Have you ever used close reading techniques when looking at a text? Literary analysis methods aren't something people concern themselves with when scanning some text in a casual fashion. But if you are looking to take away a broader, deeper understanding of what you have just read, then you'll need to understand some textual analysis techniques.

In this piece, we are going to look at how you can improve your analytical reading skills. To do this, we will dive into some close reading strategies and literary interpretation skills.

Here we're specifically talking about the written word like books or articles; however, it should be noted that the word text in textual analysis can also refer to a piece of media like a TV show, film, radio programmed, or video game. There is a whole field of study devoted to analyzing media and text that looks into things like semiotics and audience reception theories. We're not going to get into that here, but it may interest you to do further reading. So in this article, when we say text, we are talking about the written world, but if you look further into textual analysis, you'll see the word takes on a looser meaning and doesn't just refer to letters and words on a page or screen.

Literary Analysis Methods

Performing a literary analysis is all about asking questions of the text. You want to know why the story is what it is and not something else. Why is the story being told this way and not some other way?

Literary analysis methods look at what is included in a book and what is left out. When doing an analysis, it's important to consider who the text is written for as well as the context in which it is written (the time period and place).

Reading in this way will help make you a better writer and give you a better understanding of how to appeal to your target audience.

Understanding Textual Analysis Techniques

Basically, when you are carrying out a textual analysis, you are trying to figure out what the point of the text is. Some texts are written mostly for entertainment rather than information, but still, there will be a larger meaning or moral to the story.

Across different fiction genres, there is generally a relatable theme or overarching message within the plot when you look further. You may see this as:

Romance books that look at the nature of conflict in relationships.
Fantasy books that ultimately come down to good triumphing over evil.
Horror books that deal with themes like grief and death.

These themes run through the background of a compelling plot.

Authors write with a purpose. Even a story in which the moral is "there is no point to anything" has a purpose by taking that stance. In order to understand this meaning, we need to perform a textual analysis.

Developing Analytical Reading skills

A lot of the time, we read for fun. We might read something, enjoy it, and think no further about it. Literary analysis involves reading on a deeper level using the close reading technique. This involves reading, reflecting on what you have just read, and thinking about the meaning behind it.

It takes time to learn how to use literary analysis methods and develop close reading techniques. It's a different type of reading than you are used to because it's read on an analytical level rather than for enjoyment.

While practicing analytical reading, you should take notes while you read to make it easier to spot things in the story.

Close Reading Techniques

When it comes to literary analysis methods, 'question' is the word of the day. Keep asking questions throughout your reading. Question everything involved in the text.

Before you do a close reading of a text, you should do a normal reading. You could think of this as reading for enjoyment. This is because the first time you are reading a text, it is new to you, and you don't know what is going to happen. Think about how the second time you watch a movie; you notice things you didn't the first time because you are aware of what will happen in the story. So read the book first to take away the surprise factor. Then you can go back and do a close reading. Now you can read with your analytical reading skills and use textual analysis techniques to find a deeper meaning within the text.

It's best if you do your own close reading before doing any research about other opinions on the text. That's not to say you can't take into account other opinions or agree with them, but it's important you form your own views on the text first.

Close Reading Strategies & Literary Interpretation Tips

Here are nine literary interpretation tips and close reading strategies to use when you are doing a textual analysis.

Consider the title.
Reflect on whose perspective we see things from (and whose we do not see things from).
Ask who the target audience for the text is.
Consider why the text was written. What is the purpose of the text?
Look at what kinds of people are portrayed in the text. Are characters from marginalized backgrounds portrayed with depth or in a tokenistic fashion?
Ask what themes are being presented? How are they dealt with?
Are there societal issues being dealt with in the text (LGBT+ rights, racism, sexism), and how are they dealt with?
From a story point of view, ask which characters are portrayed as the good guy or hero and who is presented as the bad guy or villain?
Look at the cover design.