Close Reading: The Basics

Author:   David Greenham
Publisher:   Taylor & Francis Ltd
Edition:   2nd edition
ISBN:  

9781032817286


Pages:   214
Publication Date:   05 November 2025
Format:   Hardback
Availability:   Not yet available   Availability explained
This item is yet to be released. You can pre-order this item and we will dispatch it to you upon its release.

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Close Reading: The Basics


Overview

Close reading is an essential skill that literature students continue to develop across the full length of their studies. This book, now in its second edition, is a complete guide to this foundational practice, providing an effective first principles methodology that can be used for poetry, novels, drama, and beyond. Offering model close readings of classic works of literature, including Hamlet, The Great Gatsby and Beloved, David Greenham presents a unique, contextual approach to close reading, while addressing key questions such as: What is close reading? What is the importance of the relationships between words? How can close reading enhance reading pleasure? Is there a method of close reading that works for all literary genres? How can close reading unlock complexity? How does the practice of close reading relate to contemporary theoretical, critical and political concerns? The second edition of Close Reading: The Basics is carefully formulated to bring together reading pleasure and analytic techniques that will engage the student of literature and enhance their reading experience.

Full Product Details

Author:   David Greenham
Publisher:   Taylor & Francis Ltd
Imprint:   Routledge
Edition:   2nd edition
Weight:   0.570kg
ISBN:  

9781032817286


ISBN 10:   1032817283
Pages:   214
Publication Date:   05 November 2025
Audience:   College/higher education ,  Tertiary & Higher Education
Format:   Hardback
Publisher's Status:   Active
Availability:   Not yet available   Availability explained
This item is yet to be released. You can pre-order this item and we will dispatch it to you upon its release.

Table of Contents

Preface. Introduction. Chapter 1: The seven pleasures of reading. Chapter 2: The semantic context. Chapter 3: The syntactic and thematic contexts. Chapter 4: Close reading case study 1: Hamlet. Chapter 5: The iterative context, part 1: character and plot. Chapter 6: The iterative context, part 2: sounds and rhythms. Chapter 7: The generic context. Chapter 8: The adversarial context. Chapter 9: Close reading case study 2: Beloved. Conclusion: adversarial appreciation and the futures of close reading. Glossary. Bibliography. Index.

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Author Information

David Greenham is Professor of English Literature at the University of the West of England, UK.

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