself.
Which is a strong way to apply a lens?
Interpretation needs textual evidence.
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